| Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
.jpg) Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, May 2012 | |
  Map of the United States Show map of the United States Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge (South Carolina) Show map of South Carolina | |
| Location | Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States |
| Nearest city | McBee, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | 34°35′01″N80°13′59″W / 34.58348°N 80.23312°W /34.58348; -80.23312[1] |
| Area | 45,348 acres (183.52 km2) |
| Established | 1939 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | www |
TheCarolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge is a 45,348-acre (183.52 km2) national wildlife refuge (NWR) located inChesterfield County, South Carolina. The refuge is managed by theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from a headquarters located inMcBee, South Carolina. The refuge is served byU.S. Highway 1, which passes through it.[2]
With respect to geologic setting, the Carolina Sandhills NWR consists of Quaternary sands of eolian (wind-blown) origin that were active episodically from ~75,000 to 6,000 years ago, but the sands are stabilized by vegetation under modern climate conditions.[3] These Quaternary sands, which are mapped as the Pinehurst Formation, overlie Cretaceous units of sand, sandstone, conglomerate, and mud of fluvial (river) origin that are mapped collectively as the Middendorf Formation.[4][5]
The Carolina Sandhills NWR is dedicated to the preservation of a portion of theCarolina Sandhills, a distinct ecosystem characterized by inlandsand dunes,[3] thin or absenttopsoil, and frequentbrush fires.
Recurrent, noncatastrophic fires tend to remove invasive shrubs and maximize the health of fire-tolerant species such as thelongleaf pine. Pine-friendly birds and migratory birds, such as the endangeredred-cockaded woodpecker,wild turkey, andbald eagle also thrive in the Sandhills.[2] Mammals have also showing recoveries; recent species includered fox,eastern fox squirrel,beaver,white-tailed deer,otter,bobcat,opossum,raccoon,cottontail rabbit.[6]
Current refuge management practices at the Carolina Sandhills NWR include a program ofprescribed burnings.[7]
After attempts to farm this portion of the Sandhills were unsuccessful during theGreat Depression, the region was consolidated byNew Deal federal managers into the current National Wildlife Refuge in 1939.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.
