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Review:
Blackbeard Island derives its name from famed 18th-century pirate Edward Teach, best known as Blackbeard, whose treasures have been rumored to have been buried on the island. The island was auctioned as an oak timber facility in 1800 by the Navy Department before being designated as a wildlife preserve in 1924 by the Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1940, the preserve was renamed as the Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge, intended to serve as a breeding ground for indigenous species and migratory birds.
As one of seven similar refuges overseen by the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, the island is only accessible via boat and offers large areas of freshwater and saltwater marsh, maritime forest, and sandy beach. Protected species include the loggerhead sea turtle, the American bald eagle, and the piping plover.
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