Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge 1708

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge 1716

The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is a 66,287 acre (267 km²) National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

near Awendaw, South Carolina. The refuge lands and waters encompass water impoundments, creeks and bays, emergent

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

and barrier islands. are designated as Class I Wilderness. Most of the refuge is only accessible by boat. The Intracoastal Waterwayway passes the Refuge. Mainland facilities include the refuge's headquarters and visitor center which are located on U.S. Highway 17 about 30 minutes by car from Charleston, South Carolina.

Red wolf

In the 1800s the red wolf was abundant in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

including South Carolina. However, by the mid-1960s, efforts of trappers, hunters, and farmers— combined with the destruction of natural habitat— nearly wiped out the population. Only a few wolves remained in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. To protect the red wolf, they were taken into captivity, and by 1980, were extinct in the wild. Within the decade, captors of the red wolf were looking to reestablish the red wolf's territory. In 1987, red wolves were released in

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern North Carolina along the Atlantic Coast. It was established on March 14, 1984, to preserve and protect a unique wetland habitat type—the pocosin—a ...

in eastern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

Bull Island Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh''), more properly North Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh Thuaidh''), is an island located in Dublin Bay in Ireland, about 5 km long and 800 m wide, lying roughly parallel to the shore off C ...

, Horn Island in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and St. Vincent Island in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Birds and turtles

Established in 1932 as a haven for

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is additionally managed for the protection of threatened and endangered species such as the

loggerhead sea turtle The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...

wood stork The wood stork (''Mycteria americana'') is a large American wading bird in the family Ciconiidae (storks), the only member of the family to breed in North America. It was formerly called the "wood ibis", though it is not an ibis. It is found ...

, and piping plover. Every year loggerhead sea turtles bury their eggs on three of the refuge's barrier islands. The refuge supports approximately 23% of the northern subpopulation of loggerhead sea turtles, the largest north of Florida. For the past 30 years refuge employees have helped loggerhead turtles survive by identifying nests that are in areas subject to overwash and inundation, and moving them to a safer area on the island.

Lighthouse Island

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is the site of two surviving historic lighthouses which still remain on the refuge, both on Lighthouse Island. The Cape Romain Lighthouses are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bulls Island

Bulls Island is at the largest of the

barrier islands Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a f ...

that are part of the refuge. A regular ferry service to Bulls Island is provided by a private charter service at Garris Landing. The Island was the site of a third lighthouse, Bulls Bay Light which was deactivated in 1913 and lost to the sea years ago. The island also has Boneyard Beach, a beach where a forest has been encroached on by the sea.Lonely Planet ''Georgia and the Carolinas'' ed. Jeremy Gray, Jeff Davis, China Williams - 2002 1864503831 Page 285 "The boneyard beach is strewn with sun-bleached trees, marking where a forest succumbed to the sea. The island is for day-use only, and visitors should bring drinking water. A private ferry (« 843-881-4582) runs Tuesday. Friday and Saturday ."

Sewee Visitor & Environmental Education Center

The Sewee Center features displays about the various ecosystems, wildlife and heritage of the

South Carolina Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...

. Exhibits include the marine ecosystems of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the forest Center. Other facilities include a classroom/lab, an auditorium with an orientation film, information station, a book store, picnic area and trails. The Center is jointly operated by the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

and the U.S. Forest Service, and offers nature education programs and activities. The South Eastern Wildlife and Environment Education Association (SEWEE Association) is the Friends Group for the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and for the Francis Marion National Forest. The SEWEE Association supports the education and conservation activities for the refuge and the forest.

References

External links

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Official Site

Sewee Visitor & Environmental Education Center

Cape Romain
Facebook Page {{authority control Protected areas of Charleston County, South Carolina National Wildlife Refuges in South Carolina Nature centers in South Carolina Protected areas established in 1932 Biosphere reserves of the United States Wetlands of South Carolina Landforms of Charleston County, South Carolina