Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wassaw Island is a 10,053-acre national wildlife refuge with rolling dunes, live oaks,
vast salt marshes, and a 6-mile-long beach where the female loggerheads sneak in each sum-
mer to lay nests of 120 eggs the size of Ping-Pong balls. Getting there requires a 45-minute
boat ride from Landings Harbor Marina on Skidaway Island.
BESIDES TURTLE EGGS
During the Civil War, Wassaw was occupied at different times by both Confederate
and Union soldiers. Blowing sands once revealed a soldier, bones intact, along with
a .56-caliber bullet and a button of the First Georgia Regiment. Cannonballs have
been found along the full length of the island's northern end.
Before that, the island was owned by Anthony Odingsell, a black planter. No
one knows on which side of the Civil War he stood, because he listed 11 slaves
among his possessions. In 1866, the island was purchased by George Parsons, a
wealthy entrepreneur, who built the existing housing compound as a hideaway for
his family and friends. In October 1969, after 103 years of Parsons family owner-
ship, the island was sold to the Nature Conservancy for one million dollars. The
Conservancy, in turn, for the sum of one dollar, deeded the land to the U.S. Depart-
ment of the Interior to be managed as a wildlife refuge.
Volunteers stay in a rustic cabin (no air-conditioning or indoor showers). Because turtles
lay their eggs at night—it's safer that way—turtle patrol usually begins around nightfall and
lasts until roughly 5 a.m. Daytime is when you'll sleep and have free time to explore, hike
the island's many dirt roads, swim in the pool, and go bird-watching. Not only does Wassaw
support rookeries for egrets and herons, but a variety of wading birds also show up each sum-
mer.
Volunteers pay $650 per week. This includes a cabin bunk and all meals.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Caretta
Research
Project,
P.O.
Box
9841,
Savannah,
GA
31412,
912-447-8655,
www.carettaresearchproject.org.
