Stimulus funds to be used for refuge road upgrade

McBEE — Federal stimulus funds will be used to upgrade Oxpen Road in the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, located off U.S. 1 near McBee.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $28,875 contract under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to U.S. Military Corp., a small business based in Miami Beach, Fla. The company will provide clay and gravel to improve Oxpen Road and give refuge visitors better and easier access to birding, fishing and boating.

Refuge manager Allyne Askins said the plan is to have the road finished by the beginning of 2010, so that when spring comes and traffic in the refuge picks up, it will be ready.

Oxpen Road leads into the refuge’s Oxpen Unit, a 400-acre former agricultural site with rolling terrain. The unit is home to three lakes: Oxpen Lake, Honkers Lake and Pool J. All three lakes are open for recreational fishing and non-motorized boating, and the entire Oxpen Unit is very popular with birders.

“We get a lot more birders than anglers,” Askins said. “The area includes large grassy fields surrounded by forests. The diversity of habitats attracts a lot of birds. You’re going to see everything from bobwhite quail to marsh hawks.”

Several state and federally listed threatened and endangered species are also found on the refuge, including the pine barrens tree frog and the red-cockaded woodpecker. In addition, the Carolina Sandhills refuge provides stop-over or nesting habitat for many species, including the bald eagle, prairie warbler, Bachman’s sparrow, American Redstart, and Kentucky warbler.

Several species of waterfowl may be found in the fall and winter, including mallards, black ducks, pintails, green-winged teal, American widgeon and hooded mergansers. Canada geese and wood ducks may be seen in refuge pools year round.

On the Web: Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, http://www.fws.gov/carolinasandhills