ALBRIGHT, W.Va. — West Virginia hunters and anglers now have two more public hunting and fishing areas in Preston County. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources recently announced the acquisition of the Cheat Canyon Wildlife Management Area and the Fairfax-Rehe Wildlife Management area. Both are located predominantly in Preston County although some of the Cheat Canyon stretches into Monongalia County.
“It runs into Cheat Canyon from just north of Albright where Muddy Creek comes in and runs north up to the Jenkinsburg Bridge,” said Division of Natural Resources District Wildlife Biologist Steve Rauch. “There are two ways in, one off 26 out of Albright and the other is up Bull Run Road coming either from both sides of the river where the Jenkinsburg Bridge crosses the river.”
The canyon had been the subject of much controversy over the past two decades. Formerly owned by Allegheny Wood Products there had long been plans to timber the area. The proposed logging drew fire from nature and environmental enthusiasts who feared negative repercussions on the view scape as well as some of the endangered critters which live there.
“The federally endangered species is the Indiana bat,” said Rauch. “The threatened species is the flat spired three tooth land snail, which is unique and only known in the Cheat Canyon of Monongalia and Preston Counties in the whole world.”
Rauch said the land was purchased with a combination of funding sources which included private and corporate donations along with hunting and fishing dollars. As a Wildlife Management Area it becomes public land for hunting and fishing as well as hiking ground for nature enthusiasts. The Allegheny Trail which formerly ran through the property until it was closed by previous owners is expected to be reopened as part of the new Wildlife Management Area.
The second addition to the state’s public hunting and fishing territory is the Fairfax-Rehe Wildlife Management area which lies between Arthurdale and Reedsville in Preston County. The ponds are visible from Route 92 and at one time were a popular gathering spot for local fishermen on the weekends. The private owners eventually closed the ponds to public fishing due to liability. Rauch said the DNR became interested in the area because of the unique resources which the area included.
“There are actually two impoundments. One is an NRCS impoundment which you can see form Route 92 and then Fairfax Pond is the upper one,” he said. “In between those is a wetlands complex which is why we were so interested in acquiring this to get that wetland complex under DNR management and conservation.”
Both areas will now be open to the public for hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.