Grand Bay Wetland is located in the Coastal Plain physiographic province near the border with Florida. This wetland is the second-largest swamp in the state (the first is the Okefenokee), and is home to longleaf pine forests, cypress swamps, savannahs, and more. Longleaf pine systems are in decline throughout most of their range due to their dependence on fires. This wetland is one of four Carolina bays known to occur in Georgia. Carolina Bays are oval-shaped peat wetlands that occur in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. They are thought to have formed as Pleistocene-age lakes slowly dried out or sedimented in, and now support unique, fire-tolerant wetland communities throughout their range. Historically, this area’s cypress trees were logged and transported using a rail line. Ranchers also used to graze cattle here. However, significant ecological restoration has taken place here more recently.
Hiers, J. T. (2005). Grand Bay Wetland Education Center. In New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/geography-environment/grand-bay-wetland-education-center/