Presquile National Wildlife Refuge

Presquile National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Location	Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Hopewell, Virginia
Coordinates	37°21′45″N 77°15′39″W / 37.36250°N 77.26083°W / 37.36250; -77.26083
Area	1,329 acres (5.38 km2)
Established	1953
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Presquile National Wildlife Refuge

Presquile National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Virginia is one of four refuges that make up the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is a 1,329-acre (5.38 km²) island in the James River, located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Richmond. It is located in the easternmost part of Chesterfield County, northeast of Hopewell.

In 1953, A. D Williams, a Richmond tobacco magnate, willed a parcel of land called Presquile to the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries for use as a wildlife refuge^{[citation needed]}. Previously Presquile had functioned as a farm and plantation. The main house at Presquile was built in the 1760s but was demolished in 1964.

Established to protect habitat for wintering waterfowl and other migratory birds, Presquile is an important component in the network of refuges on and around the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Presquile historically provided important habitat for wintering Canada geese that breed along James Bay in eastern Canada. The refuge is also home to nesting and roosting bald eagles. The refuge is primarily hardwood swamp, with a fringe of marsh and 300 acres (1.2 km²) of upland fields.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

External links

• Presquile National Wildlife Refuge
• Media related to Presquile National Wildlife Refuge at Wikimedia Commons