Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (ORINWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along 362 mi of the Ohio River, primarily (85% of acreage) in the U.S. state of West Virginia.

There are also two islands that are located upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and a pair that are located downstream in Lewis County, Kentucky.

Looking downstream, the refuge is currently located in parts of these counties: Beaver, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, and Lewis. All counties are part of West Virginia, with the Pennsylvania and Kentucky exceptions that are mentioned above.

History
The ORINWR was established in 1990 and consists of 3354 acre of land and underwater habitat on twenty-two islands and four mainland properties.

The refuge headquarters with visitor center is located in Williamstown, West Virginia.

Islands


The following islands in the Ohio River are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. All are located in West Virginia unless indicated otherwise.


 * Phillis Island (Pennsylvania)
 * Georgetown Island (Pennsylvania)
 * Wheeling Island – part
 * Captina Island
 * Fish Creek Island
 * Paden Island
 * Williamson Island
 * Witten Towhead
 * Crab Island
 * Wells Island
 * Mill Creek Island
 * Grandview Island
 * Grape Island
 * Middle Island
 * Broadback Island
 * Buckley Island
 * Muskingum Island
 * Neal Island – part
 * Buffington Island
 * Letart Island
 * Manchester 1 Island (Kentucky)
 * Manchester 2 Island (Kentucky) - part