Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge is a nature preserve on the grounds of Fort Belvoir
in Fairfax County, Virginia
, USA. Several other parks, including Mason Neck Park, Pohick Bay Regional Park, and the Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge are located nearby.
The refuge was established in 1979 to protect sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats associated with Accotink Bay and to provide opportunities for environmental education and low-intensity recreation. The refuge offers more than eight miles of hiking trails.
Species native to the preserve include:
The Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center is located at the entrance to the refuge. The center features exhibits, videos and trail guides about the refuge and offers nature education programs.
Due to the preserve's location on Fort Belvoir, visitors to the refuge and education center are required to present a valid photo ID to obtain a visitor's pass.
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, USA. Several other parks, including Mason Neck Park, Pohick Bay Regional Park, and the Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge are located nearby.
The refuge was established in 1979 to protect sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats associated with Accotink Bay and to provide opportunities for environmental education and low-intensity recreation. The refuge offers more than eight miles of hiking trails.
Species native to the preserve include:
- FoxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es - DeerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
- American ToadAmerican toadThe American Toad is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada. It is divided into three subspecies—the Eastern American Toad , the Dwarf American Toad , and the rare Hudson Bay Toad...
s - RaccoonRaccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s - Black Rat SnakeBlack Rat SnakeThe Western ratsnake — also called black rat snake, pilot black snake, or simply black snake — is a nonvenomous colubrid species found in North America. No subspecies are currently recognized....
s - Eastern Box Turtles
- various millipedeMillipedeMillipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
s, including Narceus americanusNarceus americanusNarceus americanus is a large North American millipede. It inhabits the eastern seaboard of North America west to Georgetown, Texas, north of the Ottine swamps. It has a nearly cylindrical gray body, reaching a length of . When threatened, they sometimes curl up or release a noxious liquid that... - various salamanderSalamanderSalamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
s, including Spotted SalamanderSpotted SalamanderThe Spotted Salamander or Yellow-spotted Salamander is a mole salamander common in the eastern United States and Canada. The Spotted Salamander is the State amphibian of South Carolina. It has recently been found that its embryos have algae living inside them in a mutualistic...
s and Red Back SalamanderRed Back SalamanderThe red back salamander is a small, hardy woodland salamander. It inhabits wooded slopes in Eastern North America; west to Missouri; south to North Carolina; and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada to Minnesota...
s - various spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, including Lycosa aspersaLycosa aspersaHogna aspersa is a large wolf spider that inhabits the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.A different species was named Lycosa aspersa in 1849 by Nicolet by accident.-External links:*...
The Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center is located at the entrance to the refuge. The center features exhibits, videos and trail guides about the refuge and offers nature education programs.
Due to the preserve's location on Fort Belvoir, visitors to the refuge and education center are required to present a valid photo ID to obtain a visitor's pass.
External links
- Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge - VA Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries
- Northern Virginia Hikes - National Park Service information including Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge