Recent Projects
Albemarle County
Fulfillment Farms
In 1997, WFV acquired almost 2,000 acres in Albemarle County near Scottsville. This tract, known as Fulfillment Farms, was a gift from Thomas Forrer, whose grandfather served on the board of the Game Commission from 1933 to 1958. Mr. Forrer's vision for this land was simple - to provide recreational opportunities to outdoor enthusiasts. The Foundation, true to Mr. Forrer's wishes, manages this property for general, no-fee public access. It is widely used for hunting, bird-watching, and hiking. It is a truly beautiful piece of land, with the ability to support many people pursuing many activities.
Fulfillment Farms is located in Esmont, Virginia, approximately 6 miles west of the town of Scottsville. The terrain varies from vast open fields, to steep wooded slopes. An approximate 200-acre area lies north of Route 6 in Esmont, and encompasses an old slate quarry, as well as a beaver pond complex. The Foundation is pleased to welcome responsible sportsmen and visitors to this property on a year-round basis.
To Visit the Farm:
Fulfillment Farms is located in Esmont, Virginia, approximately 6 miles west of Scottsville, along Route 6. From Scottsville, follow Route 6 west out of Scottsville, towards Route 29, for about 5.5 miles. Turn left onto Porter's Road. Follow Porter's Road for approximately 1 mile, and turn right onto Dawsons Mill Road. Follow Dawsons Mill Road past the "End State Maintenance" and "Welcome to Fulfillment Farms" signs. There is a clearing on the left, with vehicular parking (no trailers, please), and a kiosk with pertinent information posted.
All visitors to Fulfillment Farms, for whatever purpose, must obtain a no-fee permit. We issue two types of permits: a hunting permit, issued per hunting season; and a general use permit for those who wish to hike or bird watch on the property, issued annually. You may download a permit application from the following links:
Hunt Permit Applications - We are currently accepting hunt permit applications for the 2023-2024 hunt season. In order to receive a permit you must attend an onsite orientation briefing. The final mandatory safety is October 29 at 1 pm, at the monument parking lot. We will accept applications up to the date of this last safety briefing. If you fill out an application, you WILL NOT receive a confirmation email. We received it, and if we did not for some weird reason, we will honor your intent!
General Use - Please note that general use is prohibited on Fulfillment Farms during the fall and spring hunting seasons. If you would like to visit the farm outside the hunting season, please email Jenny West for written permission.
Quail Hunters - Each year, WFV releases approximately 650 quail near the end of September. We provide quail hunting opportunities during the quail season as WFV does not have a preserve license. Hunt days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and only one party of no more than four guns is permitted per day. One name will be drawn for each day and you will be notified of your hunt day no later than November 6. No hunt applications will be accepted after October 28, 2023.
Amelia County
Clay Hill
Clay Hill lies in Virginia’s piedmont approximately 30 miles west of Richmond in Amelia County. The property features vast stands of old growth hardwoods interspersed with pine woods and open fields. In addition, Haw Branch borders much of the property. This stream flows toward the Appomattox River, and in the 1800’s, actually supported boat traffic through a series of locks that eventually led to and from the Appomattox River. Nowadays, Haw Branch is a bottom land hardwood swamp that receives a high level of use by wood ducks. At approximately 700 hundred acres this historically significant tract provides habitat for a variety of other wildlife. White-tailed deer and turkeys are especially abundant on Clay Hill.
Clay hill was gifted to the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia by its owner who wanted the property enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts and, especially by Veterans. Its proximity to Richmond, coupled with the extensive forested habitat will benefit hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in perpetuity.
Hunt Permit Applications - We are currently accepting hunt permit applications for the 2023-2024 hunt season. In order to receive a permit you must attend an onsite orientation briefing. The safety briefing for Clay Hill is November 10 at 4 pm at the logging deck at 14309 North Lodore Road, Amelia County House. We will accept applications up to the date of this last safety briefing. If you fill out an application, you WILL NOT receive a confirmation email. We received it, and if we did not for some weird reason, we will honor your intent! If you attend the safety briefing you will receive an email with your user name and login in instructions for our online hunt request system.
Accomack County
Level Ponds
In December, 2012, WFV purchased 192 acres in Accomack County, on Virginia's Eastern Shore. This property was purchased in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' purchase of an adjacent 447 acres. WFV was able to use substantial federal funding, as well as a significant grant from Ducks Unlimited, to secure our acreage on behalf of VDGIF. In 2013, we will give the property to VDGIF to incorporate into their acreage, with the ultimate end being a new Wildlife Management Area on the Eastern Shore. Level Ponds is comprised primarily of waterfowl impoundments, but does contain some upland forested areas. It is a remarkable piece of property, and once open to the public, will provide meaningful access to some of the finest offerings on the Chesapeake Bay.
Guard Shore
In 2002, The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia gifted 110 acres of tidal marshland and beach to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Located just south of the waterfowl refuge area of Saxis Wildlife Management Area, the land has been maintained in its natural state, and for several decades, has been the site of public recreation in the form of shore fishing and wildlife watching. This project enhances recreational opportunities on the Eastern Shore of Virginia by providing access proximate to Saxis WMA, and furthers existing VDGIF programs in this region of the Commonwealth. Click here for a PDF map of the Saxis WMA, taken from the VDWR website.
Mink Farm Tract
The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia was pleased to partner with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on this exciting hunting opportunity in Accomack County, Virginia. The Mink Farm Tract is under lease by the DWR from The Conservation Fund for the purposes of expanded hunting opportunities proximate to the Doe Creek Wildlife Management Area. Maps of the Mink Farm Tract can be from the VDWR website.
Fluvanna County
Hardware River Wildlife Management Area
In 2003, The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia gifted a key 19-acre tract of land along the Hardware River to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Acquisition of this in-holding by the Game Department resulted in making the Hardware River Wildlife Management Area one continuous tract. The Hardware River WMA provides valuable public access to the James River for boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, wildlife viewing, and other outdoor activities. The purchase of this property by WFV was made possible by a generous donation from Dominion. Click here for a PDF map of the Hardware River WMA, taken from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website.
Charles City County
Game Farm Marsh Wildlife Management Area
In early 2005, The Wildlife Foundation partnered with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on a key acquisition project in Charles City County. The Blue Wing Tract is a 103-acre parcel adjacent to the 429-acre Game Farm Marsh Wildlife Management Area in New Kent County. The tract was purchased by VDGIF with funding from WFV and a National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant.
There is very little public land in this eastern region of Virginia, and we are hopeful that this project will encourage other landowners in the area to consider conservancy options on their properties. The Blue Wing Tract provides interior access to the Game Farm Marsh WMA for individuals who wish to use the area for waterfowl hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife watching.
WFV's monetary contribution to this project came from private donations, and provided VDGIF with matching dollars needed to secure federal grant money to offset acquisition costs. We are pleased to partner with DGIF on the long-term protection of this unique wildlife habitat. Click here for a PDF map of the Game Farm WMA, taken from the VDGIF website.
Madison County
Rapidan Wildlife Management Area
The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia acquired approximately 550 acres of forested habitat in Madison County, previously owned by brothers John and Jack Fray. This key parcel is bound by conservation lands: the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area lies to the north, west, and south, and the Shenandoah National Park is directly to the east. In 2006, the Foundation gifted the property to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, for inclusion in the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area.
The property owners have fulfilled their father's wishes to keep the land in its natural state, and protected from development in perpetuity. WFV worked with the owners to structure a transaction that benefits all parties involved: John and Jack Fray and their families have met their conservation and financial goals; WFV received an unspoiled tract of land in a high-pressure development area; and the citizens of the Commonwealth will be able to hunt, fish, and recreate on an additional 550 acres in Madison County.
New Kent County
Ware Creek
Rockbridge and Botetourt Counties
Short Hills Wildlife Management Area
In 2009, WFV purchased 2,117 acres in Rockbridge and Botetourt counties, using loan funding from The Conservation Fund (TCF). This acquisition initiative was a public-private partnership between The Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF), the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), TCF, and WFV to permanently conserve a total of 4,234 acres, known as the Short Hills tract.
Short Hills was a privately-owned tract of land spanning both Rockbridge and Botetourt counties, and consists of an approximate 10-mile long ridge line following I-81 from just south of Lexington to Natural Bridge. The owners of Short Hills were interested in selling the land for conservation purposes, and DGIF was interested in acquiring the property to establish a Wildlife Management Area. The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, The Conservation Fund, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation partnered to provide interim funding to assist VDGIF with this acquisition.
The property contains diverse habitat for game and non-game species, including black bear, deer, turkey, ruffed grouse, bobcat, fox, beaver, migratory and resident songbirds, and raptors. Water resources include springs and seeps that are the headwaters of Cedar Creek, a native brook trout stream and tributary of the Maury and James rivers. Cedar Creek is also the stream that runs under the historic Natural Bridge located just to the east of Short Hills. Short Hills is situated in the vicinity of other protected lands, and presented the opportunity to protect a large hub area and connecting green corridors to other significant lands. Click here for a PDF map of the Short Hills Wildlife Management Area, taken from the VDGIF website.
Blairs, Virginia
The Adams Daniel Farm
In 2014, Shirley Adams Daniel donated 211 acres to the Foundation. The property is located just north of Danville, in the community of Blairs, Virginia. In cooperation with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, WFV is managing that property for public access for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.
VDGIF is managing the hunting end of things, through their quota hunt system. If you'd like to hunt doves, deer, turkeys or small game, please visit www.gooutdoorsvirginia.com and look for hunting opportunities on the Adams Daniel Farm.
If you would like to secure a permit to visit the property for non-hunting purposes, please fill out a free permit application, mail it in according to the instructions on the application, and you will receive a general use permit, good for one year. The permit will allow you to visit the property to hike, wildlife watch, and explore! Please note that no ATV's or horseback riding are allowed on the property.
Gloucester County
Guinea Marshes
Acquired in December 2017, the Guinea Marshes are a series of marshes and marsh Islands located near the mouth of the York River in Gloucester County. Local legend is that the area is named for indentured British sailors who were freed after their Revolutionary War defeat at Yorktown. Each were given a guinea or small amount of English currency and they rowed across the York to the area now referred to as Guinea. Comprised of almost 800 acres, the marshes are host to a variety of wildlife, but most specifically waterfowl. The hunting tradition in these marshes is storied for American black ducks, Atlantic Brant, and Clapper rails. Numerous other water birds find habitat on this tract.
Funds for this acquisition came from Ducks Unlimited, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and a charitable contribution by the sellers. The property was transferred in September 2021 to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for public hunting and access.