Chesapeake Bay Reserve, Virginia

Location: The reserve is located within the York River Basin, approximately one hour north of Norfolk. Total Acreage: 4,435 Designation: 1991 Lead State Agency: Virginia Institute of Marine Science Mailing Address: Chesapeake Bay VA Reserve Virginia Institute of Marine Science P.O. Box 1346 Gloucester Point, VA 23062 Phone: 804-684-7135

As the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay contains a diverse collection of habitats including oyster reefs, seagrass beds, tidal wetlands, sandy shoals and mudflats. In order to address the diversity of habitats, the Chesapeake Bay-Virginia Reserve established a multi-site system from tidal freshwater to high salinity conditions along the York River estuary. Reserve components include Sweet Hall Marsh, Taskinas Creek, Catlett Island and Goodwin Islands.