CCA January Meeting: Savannah Coastal Refuges

The Savannah Coastal Refuges is the topic of the CCA of Skidaway’s January meeting and seminar scheduled for Monday, January 17, 2022 at St. Peter’s Church beginning at 7 p.m. Dr. Rick Shields, co-founder and current President of the Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges and Will Meeks, Project Leader of the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, will be the speakers.

Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges is an all-volunteer, local, nonprofit group incorporated in 2008 and dedicated to supporting and advocating for our local National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) and for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Shields will explain what a Friends group is, how it interfaces with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, what projects the Friends have worked on, and the group’s post-pandemic goals. He is a retired Emergency Physician and has lived in Savannah for more than 36 years.

The Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex is composed of seven national wildlife refuges spanning 100 miles and 57,226 acres, from Pinkney Island NWR near Hilton Head, South Carolina, to Wolf Island NWR near Darien, Georgia. These refuges are maintained on behalf of the American people by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in perpetuity for the benefit of the wildlife and wildlife habitat they harbor. In his 26-year career as a wildlife biologist, Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Project Leader Will Meeks has held positions across the country, including Alaska, North Dakota, Virginia, and now South Carolina.

He will present a State of the Refuges talk describing the status of the ongoing repairs to the levee system and wildlife drive at Savannah NWR, an update on the service’s engagement with community groups at Harris Neck NWR, an update on the road construction around Pinckney Island NWR, and brief updates on Wassaw NWR and Blackbeard Island NWR.

The CCA of Skidaway’s January raffle prize is a rod-and-reel, tackle box, and battery lithium fillet knife. The value of this prize is $270.

CCA is a nonprofit organization with chapters on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts. For more information about CCA of Skidaway call Dave Devore (330-329-6457). For more information about CCA’s Georgia District, call Tom Rood (912-598-9753). For information about January’s meeting and seminar, call Paulette Hamilton (610-509-0279).