Refuge Office and Visitor Center are located 20 miles north of Charleston, SC on U.S. Highway 17. Refuge lands are located 20 miles north of Charleston and are accessible by boat only. Concentrations of waterfowl, shore birds, wading birds, and raptors with over 337 species of birds found on the refuge. Largest nesting rookery for brown pelicans, terns, and gulls on South Carolina Coast. Largest nesting population of loggerhead sea turtles outside the State of Florida.
Refuge plays an integral role in recovery of endangered red wolf.
Refuge consists of 34,229 acres of beach and sand dunes, salt marsh, maritime forests, tidal creeks, fresh and brackish water impoundments, and 30,000 acres of open water. Financial Impact of Refuge 10-person staff. 160,000 visitors annually. Refuge Objectives Provide habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and resident species. Provide habitat and management of endangered and threatened species.