Cavalier Wildlife Management Area
Protected area of Virginia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cavalier Wildlife Management Area is a 4,550-acre (18.4 km2) Wildlife Management Area in Chesapeake, Virginia. It preserves habitat for a number of species, including black bear, canebrake rattlesnakes, white-tailed deer, eastern wild turkeys, and many varieties of songbirds.[2]
| Cavalier Wildlife Management Area | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  Location within Virginia  Location within the United States | |
| Location | Chesapeake, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 36°34′20″N 76°19′22″W[1] |
| Area | 4,550 acres (18.4 km2) |
| Governing body | Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries |
The preserve comprises two separate tracts of land. The 3,800-acre (15 km2) main tract is located about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent to the Virginia–North Carolina border; it was once a part of the Great Dismal Swamp but was drained more than 200 years ago. The main tract today is typified by recently logged forestlands planted with young pine.[2] A smaller, 758-acre (3.07 km2) tract lies about six miles (9.7 km) north of the main area of land, immediately adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.[3]
The area is open to the public for seasonal hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, and primitive camping. Firearms are prohibited in the Dismal Swamp tract, where only bow-hunting is permitted; firearms may be used for hunting within the main tract. Neither area permits horseback riding.[2][3]
Cavalier Wildlife Management Area is owned and maintained by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.[2] Access for persons 17 years of age or older requires a valid hunting or fishing permit, or a WMA access permit.[4]