| Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area | |
| Iucn Category: | IV |
| Photo Alt: | Hummingbird clearwing and hover fly drinking nectar from flower |
| Map: | Virginia#USA |
| Nearest City: | Nokesville, Virginia U.S. |
| Coordinates: | 38.625°N -77.54°W |
| Area Acre: | 302 |
| Established: | April 10, 2008 |
| Governing Body: | Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources |
Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, composed of wetlands, fields, and hardwood forest, became Virginia's 37th wildlife management area when the site was dedicated on April 10, 2008.[1] It was created with funding from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the Department of the Navy and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Home to a variety of flora and wildlife, the area has one of the largest fields of Virginia bluebell flowers in northern Virginia.
Located in Prince William County, Virginia, the site is a protected area near Nokesville, approximately southwest of Washington, D.C. It is one of 39 Wildlife Management Areas owned by the Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries, and is part of the Cedar Run floodplain. To create the area, land was acquired next to Marine Corps Base Quantico. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation granted $820,773 in 2008 towards the area's conservation efforts.[2] An additional $1,429,750 in funding was provided through the Department of the Navy's Federal Military Encroachment Partnering Program. Department of Game and Inland Fisheries donated $608,997 from receipts of hunting licenses.[1]
The area is administered through a partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Prince William Conservation Alliance, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and the McDowell family, who originally owned the property.[3]
The management area is noted for having one of the state's largest fields of Virginia bluebell flowers, located on the banks of the Cedar Run, Occoquan River tributary at Nokesville.[4] [5] Each year, they pay homage to the native flower with their free-of-charge Virginia Bluebell Festival. The 2022 festival is scheduled for April 10.[6] Both the bluebell field, and oak-hickory forest, a relatively uncommon upland depressional forest with many unique species of plants, are listed on the Virginia Native Plant Society’s site registry.[7]
The nature habitat is also home to many varieties of wildlife, such as amphibians, arachnids, and bird life; including the white-eyed vireo,[8] American woodcock, osprey, feather-legged fly, northern harrier, Cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, American kestrel and the American bald eagle.[7] Among the hundreds of insects found in the region are the six-spotted tiger beetle and feather-legged fly.[9]