Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge

Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, located on Pamlico Sound in Hyde County, North Carolina, was established on June 23, 1932. The refuge is 15,643 acres of saltmarsh islands and forested wetland interspersed with potholes, creeks, and drains. An additional 27,082 acres of adjacent, non-refuge open water are closed by Presidential Proclamation to the taking of migratory birds. Approximately 8,800 acres are included in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Marsh vegetation is dominated by black needlerush and sawgrass while the mainland is forested by loblolly pine, pond pine and baldcypress. Swanquarter NWR is an important estuarine and wilderness resource, it and the surrounding proclamation waters provide winter sanctuary for black ducks and thousands of canvasbacks, redheads and scaup. Additionally, it provides habitat for nesting osprey and colonial waterbirds and supports one of the northernmost populations of the American alligator. Facilities are limited and consist of approximately two miles of gravel road and a 1,100-foot fishing pier.

Mailing Address:
Swanquarter NWR c/o Mattamuskeet NWR
Route 1, Box N-2
Swan Quarter, NC 27885
Phone: (919) 926-4021
Fax: (919) 926-1743