Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
| Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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 Map of the United States
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| Location | Dare, Hyde counties, North Carolina, United States |
| Nearest city | Manns Harbor, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°47′00″N 75°51′00″W / 35.78333°N 75.85000°WCoordinates: 35°47′00″N 75°51′00″W / 35.78333°N 75.85000°W |
| Area | 152,000 acres (620 km2) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge |
The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a 152,000-acre (620 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern North Carolina along the Atlantic Coast. It was established on March 14, 1984, to preserve and protect a unique wetland habitat type—the pocosin—and its associated wildlife species.
The refuge attracts visitors worldwide for its red wolf (Canis rufus) howling programs and is also home to the Dare County Bombing Range.
The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is composed of 152,000 acres (615 km2) lying in the mainland portions of Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina. It is roughly 28 miles (45 km) from north to south and 15 miles (24 km) from east to west and lies in North Carolina's Coastal Plain. It is bordered on the west by the Alligator River and the Intracoastal Waterway, which is crossed by the 2.8 mile Lindsay C. Warren bridge; on the north by Albemarle Sound; on the east by Croatan and Pamlico Sounds; and on the south by Long Shoal River and corporate farmland. The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is administered as a part of the complex. The Alligator River Manager supervises the Mackay Island, Currituck, and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Managers.
The refuge serves as a gateway to other eastern North Carolina refuges, encouraging visitors to venture inland into the counties with fewer economic advantages.
The habitat includes many diverse types including high and low pocosin,bogs, fresh and brackish water marshes, hardwood swamps, and Atlantic white cypress swamps. Plant species include pitcher plants and sun dews, low bush cranberries, redbay, Atlantic white cypress, pond pine, American sweetgum, red maple, and a wide variety of herbaceous and shrub species common to the East Coast.
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