Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1992 under the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act

Emergency Wetlands Resources Act

Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986, approved November 10, 1986, by the United States government, authorized the purchase of wetlands using Land and Water Conservation Fund monies, removing a prior prohibition on such acquisitions...

 of 1986 to protect one of the largest expanses of undisturbed pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 savanna

Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...

 habitats in the Gulf Coastal Plain region. The refuge is located near Grand Bay, Alabama

Grand Bay, Alabama

Grand Bay is a census-designated place in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 in Mobile County, Alabama

Mobile County, Alabama

Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...

 and Jackson County, Mississippi

Jackson County, Mississippi

There were 47,676 households out of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had...

, and when complete will encompass over 32000 acres (129.5 km²). The refuge is part of the National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...

 system. The Refuge Complex Manager also administers the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge

Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1975 to safeguard the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane and its unique disappearing wet pine savanna habitat. The refuge consists of more than in four units and is now part of the Gulf Coast National Wildlife Refuge...

 and Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in five separate units in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, directly west of Gulf Shores, Alabama on the Fort Morgan peninsula. The refuge serves as a resting and feeding area for migratory birds and as a sanctuary for native...

. Access to refuge lands (especially interior portions) is limited, but is available mostly on the Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

side and by boat.