Smith Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Area

Smith Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Area is a 4,996-acre protected area in Virginia along about 10 miles of Smith Mountain Lake’s southeastern shoreline on both sides of Smith Mountain Dam. Covering most of Smith Mountain, it was assembled by Appalachian Power in the 1950s during construction of the dam’s hydroelectric project, then established as a wildlife management area in January 2009 through a conservation easement donated to Virginia conservation agencies. Heavily forested and adjoining Bourassa State Forest, it protects mountain and lakeshore habitat for wildlife including deer, bear, turkey, squirrels, and raccoons, while remaining open for public recreation and managed through a cooperative conservation arrangement.

Penhook, Virginia · United States