Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge The Refuge brochure and map	To visit: 7603 High Point Rd Lorton, VA   22079 To send mail: 14344 Jefferson Davis Highway Woodbridge, VA 22191
Background: Mason Neck NWR was established in 1969 for the protection of nesting, feeding, and roosting habitat for the Bald eagles. It was the first federal refuge established specifically for the (then endangered) Bald eagle. The refuge is part of the Potomac River NWR Complex.
The refuge, situated along the Potomac River on the Mason Neck peninsula, consists of 2277 acres of oak-hickory forest, freshwater marshes, and has 4.4 miles of shoreline. The refuge has the largest fresh water marsh in Northern Virginia, the largest Great Blue heron rookery in the Mid-Atlantic region (over 1400 nests), is a designated Ramsar site, and hosts over 200 species of birds, 31 species of mammals, and 44 species of reptiles and amphibians.
Eagles use the mature forests for shelter and nesting sites and the marshes, bays, and river for foraging and hunting. The refuge was listed as one of the top ten sites in the country for viewing Bald eagles.

Common Trees of the Refuge:
Genus species, common name	USDA Code
Acer rubrum, red maple	ACRU
Carya alba, mockernut hickory	CAAL27
Carya glabra, pignut hickory	CAGL8
Diopspyros virginiana, persimmon	DIVI5
Fagus grandifolia, American beech	FAGR
Fraxinus americana, white ash	FRAM2
Ilex opaca, American holly	ILOP
Juniperus virginiana, eastern redcedar	JUVI
Liquidambar styraciflua, sweetgum	LIST2
Liriodendron tulipifera, yellow-poplar	LITU
Nyssa sylvatica, blackgum	NYSY
Pinus taeda, loblolly pine	PITA
Pinus virginiana, Virginia pine	PIVI2
Populus grandidentata, bigtooth aspen	POGR4
Prunus avium, sweet cherry	PRAV
Quercus alba, white oak	QUAL
Quercus coccinea, scarlet oak	QUCO2
Quercus falcata, southern red oak	QUFA
Quercus phellos, willow oak	QUPH
Quercus prinus, chestnut oak	QUPR2
Quercus rubra, northern red oak	QURU
Quercus stellata, post oak	QUST
Sassafras albidum, sassafras	SAAL5