Mattaponi Wildlife Management Area

Prior to state ownership, the land that was to become Mattaponi WMA was used for timber production and rock quarrying. After being identified as an opportunity to conserve diverse wildlife habitat in an area undergoing suburbanization, the WMA was acquired by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in 2010. The total purchase price of $7.6 million was shared between VDGIF and several partners, including The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and Ducks Unlimited. Mattaponi WMA was officially opened to the public on March 30, 2011. ==Description==

Mattaponi WMA covers in Virginia's upper coastal plain, west of Bowling Green in Caroline County. It borders of the upper Mattaponi River and of the South River; the confluence of the two streams is located at the southern end of the WMA. Its boundaries contain both upland forests, various types of wetlands, and open water habitats, including two rare oxbow lakes found within bottomlands where the Mattaponi once flowed. Management at Mattaponi WMA focuses on enhancing wildlife habitat, using techniques such as selective timber harvest, prescribed burns, and controlling water levels within wetlands and ponds. Other game bird species, such as bobwhite quail and woodcock, are also found at the property and benefit from management that periodically clears portions of the landscape of mature vegetation. Public use and access Mattaponi WMA is open to the public for hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, and primitive camping. ==See also==