Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Aerial view of one islands of the refuge. | |
Map of the United States | |
Location | Ohio River, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, United States |
Nearest city | Williamstown, West Virginia |
Coordinates | 39°23′28″N 81°25′15″W / 39.39117°N 81.420708°WCoordinates: 39°23′28″N 81°25′15″W / 39.39117°N 81.420708°W[1] |
Area | 3,354 acres (13.57 km2) |
Established | 1990 |
Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge |
The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (ORINWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along 392 miles (631 km) of the Ohio River, primarily (85% of acreage)[2] in the U.S. state of West Virginia. There are also a two of islands upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania and a two downstream in Lewis County, Kentucky.[3] Going downstream, the refuge is currently located in parts of these counties: Beaver, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, and Lewis. All counties are in West Virginia, with the exceptions of Beaver, which is in Pennsylvania, and Lewis, which is in Kentucky. The ORINWR was established in 1990 and consists of 3,354 acres (13.57 km2) of land and underwater habitat on 22 islands and four mainland properties. The refuge headquarters and visitors center is located in Williamstown, West Virginia. Prior to its establishment, West Virginia was the only state of the United States without a NWR.
Islands
The following islands in the Ohio River are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. All are in West Virginia unless indicated otherwise.
- Broadback Island
- Buckley Island
- Buffington Island
- Captina Island
- Crab Island
- Eureka Island
- Fish Creek Island
- Gallipolis Island
- Georgetown Island (Pennsylvania)
- Grandview Island
- Grape Island
- Letart Island
- Lower Twin Island
- Manchester 1 Island (Kentucky)
- Manchester 2 Island (Kentucky) - partial ownership
- Middle Island
- Mill Creek Island
- Muskingum Island
- Neal Island - partial ownership
- Paden Island
- Phillis Island (Pennsylvania)
- Wells Island
- Wheeling Island - partial ownership
- Williamson Island
- Witten Towhead
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
External links
- Official website
- The short film Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge (2009) is available for free download at the Internet Archive