Banks Lake Preserve

Why You Should Visit
The lake, swamps, and uplands provide a diversity of habitats for wildlife. Banks Lake is part of a 13,000-acre complex known as Grand Bay, located near the Florida border. Excluding the Okefenokee Swamp, Grand Bay is the largest natural blackwater lake-swamp in Georgia's Coastal Plain. Biologists from the Department of Natural Resources have found the predominantly pond-cypress habitat suitable for osprey hacking programs. Between 1988 and 1990, 10 ospreys were raised and released. In March of 1993, a local wildlife rehabilitator spotted the first osprey nest on Banks Lake in 40 years, an encouraging sign of success for the program.

Location
Lanier County, near Lakeland

Size
13,000 acres (3,153 protected by The Nature Conservancy, 106 currently owned and managed by the Conservancy )

Conditions
Wetlands

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The public is welcome to visit the preserve, although The Nature Conservancy must be notified of any intended trip. The best way to access the preserve is by canoe, from the adjoining Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors are advised to take their own canoes. The Nature Conservancy preserve lies southeast of the canoe launching point, and is marked by yellow Nature Conservancy signs. Contact Michelle Cable at (404) 253-7213 or email mcable@tnc.org for further details and directions. Information on the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is available from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge at (912) 496-7836.

What to See: Plants
Pond-cypress and cypress-blackgum forests dominate the preserve. Fragrant water lilies, blue-flag iris, red-root and bladderwort are all found on site. The unusual green-fly orchid occurs in the adjoining wildlife refuge.

What to See: Animals
Besides the threatened osprey, a rich variety of other bird species frequent the area, including great blue herons, wood storks, green herons, egrets, and anhingas. Southern bald eagles and peregrine falcons, both of which are federally listed, have been seen in the preserve. Other native species include American alligators, bobcats, and the state-threatened round-tailed muskrat, which is at the northern limits of its range. Banks Lake also harbors populations of bass and other game fish.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
This complex is the largest system of preserved Carolina Bays in Georgia. Its unique ecological values have always made this site one of the top protection priorities in Georgia.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
On behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3,047 acres were purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1980. In 1985, this land was established as the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. In 1990, the Conservancy purchased an additional 106 acres contiguous to the wildlife refuge.