Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1969, and became the first national wildlife refuge created specifically for the protection of bald eagles. Once on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle enjoys the safety of the refuge’s forests and shoreline for nesting and foraging along the upper portions of the Potomac River and its tributaries. Other species observed on the refuge include wood thrush, white-tailed deer, groundhog, and wood duck. Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to a rapidly growing metropolitan area where habitat is constantly altered. The refuge provides wildlife a relatively remote area of upland forests and freshwater marshes that extend into the Potomac River. Great Marsh, a 207-acre tidal freshwater marsh, is a valuable feature of the refuge, and is home to one of Virginia’s largest great blue heron breeding colonies.