interstitialRedirectModalTitle

interstitialRedirectModalMessage

Places We Protect

Wildcat Mountain Natural Area

Virginia

A rough rock wall stretches along a leafy, overgrown trail. The trail extends out of sight into the forest.
Wildcat Mountain An old stone wall stands timeless in this forest view of Wildcat Mountain Natural area, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. © Mary Porter

Our oldest Virginia preserve supports a rich variety of plant and animal life.

Overview

Description

With altitudes ranging from 1,200 feet near the top of the mountain to a low point of 500 feet, this predominantly steep and hilly natural area features a broad range of habitats. Wildcat Mountain supports a rich variety of plants and animals, including a few coastal and higher-Appalachian species approaching their geographic limits in northern Virginia.

Typical wildlife of the region flourish here, especially red and gray fox, bobcat, deer, skunk, gray and fox squirrel, raccoon, and other small mammals. Black bears wander through occasionally, and 186 species of birds have been recorded in the preserve.

Although entirely wooded now, Wildcat Mountain has a long history of human use. Aside from patches of mature oak-hickory forests, which were only lightly logged, the preserve was cleared for farms as early as the 18th Century. Old stone walls still meander through the preserve, marking boundary lines and former fields.

Many of the homesteads were abandoned after the Civil War, although some farming and considerable logging continued into the 20th Century. Much of Wildcat Mountain Farm was then converted to an apple orchard. However, all logging and farming ceased on the western slope in the 1940s.

Before cultivation or extensive logging, most of the mountain was probably a forest of beech, oak and American chestnut. However, in the 1920s, a devastating blight killed most of the chestnuts. Their loss brought economic disaster to many rural people who depended on the sale or use of the nuts, wood and bark (for tannin). The impact on wildlife was significant as well, as chestnuts were a major food source. 

Wildcat Mountain Natural Area was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1961. At that time, the intent of the donors and the Conservancy was to create a nature sanctuary, and the legal deed conveying the property was very specific in how the preserve would be managed:

“Only research organizations, study groups, conservation groups, schools and bird and wildlife societies shall be permitted use of the property, and then only for the purposes of bona fide study and research in flora, fauna and geology.”

Wildcat Mountain Natural Area was closed to public visitation in 2017. After discussions with the family that generously donated the property to TNC, we agreed that the current level of use was inconsistent with the terms of the donation. 


 Nearby Parks and Natural Areas to Visit

Access

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

Location

Fauquier County, VA

Explore our work in Virginia

Find More Places We Protect

The Nature Conservancy owns nearly 1,500 preserves covering more than 2.5 million acres across all 50 states. These lands protect wildlife and natural systems, serve as living laboratories for innovative science and connect people to the natural world.

See the Complete Map