Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Map of the United States
Location	Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Woodbridge, Virginia
Coordinates	38°38′27″N 77°09′12″W
Area	2,277 acres (9.21 km2)
Established	1969
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Official website

Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located on Mason Neck, Virginia, adjacent to Mason Neck State Park and along Belmont Bay. Established in 1969 under the protection of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, it was the first federal refuge established specifically for the protection of the bald eagle, and is currently part of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge is 2,277 acres (9.21 km²) in size, with 4.4 miles (7.1 km) of shoreline, and contains much oak and hickory forest. It also holds the largest freshwater marsh in northern Virginia.

Since its founding, the refuge has been renamed for Elizabeth Hartwell, a local activist who fought to keep Mason Neck free of development.

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  Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

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  Boardwalk in Mason Neck

References

• FWS profile

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.