Fish and Wildlife Service, South Carolina.
Tybee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established on May 9, 1938, by Executive Order No. 7882, as a breeding area for migratory birds and other wildlife, and to "effectuate further the purposes of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act." The majority of the refuge is covered with sand deposits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' dredging activities in the Savannah River. The more stable portions of the island are densely covered with such woody species as eastern red cedar, wax myrtle, and groundsel. Saltwater marsh borders parts of the island, and at low tide, the shoreline provides a resting, nesting, and feeding place for many species of migratory birds. Protecting and providing habitat for nesting shorebirds is the primary management objective of the refuge.
Tybee NWR is located in Jasper County, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Savannah River, directly opposite Fort Pulaski National Monument which is 12 miles from Savannah on U.S. 80. It also lies across the river from the small Georgia town of Tybee Island. The refuge is unstaffed and is administered from the Savannah Coastal Refuges complex headquarters office in Savannah, Georgia. The entire refuge is considered sanctuary for migratory birds and closed to all public use.