Grape Island is a 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 on the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 in Pleasants County

Pleasants County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,514 people, 2,887 households, and 2,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 3,214 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...

, 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...

. The bar

Shoal

Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...

 lies off the West Virginia coast from the communities of Grape Island and Spring Run.

Grape Island is forested, predominantly with American sycamore

American sycamore

Platanus occidentalis, also known as American Sycamore, American plane, Occidental plane, and Buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America...

s. The island serves as a habitat for great blue heron

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...

, wood duck

Wood Duck

The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...

s, cormorant

Cormorant

The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...

s, Canada geese, and migrating loon

Loon

The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...

s and tundra swans. Because of its diversity in wildlife, Grape Island is a part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along of the Ohio River, primarily in the U.S. state of West Virginia. There are also a couple of islands upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania and a couple downstream...

.