Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge - Townsend, GA - National Public Lands Passport Locations on Waymarking.com

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge is located in Southeast Georgia. This visitor's center has a cancellation stamp for Harris Neck as well as Blackbeard Island which can only be reached by boat.

From the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge web site:
"Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962 by transfer of federal lands formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield. The refuge's 2,824 acres consist of saltwater marsh, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland. Because of this great variety in habitat, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year.

In the summer, thousands of egrets, herons and endangered wood storks nest in the swamps, while in the winter, large concentrations of ducks (especially mallards, gadwall and teal) gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide the visitor easy access to these areas. Some portions of the refuge may be closed seasonally to protect wildlife from human disturbance.

The 2,824 acres comprising Harris Neck NWR have had a long, and at times, controversial history. Distinguished as one of the oldest intensively farmed areas along the Georgia coast, Harris Neck was among the first land grants given to early English and Scottish settlers in 1750. While staple crops were produced, it was the high quality Sea Island Cotton which brought European fame to the coastal agricultural industry. Unfortunately, poor farming practices soon exhausted the fragile sandy loan soils, and large scale farming was abandoned in 1860.

The Civil War brought an end to the "Old South" plantation era, and Harris Neck was divided into smaller farms. The community, thus established, thrived until the advent of World War II, when the U.S. Government condemned the property for use as an air base. Twelve hundred acres were converted into a triangular landing strip for use as a training facility by the War Department. The P-40 "Kittyhawk" (pictured below), used at Harris Neck Army Airfield, later gained fame from missions with the legendary Flying Tigers, who shot down 286 Japanese aircraft during WWII.

After World War II, the property was given to McIntosh County for guardianship and use as a municipal airport. Due to county mismanagement of the land resources, Harris Neck was transferred to the Federal Aviation Agency. On May 25, 1962, the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (forerunner of the USFWS) acquired the property and established the area as a migratory bird refuge."

Address: Harris Neck Road Townsend, GA USA 31405 Corresponding Waymark: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Photograph of the area preferably from a new angle to show something new. Pictures can include interaction, as that is encouraged, but should be done so with the thought of inspiring further visitation of the area. No GPSr Pictures, unless there is something significant to show about the coordinates. If the stamp changes or you have a better picture of the stamp, please add that as well.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   05/26/2019 ORDIMIC visited it 05/21/2016 2Wolfes visited it 03/26/2008 onfire4jesus visited it

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