Plum Tree Island Home

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About the Refuge

Contact the Refuge

Schedule a Visit (or not!)

The only public use of Plum Tree Island NWR is for waterfowl hunting, by refuge permit, on the Cow Island portion of the refuge.  To learn more about waterfowl hunting on the refuge, click here.  The main tract of the Refuge was previously used as a bombing range and is considered unsafe for public use.  Public access has never been allowed in this area.  Regrettably, we are unable to offer opportunities for fishing, environmental education, interpretive programs, wildlife observation, or photography on this refuge.

Due to surface munitions along the shore and tidal areas of the southeastern portion of Plum Tree National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and numerous other Federal, State, and City organizations have determined the need for increased restrictions to protect public safety.

A Danger Zone, prohibiting anchoring or any other disturbance to the subsurface bottom, has been established from Bells Oyster Gut to Whalebone Island.  This boundary extends from these areas 300 feet into the waters of Back River and the Chesapeake Bay.  Multiple agencies will police the zone to inform the public and enforce the restriction.  Click here for more information.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Eastern Virginia Rivers NWR Complex
P.O. Box 1030
Warsaw, VA 22572

Office: (804) 333-1470
Fax: (804) 333-3396
E-mail: Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge