Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center

Cay Creeks Wetlands Park is an environmental education center that is owned by the City of Midway. Throughout the 20th century, the paper industry thrived and became the driving economic source. Union Camp Corporation was one of the paper companies that used forest resources in the South. Union Camp created paper mills and purchased thousands of acres of pine lands, including Cay Creek. The city purchased the land in 1996 to provide residents and visitors with the opportunity to learn about the natural communities of the Georgia coast within the wetlands park.

This park features an elevated boardwalk, wildlife viewing platform, 20 interpretive panels, and 6 different ecosystems. The 6 habitats include maritime forest, pine flatwood, open wetland, freshwater tidal swamp, hammocks and shrubby upland, and brackish tidal marsh and creek. More than 80 species of birds have been spotted at Cay Creek.

Coastal Wildscapes partnered with the City of Midway to create a new landscape plan for the park; the Savannah landscape architecture firm Verdant Enterprises created a masterplan to redesign the park with a demonstration native wetland garden. The Native demonstration garden at the park was constructed on a previously mowed and cleared land for years. Some benefits of this constructed native habitat include water quality improvements, flood protection and erosion, groundwater recharge, and diversification of habitat and species.