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Public Comment Period for Forestry Compatibility Determination

Piedmont NWR is currently conducting a compatibility determination review for forest restoration activities that occur on the refuge. This is a periodic review of activities to insure they remain compatible with the mission of the refuge and the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Your participation is needed. If you have comments or concerns about the refuge’s forest management activities or just want to know more about the refuge’s forestry program, please contact the refuge at 478-986-5441 or email  piedmont@fws.gov

Copies of the Compatibility Determination are available online at the link below, at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, 718 Round Oak-Juliette Road, Round Oak, Georgia, 31038, and at the Jones County Library, 146 Railroad Street, Gray, GA 31032. Written comments will be received from March 25 to April 8, 2025 at the refuge office. Written comments can be submitted by email, postal mail or brought to the refuge office during business hours Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm or left in the drop box located outside the visitor center parking lot gate. 

Link to Compatibility Determination

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939 as a "combination wildlife and game-management demonstration area to demonstrate that wildlife could be restored on worn out, eroded lands."
Hunting and Fishing Permits and Regulations

Refuge permits are required for all hunters and fishermen and anyone who accompanies them.  You can access the current Hunting and Fishing Regulations brochure and permit online or in person at the entrance of the Little Rock Wildlife Drive, the Refuge Visitor Center, and Allison Lake parking or request by mail. 

Visit Us

Piedmont NWR is located in central Georgia in Jones and Jasper Counties, approximately 25 miles north of Macon and 18 miles east of Forsyth. The refuge may be visited by exiting I-75 at Exit 186 in Forsyth and driving east along Juliette Road for 18 miles. Upon entering the refuge, follow signs to the Visitor Center & Allison Lake for 5 more miles. An alternate route is State Highway 11, between Gray and Monticello. Just north of Round Oak on Hwy 11, turn west on Round Oak-Juliette Road and proceed for 3 miles to Allison Lake Road. The Refuge Office and Visitor Center are located on Allison Lake Road.

Location and Contact Information

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    About Us

    Piedmont NWR was established in 1939 as a "combination wildlife and game-management demonstration area" to demonstrate that wildlife could be restored on worn out, eroded lands.  Today, through the efforts of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the 35,000 acre wildlife refuge is once again a forest. It hosts loblolly pines on the ridges with hardwoods found along creek bottoms and in scattered upland coves. Clear streams and beaver ponds provide ideal wetlands for migrating waterfowl. The refuge is also now home to a growing population the endangered Red-cockaded woodpecker. Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge serves as a model of forest management for wildlife.

    What We Do

    Piedmont NWR has a very active forest management program that includes prescribed burning, invasive species invasive species
    An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

    Learn more about invasive species     control, thinning, regeneration, and forest stand improvement as some of the techniques used to enhance and maintain wildlife habitat conditions.