Fish and Wildlife Service, Georgia.
Piedmont NWR was established in 1939 as a "combination wildlife and game-management demonstration area" to demonstrate that wildlife could be restored on worn out, eroded lands. Today, through the efforts of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the 35,000 acre wildlife refuge is once again a forest. It hosts loblolly pines on the ridges with hardwoods found along creek bottoms and in scattered upland coves. Clear streams and beaver ponds provide ideal wetlands for migrating waterfowl. The refuge is also now home to a growing population the endangered Red-cockaded woodpecker. Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge serves as a model of forest management for wildlife.
Piedmont NWR is located in central Georgia in Jones and Jasper Counties, approximately 25 miles north of Macon and 18 miles east of Forsyth. The refuge may be visited by exiting I-75 at Exit 186 in Forsyth and driving east along Juliette Road for 18 miles. Upon entering the refuge, follow signs to the Visitor Center & Allison Lake for 5 more miles. An alternate route is State Highway 11, between Gray and Monticello. Just north of Round Oak on Hwy 11, turn west on Round Oak-Juliette Road and proceed for 3 miles to Allison Lake Road. The Refuge Office and Visitor Center are located on Allison Lake Road.