Santee National Wildlife Refuge

Established to provide wintering habitats for migratory waterfowl, Santee National Wildlife Refuge has found a new mission with the decline in duck populations.

It provides habitat for three endangered or threatened species: the Southern bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, the American alligator and for neotropical migratory bird species.

The 15,000-acre refuge lies within the Atlantic Coastal Plain and consists of mixed hardwoods and pine hardwoods, pine plantations, marsh, croplands and open water. Dingle Pond is a natural Carolina bay of local geological significance.

Visitors fish for largemouth, white and striped bass, crappie and catfish, and hunt for white-tailed deer; raccoon and rabbit.

Of special interest in the Bluff Unit are the Santee Indian Mound and the British Revolutionary War-era Fort Watson, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Also at Bluff, a one-mile nature trail passes through several habitat types.

A seven-mile wildlife drive winds through the Cuddo Unit.

The visitor center in the Bluff Unit is located off U.S. Hwy. 301/15, seven miles south of Summerton and four miles north of Santee.

Management programs emphasize waterfowl management, banding and surveys, as well as public use.