Virginia Wildlife Management Areas facts for kids
Virginia Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are special places in Virginia. They are protected lands managed by the state, mainly to help wildlife. There are 41 of these areas across Virginia, covering more than 203,000 acres (about 820 square kilometers)! The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries takes care of them.
Why We Have Wildlife Management Areas
WMAs in Virginia are different from other protected areas like state parks. Their main goal is to protect and improve homes for wild animals, especially those that people hunt or fish for. They also provide public spaces for hunting and fishing. Other state parks or forests might protect nature, but they also focus on things like hiking, research, or growing trees for wood.
The money to buy and take care of WMAs comes from hunters and anglers (people who fish). They pay for hunting and fishing licenses, and there are taxes on their gear. This money is collected across the country and then shared with each state. Some WMA lands were even given to the state as gifts, specifically to help wildlife.
What You Can Do There
Even though WMAs are mainly for hunters and anglers, other fun activities are allowed too! You can go hiking, camp in simple ways, ride horses, or watch birds in many of these areas. However, some things are not allowed, like swimming, mountain biking, organized sports, or using ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). If boats are allowed, they usually cannot have motors.
If you are 17 or older and want to visit a WMA, you need a valid hunting or fishing license. If you don't have one, you can get a special daily or yearly WMA Access Permit. This permit lets you enter and enjoy these lands.
List of Virginia Wildlife Management Areas
Here is a list of Virginia's 41 Wildlife Management Areas, as of 2016.
| WMA name | City, county or counties | Area | Major waterbodies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia | Amelia | 2,217 acres (8.97 km2) | Appomattox River | |
| Big Survey | Wythe | 7,500 acres (30 km2) | ||
| Big Woods | Sussex | 4,173 acres (16.89 km2) | Next to Big Woods State Forest. | |
| Briery Creek | Prince Edward | 3,164 acres (12.80 km2) | Briery Creek Lake | |
| Chester F. Phelps | Fauquier, Culpeper |
4,539 acres (18.37 km2) | Rappahannock River | |
| Cavalier | Chesapeake | 4,550 acres (18.4 km2) | Made of two separate parts, one next to Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. | |
| Chickahominy | Charles City | 5,217 acres (21.11 km2) | Chickahominy River | |
| Clinch Mountain | Smyth, Washington, Russell, Tazewell |
25,477 acres (103.10 km2) | Laurel Bed Lake | |
| Crooked Creek | Carroll | 1,796 acres (7.27 km2) | ||
| Dick Cross | Mecklenburg | 1,400 acres (5.7 km2) | Roanoke River | Used to be called Elm Hill Wildlife Management Area. |
| Doe Creek | Accomack | 447 acres (1.81 km2) | ||
| Fairystone Farms | Patrick, Henry |
5,321 acres (21.53 km2) | Philpott Reservoir | Next to Fairy Stone State Park. |
| Featherfin | Prince Edward, Appomattox, Buckingham |
2,800 acres (11 km2) | Appomattox River | |
| G. Richard Thompson | Fauquier | 4,000 acres (16 km2) | Thompson Lake | |
| Game Farm Marsh | New Kent | 429 acres (1.74 km2) | Chickahominy Lake | |
| Goshen and Little North Mountain | Augusta, Rockbridge |
33,697 acres (136.37 km2) | Maury River | Next to George Washington National Forest and Goshen Pass Natural Area Preserve. |
| Hardware River | Fluvanna | 1,034 acres (4.18 km2) | James River, Hardware River |
|
| Havens | Roanoke | 7,190 acres (29.1 km2) | This was the first property bought by VDGIF in 1930. | |
| Hidden Valley | Washington | 6,400 acres (26 km2) | Hidden Valley Lake | |
| Highland | Highland | 14,283 acres (57.80 km2) | Bullpasture River | |
| Hog Island | Surry, Isle of Wight |
3,908 acres (15.82 km2) | James River | |
| Horsepen Lake | Buckingham | 2,910 acres (11.8 km2) | Horsepen Lake | |
| James River | Nelson | 1,213 acres (4.91 km2) | James River | |
| Land's End | King George | 462 acres (1.87 km2) | Rappahannock River | This area is a refuge for waterfowl, so hunting is not allowed. |
| Mattaponi | Caroline | 2,542 acres (10.29 km2) | Mattaponi River, South River |
|
| Merrimac Farm | Prince William | 301 acres (1.22 km2) | Right next to Marine Corps Base Quantico. | |
| Mockhorn Island | Northampton | 7,365 acres (29.81 km2) | A lot of this marshland gets covered by water at high tide. | |
| Pettigrew | Caroline | 934 acres (3.78 km2) | ||
| Powhatan | Powhatan | 4,462 acres (18.06 km2) | ||
| Princess Anne | Virginia Beach | 1,546 acres (6.26 km2) | Atlantic Ocean (Back Bay) | |
| Ragged Island | Isle of Wight | 1,537 acres (6.22 km2) | James River | |
| Rapidan | Madison Greene |
10,326 acres (41.79 km2) | Rapidan River, Conway River, South River |
Next to Shenandoah National Park. |
| Saxis | Accomack | 5,678 acres (22.98 km2) | Atlantic Ocean | Mostly protects tidal marshland on Virginia's eastern shore. |
| Short Hills | Rockbridge, Botetourt |
4,232 acres (17.13 km2) | Has cool karst landforms (like caves and sinkholes). | |
| Smith Mountain Cooperative | Bedford, Pittsylvania |
4,996 acres (20.22 km2) | Smith Mountain Lake | Owned by Appalachian Power and managed by VDGIF. |
| Stewarts Creek | Carroll | 1,087 acres (4.40 km2) | ||
| Turkeycock | Franklin, Henry |
2,679 acres (10.84 km2) | ||
| T. M. Gathright | Bath | 13,428 acres (54.34 km2) | Lake Moomaw | |
| Ware Creek | New Kent | 2,600 acres (11 km2) | York River | |
| Weston | Fauquier | 271 acres (1.10 km2) | ||
| White Oak Mountain | Pittsylvania | 2,748 acres (11.12 km2) | Banister River |
