Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Encyclopedia
The Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area is located on 217 acre (0.87816862 km²) two miles (3 km) southwest of Romney
in Hampshire County
, West Virginia
. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
. The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches
are located at the top of the Fort Mill Ridge access road.
Fort Mill Ridge WMA is located atop Mill Creek Mountain
's Fort Mill Ridge and is bound to its west by Mill Creek and its tributary
Core Run and bound to its east by the South Branch Potomac River. The South Branch Valley Railroad
runs along the WMA's eastern side, parallel to the South Branch. Fort Mill Ridge WMA ranges in elevation from 680 feet (207.3 m) to 1100 feet (335.3 m). Its forests consist primarily of various oak
s and Virginia pine
s. The primary game species are deer
and squirrel
. Fishing for warmwater species is available on the South Branch via an access road on the eastern side of the WMA. Camping is not permitted.
Romney, West Virginia
Romney is a city in and the county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,940 at the 2000 census, while the area covered by the city's ZIP code had a population of 5,873. It is a city with a very historic background dating back to the 18th century...
in Hampshire County
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia. While formerly known as the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources, it is now part of the West Virginia Department of Commerce...
. The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches
Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches
The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are battle trenches originally dug between 1861 and 1862 and lined with chestnut logs by the Confederate artillery during the American Civil War to defend the approaches to Romney on the Northwestern Turnpike and the South Branch Potomac River...
are located at the top of the Fort Mill Ridge access road.
Fort Mill Ridge WMA is located atop Mill Creek Mountain
Mill Creek Mountain
Mill Creek Mountain is a continuous mountain ridge that runs northeast through Hampshire and Hardy counties in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Rising to its greatest elevation of 2,648 feet above sea-level at High Knob, Mill Creek is a folded mountain ridge,...
's Fort Mill Ridge and is bound to its west by Mill Creek and its tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
Core Run and bound to its east by the South Branch Potomac River. The South Branch Valley Railroad
South Branch Valley Railroad
The South Branch Valley Railroad consists of a 52.4 mile length of railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia extending north along the South Branch Potomac River from Petersburg to the CSXT mainline at Green Spring adjacent to the Potomac River...
runs along the WMA's eastern side, parallel to the South Branch. Fort Mill Ridge WMA ranges in elevation from 680 feet (207.3 m) to 1100 feet (335.3 m). Its forests consist primarily of various oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and Virginia pine
Virginia Pine
Pinus virginiana is a medium-sized tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York south through the Appalachian Mountains to western Tennessee and Alabama. The usual size range for this pine is 9–18 m, but can grow taller under optimum conditions. The trunk can be...
s. The primary game species are deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
. Fishing for warmwater species is available on the South Branch via an access road on the eastern side of the WMA. Camping is not permitted.
See also
- Animal conservation
- FishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
- HuntingHuntingHunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
- List of West Virginia wildlife management areas