Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Little Falling Creek at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, March 2011
Map of the United States
Location	Jasper County, Jones County, Georgia, United States
Nearest city	Forsyth, Georgia
Coordinates	33°07′31″N 83°44′59″W
Area	35,000 acres (140 km2)
Established	1939
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000-acre (140 km²) National Wildlife Refuge established in 1939 and located in central Georgia. It is primarily an upland forest dominated by loblolly pine on the ridges with hardwoods found along the creek bottoms and in scattered upland coves. Clear streams and beaver ponds provide ideal wetland habitat for wood ducks and other wetland dependent species. In the early 19th century the European settlers arrived in abundance and began to clear the land to plant a variety of crops. The settlers removed more than 90% of the forest. The continuous planting of cotton caused serious erosion and soil infertility. By the late 1870s they had abandoned more than a third of the land because the land could not sustain crops.

With the combination of soil infertility, the boll weevil outbreak on remaining cotton and the Great Depression, there was wholesale abandonment of the barren eroded land in the 1930s. By then all the top soil had washed away, leaving the red clay subsoil exposed. The refuge was established from this worn out abandoned farm land where few wildlife species remained. With good soil and forest conservation practices, the wildlife habitat began to improve. Today, through the efforts of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the refuge is once again a forest.

The red-cockaded woodpecker, a native bird of the southern US, is an endangered species because the older age pine forests it requires for nesting and roosting have been cleared throughout most of its range. The refuge currently has 50 active family groups. Prescribed burning and thinning are two forest management practices used to provide habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker. Many migratory bird species, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and other native wildlife benefit from these management practices. The diversity of habitats provides a haven for over 200 species of birds, including many species of neotropical songbirds, and 50 species of mammals.

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area located in central Georgia, United States. Established in 1939, the refuge spans over 35,000 acres and comprises diverse habitats including hardwood forests, pine plantations, open fields, and wetlands. It provides habitat for a variety of wildlife species including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, bobwhite quail, and numerous songbirds. Visitors to the refuge can enjoy hiking, birdwatching, photography, and fishing, with hunting opportunities available in accordance with state regulations. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge focuses on conserving native habitats through habitat management practices such as prescribed burning and wetland restoration. The refuge also offers educational programs and outreach initiatives to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and the importance of protected areas. Overall, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge serves as an important sanctuary for wildlife and provides valuable recreational and educational opportunities for visitors.

References

• Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan
• Refuge website

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