Pee Dee

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge photo: USFWS Refuge Facts ■ Established: 1963. photo: USFWS photo: USFWS ■ Mechanical and chemical control of noxious plants. Acres: 8,443. ■ Located in Anson and Richmond counties of North Carolina. ■ Deer management with public hunting. ■ Other management: 21 conservation easements in seven counties. ■ Educational/interpretation. ■ Law enforcement. Location: the refuge is located seven miles north of Wadesboro, NC on U.S. Highway 52. ■ Partnerships. Natural History ■ The Pee Dee NWR is part of the Savannah-Santee-Pee Dee Ecosystem. ■ ■ The diversity of habitats and management programs supports a broad range of wildlife species, including over 180 birds, 49 amphibians and reptiles, 28 mammals, and 20 fish species. The refuge lands are comprised of 3,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods, 1,200 acres of upland pine forest; and 4,300 acres of croplands, old fields, moist soil units and mixed pine hardwoods. Financial Impact of Refuge ■ Five-person staff. ■ photo: USFWS Prescribed fire. ■ ■ JD Bricken, Refuge Manager Pee Dee NWR Route 1, Box 92 Wadesboro, NC 28170 Phone: 704/694 4424 Fax: 704/694 6570 E-mail: r4rw_nc.ped@fws.gov ■ 35,000 visitors annually. Refuge Objectives ■ Habitat and Wildlife Management (including migratory birds and endangered species) ■ Resource Protection (including law enforcement and partnerships) ■ Visitor Services (including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, education and interpretation) ■ Refuge Administration (including studies, staffing and facilities management) Management Tools ■ Water management for waterfowl. ■ Cooperative farming. Public Use Opportunities ■ Trails/hiking. ■ Auto tour routes. ■ Fishing. ■ Observation towers. ■ Wildlife observation. ■ Photography. ■ Hunting. ■ Fishing. ■ Bird watching. Calendar January-February: waterfowl observation, Christmas Bird Count. May: Migratory Bird Day. June: National Fishing Week. September: mourning dove hunts, archery hunts for deer. October: National Wildlife Refuge Week, raccoon and opossum hunts, muzzleloader hunting for deer, modern gun hunts for deer.. November: Quail hunting. December: squirrel hunting, archery hunts for deer. Questions and Answers When is the Environmental Education Center going to be built at Pee Dee? When funding is obtained. Can you hunt and fish on the refuge? Yes, during the special seasons, with the required permits. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Is the refuge open to the public? Yes. The purpose of the refuge is to protect wildlife habitat and provide outdoor public use opportunities including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretation. Why don’t we see any wild animals? The animals are wild and live in their natural habitat. What is a refuge? Pee Dee is one of over 500 refuges in the United States established for the preservation of wildlife and habitat.