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		The Nature Conservancy in Georgia Georgia Home Contact Places We Protect Field Trips & Events Press Releases Volunteer Ways of Giving Landmarks Publications How We Work

Animals At Risk Green herons Great egret River otters Waterfowl and wading birds Plants at Risk Dwarf palmetto  Wax Myrtle Water oak Willow oak Mature bald cypress Swamp blackgum Water tupelo Ecosystems at Risk Tidal swamp forest Riverine bottomlands Contact Information Access to the preserve is by boat only from Cathead Creek and is easiest at high tide. Please make arrangements by calling Preeya Philipps at (404) 253-7216 or email pphilipps@tnc.org before visiting the preserve to receive access permission and directions.

Located in McIntosh County, near Darien in southeast Georgia, Cathead Creek Preserve protects 752 acres, including an excellent example of the globally rare tidal swamp forest. The preserve’s namesake creek runs along the northern boundary, eventually draining into the Altamaha. Buffalo Swamp Nature Area borders the preserve to the east and west, and low ridges rise at the south end.  Old rice fields cover about 15 percent of the tract, slowly reverting to their original state. 

Next to the rice fields grow mature bald cypress, swamp blackgum, and water tupelo. The southern ridges are covered with loblolly pine, spruce pine, water oak, willow oak, dwarf palmetto, wax myrtle, and cane. A number of waterfowl and wading birds forage and nest in the marshes along Cathead Creek, including green herons and great egrets. Ducks like pintails and mallards are present in the preserve during winter, and the area is home to mammals typically found near water, including raccoons and river otters. 

The Nature Conservancy acquired this important part of the Altamaha River delta in 1992, trading 393 acres of land in Alabama to the Southwood Corporation. Management is directed by a hands-off policy, allowing natural succession to continue restoring the original ecosystem. As a result of this policy, cypress-tupelo swamps will eventually replace the interspersed rice fields.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Cathead Creek © TNC; Great Egret © Russ Kerr.