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www.santeerefugefriends.org
Friends Invite You to Come to
Santee NW Refuge
"The best birding
center in South Carolina and the Southeast."
Santee NW Refuge 2125 Fort
Watson Rd. Summerton, SC 29148
803-478-2217 West of I-95, exit 102 @ US 301/US
15, 6 miles south of Summerton, SC
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world" -
John Muir
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Events - Future
Events - Past and history of Santee
Friends
Directions to
Santee National Wildlife Refuge
Map of Santee
NW Refuge - Cuddo Unit
Bird
List
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The purpose of the
Friends of Santee National Wildlife Refuge 
is to promote conservation,
awareness, and appreciation of the
Santee National Wildlife
Refuge
and to provide assistance to the Refuge programs in welcoming visitors to Santee NW Refuge.
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April 23-25, 2010
3rd Santee
Birding & Nature Festival
Santee
National Wildlife Refuge
and others and Santee: 803-478-2217
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Cuddo
Wildlife Drive re-opening on the Cuddo Unit of Santee National
Wildlife Refuge to visitors.
December 11, 2009.
Santee National Wildlife Refuge Cuddo Unit to Re-Open To Visitors
Summerton, S. C....... Santee National Wildlife Refuge is excited to announce
the reopening of the Cuddo Unit
for visitation beginning December 11, 2009. Cuddo has been closed for five
months to complete the well
needed Wildlife Drive rehabilitation project. As part of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009,
the 7.5 mile Wildlife Drive was completely resurfaced, adding new parking
areas and water control structures,
cleaning drainages, and adding numbered trail markers to the Drive. The
project was a partnership between the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Highway Administration.
A new Wildlife Drive Interpretive Guide will soon be available both at the
Cuddo Unit information kiosk and at
the refuge’s Visitor Center. The interpretive guide will direct visitors
around the Wildlife Drive loop, having
directional and interpretive information about the area that coincides with
the numbered markers. In addition to
the existing 3 miles of hiking trails, new trails have been established
including a canoe/kayak trail that will also
be outlined on this interpretive guide.
A wide diversity of habitats can be observed on Cuddo’s Wildlife Drive with
open fields, forest, forested
bottomland hardwood wetlands, cypress swamps, and greentree habitats making
this area a great place to view
wildlife in their natural surroundings. Alligators, white-tailed deer, and
wild turkey are often easily viewed
from the Drive with a segment aptly named “Alligator Alley”. Please remember
that feeding wild animals is
illegal and littering is strictly prohibited.
This area is renowned among bird watchers for the diversity of waterbirds
and song birds present including
nesting painted bunting during the summer months. Cuddo has been touted
as one of the best inland birding
areas east of the Mississippi during the winter months.
The Cuddo Unit of Santee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest of the
refuge’s four units, and offers an
abundance of recreational opportunities for individuals who enjoy being
outdoors. We encourage checking in at
the refuge’s Visitor Center for the most up-to-date trail information before
your visit. Also, the western portion
of Cuddo is closed to all hiking, bicycling, and water access from Nov 1
– Mar 1 each year as a migratory bird
sanctuary area. All points west of the Wildlife Drive will re-open for hiking
and bicycling on March 1, 2010.
The Cuddo Unit is open to visitation from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm daily from Oct
1 – Mar 31 and 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
April 1- Sept 30.
Santee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 as a sanctuary for
migratory birds. The
refuge encompasses just over 12,400 acres of habitat along the banks of
Lake Marion in four separate
units. The refuge visitor center as well as the Santee Indian Mound and
site of Fort Watson are located
on the Bluff Unit, 8 miles south of Summerton on Hwy 15/301.
Santee National Wildlife Refuge is one of 550 national wildlife refuges
across the country that make
up over 150 million acres of land and water for fish and wildlife conservation.
The refuge system also
offers a variety of outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting, environmental
education, wildlife
observation and photography. Each year, about 40 million Americans discover
the wonders of nature
by visiting a wildlife refuge.
For more information about the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, contact
the refuge office at 803-478-
2217 or email Susan_Heisey@fws.gov -fws
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Visitor
Center Schedule • Normal hours of operation
are Tuesday through Friday, and the first Saturday of each month from 8:00AM
– 4:00PM. We recommend calling ahead to ensure the center will be open
(803-478-2217).
CLOSED On Sundays and Mondays
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Coming soon: 3rd
Santee Birding Festival April 23-25, 2010
http://www.fws.gov/santee/Santee-birding-festival-2009.pdf
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Fishing on the Refuge:
All areas open to boating are also open to fishing, as well as
the Scott's Lake Public Fishing Beach. These areas produce largemouth
bass, catfish and bream. All Federal and State regulations are in effect.
For more information, contact the refuge.
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Posted on Fri, Sep. 28, 2007 TheState.com
"Off the beaten trail"
Cuddo bike path in Santee refuge
a great place to check out wildlife
By JOEY HOLLEMAN - jholleman@thestate.com
It’s more a dirt road than a bike trail, and the knee-high
grass makes pedaling a bike difficult in some sections.
Despite those drawbacks, the critter-filled surroundings
on the banks of Lake Marion make the 8.7-mile bike trail through
the Cuddo Unit of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge worth the trip.
Usually, spotting wildlife while riding a bike is nearly
impossible. On a nearly two-hour ride in Cuddo, I saw some large
gators on land and in the water, two deer, a great blue heron, several
great egrets, a wide variety of ducks and so many butterflies that
at times I felt the need to slow down so they wouldn’t smack me in
the face.
Other sections of the 15,095-acre preserve in Clarendon
County have plenty of hiking trails, but Cuddo has the refuge’s only
trail designated for bikes. (Hiking is allowed on the bike trail.)
Unlike the main office of the Santee Refuge, which is just a couple
miles from I-95, you have to travel several miles on back roads to get
to the Cuddo Unit entrance.
The gate is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. April through September
and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. October through February. The Cuddo Unit is closed
to hikers and bikers during two deer hunts Sept. 30-Oct. 6 and Oct.
15-20.
The rest of the year, Cuddo is all about wildlife viewing.
I stopped three times on my bike trip to take photos. A bird-watcher
with more patience might want to stop 10 times, especially when cooler
nights take the sting out of the bug population.
It’s obvious the refuge staff spends more time worrying
about resident wildlife than human visitors. The bike trail is nothing
more than a dirt road used sparingly by refuge workers and, for
two weeks a year, hunters.
The dearth of trail markers prompted me to go against
Robert Frost’s advice and take the road more traveled whenever there
was a choice. Only once did that fail me. Near the end of the clockwise
loop, I went straight when I should have turned right. But 100 yards
down the wrong road, I came upon a “dead end” sign and turned around.
The trail winds through a basic pine/immature hardwood
forest. The first must-stop spot is a couple of miles into the
journey when only the trail/road separates Lake Marion from a pond.
Two large gators sunbathed on an island in the pond.
What looked like large moving sticks in the lake cove meant at least
a half-dozen more gators hang out in the area. The Cuddo Unit has
the highest concentration of gators, and the largest individuals,
in the refuge.
If you encounter a gator sunbathing on the bike trail,
you’d best turn around and try the loop going the other direction.
I made it only a few hundred yards more before leaving
the bike behind to stroll on the clam-covered shore of the drought-sunken
lake. Back on the bike, what had been an easy ride turned difficult
when the dirt road gave way to thick grass. I bet no more than a dozen
bikes had cut through that grass in the past couple of months.
The tall, thick grass, which dominated two of the next
three miles, made the bike seem like it had two flat tires. This
would be an ideal section for a Lowcountry biker training for long,
uphill climbs.
In the middle of the grassy section is the other hard-to-resist
stop on a point between two lake coves. Small cypress trees spike
the broad lake vista. On this sunny day, yellow and purple wildflowers
blanketed the edges of the road, and the flocks of butterflies made it
seem many of the yellow flowers had sprung wings.
After another mile of grassy road and one brief wrong
turn, the final mile or two back to the car was an easy pedal. Just
for kicks, I drove the full 7.5-mile auto trail in Cuddo, which reminded
me why it’s much more interesting to hike or bike, even if you have
to plow through tall grass.
Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366.
BIKE RIDE: A place to ride at the Santee National
Wildlife Refuge
WHAT: 8.7-mile bike trail
WHERE: Cuddo Unit of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge
WHEN: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. April through September; 8 a.m.-5
p.m. October through February. Closed to hikers and bikers during
deer hunts Sept. 30-Oct. 6 and Oct. 15-20.
DIRECTIONS FROM COLUMBIA: Take I-26 east to I-95 north.
Get off at exit 108. Turn right, and go about 1½ miles to
the end of road. Turn left, and go 2 miles to Davis Crossroads. Just
past the crossroads, take the first paved road to the right and go
about 4 miles. Turn right and go about ½ mile until road dead-ends.
Turn right, and the entrance to the Cuddo Unit is on the left. Refuge
signs make it easier than it seems.
FEES: Free INFORMATION:
(803) 478-2217 or www.fws.gov/santee
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Come to Santee NW Refuge
and join for 2009.
Friends of Santee National Wildlife
Refuge
invite you to
join or
renew your membership
for 2009.
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Student
$10
Individual
$25
Family
$40
Patron
$100
Sponsor
$250
Corporate
$500
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The purposes
of Santee Refuge Friends are exclusively charitable
and educational within the meaning of the Section 501 ©
(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 and is an independent,
non-profit organization.
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Designation:
"Important
Bird Area" by National
Audubon Society Based on: endangered species,
watch list species and concentrations of birds
(waterfowl,
colonial waterbeds and exceptional
numbers of migratory land birds).
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Become a Member
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Santee Refuge Recognized as an Important
Bird Area by Audubon
Friends of Santee National Wildlife
Refuge announced that the National Audubon Society
had conferred the designation of "Important Bird Area"
(IBA) upon Santee National Wildlife Refuge.
This announcement was made at the conclusion of International
Migratory Bird Day activities held on the refuge
on Saturday, May 15th, 2004. Santee National
Wildlife Refuge was selected as an Important
Bird Area on the basis of three nominating criteria:
Endangered Species, WatchList Species, and Concentrations
of Birds (waterfowl, colonial waterbirds,
and exceptional number of migratory landbirds).
Quoting from Paul Koehler, Audubon's coordinator
for South Carolina's Important Bird Area Program, "I
applaud the management and conservation efforts at Santee
NWR that contribute toward it being named an Important
Bird Area". There are now 30 IBA's that have
been recognized in South Carolina and nearly 1,500
across the United States. Congratulations to
the refuge staff on this special recognition. Two signs
designating Santee NWR as an Important Bird Area
are erected at visitor contact areas to help underscore
the importance of the refuge for bird populations.
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Santee National Wildlife Refuge Migratory Waterfowl
Ground Census:
Species:
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1-6-09
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12-12-08
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11-26-08
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1-17-07
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Hooded Merganser
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2
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2
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10
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30
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Mallard
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1315
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312
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501
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1525
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American Black Duck
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62
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20
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22
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145
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Gadwall
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310
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40
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7
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385
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American Wigeon
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840
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120
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12
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136
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Green-winged Teal
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2964
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1020
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912
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1900
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Northern Shoveler
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140
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10
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0
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40
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Northern Pintail
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22
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7
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0
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22
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Wood Duck
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612
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2580
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2883
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1775
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Lesser Scaup
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0
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20
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2
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30
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Ring-necked Duck
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1737
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750
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330
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3950
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Canada Goose
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1180
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710
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504
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1032
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Tundra Swan
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0
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0
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0
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4
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American Coot
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44
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85
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100
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750
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Pied-billed Grebe
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0
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0
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0
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78
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Bufflehead
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3
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0
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8
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0
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Canvasback
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12
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0
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0
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0
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Blue-winged Teal
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120
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0
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0
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0
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Totals
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9363
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5680
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5381
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11802
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Come walk the new nature trails
between the Visitor Center and
Indian Mound.
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New Binoculars at the Visitor
Center,
thanks to Friends
and Santee Cooper.
New Binoculars in place &
dedicated Oct 16, 2004.
Visitors on the deck have
increased 30%.
Thank you Santee Cooper for
your donation.
We are working hard to increase membership
and to get members involved with proposed
projects on the Refuge.
If you have a special
skill or interest please let us know.
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First visitors to use the
new glasses, June 19, 2004.
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New Refuge System Exhibit Panels at SC Welcome Center
Two new exhibit panels promoting
the Refuge System, the Centennial celebration,
and inviting travels to visit the refuges located
near Interstate 95 were erected at the SC Welcome
Center and Rest Area sites just across Lake Marion.
The panels which are housed in covered, outdoor
kiosks also include a section devoted to
Santee National Wildlife
Refuge.
Several hundred thousand
travelers on I-95 could view these panels
annually.
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Find the Cuddo Driving Trail
with the new sign installed by Gene.
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Young spring gator seen in
Cuddo, 2004.
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