Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Little Falling Creek at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, March 2011
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge Location in the United States
Location	Jasper County, Jones County, Georgia, United States
Nearest city	Forsyth, Georgia
Area	35,000 acres (140 km2)
Established	1939
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

The Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is a huge natural area in central Georgia. It covers about 35,000 acres, which is like 26,500 football fields! This special place was created in 1939 to protect wildlife and help the land heal. It's mostly a forest with tall pine trees on the hills. Along the creeks, you'll find different kinds of hardwood trees. Clear streams and ponds made by beavers create perfect wet areas. These wetlands are great homes for wood ducks and many other animals.

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge: A Special Place for Nature

What is the Refuge?

The Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is a large protected area in central Georgia. It was set up in 1939. This refuge is mostly a forest with tall loblolly pine trees on the higher ground. Along the creeks and in some sheltered spots, you'll find hardwood trees. Clear streams and ponds made by beavers create perfect wet areas. These wetlands are great homes for wood ducks and many other animals that need water.

How the Land Changed Over Time

Long ago, in the early 1800s, many European settlers came to this area. They cleared away more than 90% of the forest to plant crops. They mostly grew cotton. Growing cotton over and over again made the soil very poor and caused a lot of erosion. By the late 1870s, the land was so worn out that farmers abandoned more than a third of it. It simply couldn't grow crops anymore.

In the 1930s, things got even worse. The soil was infertile, a tiny insect called the boll weevil destroyed the remaining cotton, and the Great Depression made life very hard. People left their farms because the land was barren and eroded. All the good topsoil had washed away, leaving only red clay. The refuge was created from this worn-out farmland. Few wild animals were left.

Bringing Nature Back

Thanks to good soil and forest care, the wildlife habitat slowly began to get better. Today, because of the hard work of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the refuge is a thriving forest once again. They use special methods to help the forest grow strong and healthy.

Helping Endangered Animals Thrive

The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Story

The red-cockaded woodpecker is a special bird native to the southern United States. It is an endangered species. This means it's in danger of disappearing forever. These woodpeckers need older pine forests to build their nests and roost (sleep). Sadly, most of these old forests were cut down.

The refuge is a safe haven for these birds. It currently has 50 active family groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers. To help them, the refuge uses two main methods: prescribed burning and thinning. Prescribed burning means carefully setting small, controlled fires. Thinning means removing some trees to give others more space to grow. These methods help create the perfect forest for the woodpeckers.

Amazing Animals and Plants

Many other animals benefit from how the refuge is managed. This includes migratory birds that travel long distances, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys. The different types of habitats in the refuge make it a home for over 200 species of birds. Many of these are neotropical songbirds, which means they fly to warmer places in winter. The refuge also hosts 50 different species of mammals. It's a truly diverse and lively place!