Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Aerial view of one islands of the refuge
Map of the United States
Location	Ohio River, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Williamstown, West Virginia
Coordinates	39°23′28″N 81°25′15″W / 39.39117°N 81.420708°W / 39.39117; -81.420708Coordinates: 39°23′28″N 81°25′15″W / 39.39117°N 81.420708°W / 39.39117; -81.420708[1]
Area	3,354 acres (13.57 km2)
Established	1990
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (ORINWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along 392 miles (631 km) of the Ohio River, primarily (85% of acreage)^[2] in the U.S. state of West Virginia. There are also two islands upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and a pair downstream in Lewis County, Kentucky.^[3] Going downstream, the refuge is currently located in parts of these counties: Beaver, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, and Lewis. All counties are in West Virginia, with the exceptions in Pennsylvania and Kentucky mentioned above. The ORINWR was established in 1990 and consists of 3,354 acres (13.57 km²) of land and underwater habitat on 22 islands and four mainland properties. The refuge headquarters and visitor center is located in Williamstown, West Virginia. Prior to its establishment, West Virginia was the only state of the United States without a NWR.^{[citation needed]}

Islands[]

The following islands in the Ohio River are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. All are in West Virginia unless indicated otherwise.

References[]

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

External links[]

• Official website
• The short film Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge (2009) is available for free download at the Internet Archive