Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge Location in Virginia Show map of Virginia Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Woodbridge, Virginia
Area	2,277 acres (9.21 km2)
Established	1969
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Virginia. It is part of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is on Mason Neck, a peninsula in the Potomac River that forms part of the shoreline of Belmont Bay. The refuge is adjacent to Mason Neck State Park.

Established in 1969 and managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, it was the first federal refuge created specifically for the protection of the bald eagle. It is 2,277 acres (9.21 km²) in size, with 4.4 miles (7.1 km) of shoreline. It is covered with oak and hickory forest and it includes the largest freshwater marsh in northern Virginia.

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

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  Boardwalk in Mason Neck