Speaker: Kimberly Hayes; Wildlife Refuge Manager for the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex

Please join us for a presentation that will highlight the work that is being accomplished and the upcoming re-opening of the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.

Details of the Hurricane Irma Rehabilitation Project:

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma brought wide-spread damage to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts including the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. The objective of the refuge is to provide high-quality habitat for wintering waterfowl and other wetland-dependent migratory birds. The 3,000-acre impoundment system managed by the Savannah NWR is the primary means of providing this high-quality habitat and was severely damaged. The storm surge brought by Irma breached several levees and damaged the integrity of many miles of levees critical to the management of the impoundment system.

The Savannah NWR received funding to not only repair the breached levees but also create more resilience to the existing system through rehabilitation of the levees, which includes rebuilding berms, slopes, and the tops. Additionally, rice trunks located on the perimeter levee were replaced to provide better water control. The refuge contracted with Ducks Unlimited to provide engineering and oversight of the rehabilitation project, which started in 2021.