- Mattaponi Wildlife Management Area dedication ceremony
Caroline County, VA – The acquisition of Virginia’s newest Wildlife Management Area contributes 2,542 acres to the Governor’s goal of conserving 400,000 acres during his administration and brings the total of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) owned by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) to 39. DGIF is the Commonwealth’s largest public landowner with properties totaling 201,408.
The property lies partially within the buffer area around Fort A.P. Hill. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Defense contributed more than $1.4 million from its Army Compatible Use Buffer Program (ACUB). Fort A.P. Hill will also be able to use some 500 acres of the area to establish one of the Army’s first wetlands mitigation banks. The Trust for Public Lands (TPL) administered the ACUB funds in Virginia.
Fort A.P. Hill Garrison Commander Lt. Col. John Haefner stated, “Army Compatible Use Buffers around Army installations limit negative effects of incompatible development to sustain military readiness while providing the simultaneous benefit of preserving wildlife habitat or agricultural land. This particular property offers the Army a wealth of benefits, not the least of which is a tremendous opportunity for Fort A.P. Hill to establish one of the Army’s first wetlands mitigation banks. This joint venture of DGIF, DU, TPL, and the U.S. Army underscores the value of working together.”
