Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
The Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge is a 45348 acres (183.5 km²) national wildlife refuge located in Chesterfield County, South Carolina
. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from a headquarters located in McBee, South Carolina
. The Refuge is served by U.S. Highway 1, which passes through it.
, and frequent brush fire
s.
Recurrent, noncatastrophic fires tended to remove invasive shrubs and maximize the health of fire-tolerant species such as the longleaf pine
. Pine-friendly birds, such as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker
, also thrived in the Sandhills.
After attempts to farm this portion of the Sandhills turned unsuccessful during the Great Depression
, the region was consolidated by New Deal
federal managers into the current National Wildlife Refuge in 1939.
Current Refuge management practices at the Carolina Sandhills NWR include attempts to start a program of Sandhills prescribed burnings.
Chesterfield County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,768 people, 16,557 households, and 11,705 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 18,818 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from a headquarters located in McBee, South Carolina
McBee, South Carolina
McBee is a town in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 867 at the 2010 census. McBee is located at 34°28'7.14"N 80°15'22.02"W, approximately 36 miles to Florence and approximately 62 miles to Columbia.-About Bunch McBee:...
. The Refuge is served by U.S. Highway 1, which passes through it.
Ecology and history
The Carolina Sandhills NWR, as its name suggests, is dedicated to the preservation of a portion of the Carolina Sandhills, a distinct ecosystem characterized by inland sand dunes, thin or absent topsoilTopsoil
Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top to . It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.-Importance:...
, and frequent brush fire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s.
Recurrent, noncatastrophic fires tended to remove invasive shrubs and maximize the health of fire-tolerant species such as the longleaf pine
Longleaf Pine
Pinus palustris, commonly known as the Longleaf Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
. Pine-friendly birds, such as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a woodpecker found in southeastern North America.- Description :About the size of the Northern Cardinal, it is approximately 8.5 in. long, with a wingspan of about 14 in. and a weight of about 1.5 ounces...
, also thrived in the Sandhills.
After attempts to farm this portion of the Sandhills turned unsuccessful during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the region was consolidated by New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
federal managers into the current National Wildlife Refuge in 1939.
Current Refuge management practices at the Carolina Sandhills NWR include attempts to start a program of Sandhills prescribed burnings.