Geography
Indian Springs lies along U.S. Route 40 and Maryland Route 56 between Clear Spring and Hancock; it is located north of Fort Frederick State Park. The community is approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Hagerstown and is officially designated a part of the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area (Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Maryland-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area).
The area is traditionally defined as encompassing the narrow tract of land north of U.S. Route 40 between Fairview Mountain and the Licking Creek.
Terrain in the area is generally rugged with elevations between 600 and 1,900 feet (580 m) above sea level, the landscape being primarily wooded. The terrain here differs greatly from the neighboring Hagerstown Valley, where elevations average less than 650' and is characterized by fertile, gently rolling hills. While land for farming is not as readily available in the Springs area, orchards have been a source of local livelihood for centuries.
The Indian Springs watershed is serviced by four primary runs: Lanes, Rabble, Rattle, and Indian Springs. These runs are tributaries of nearby Licking Creek. The Indian Springs for which the area was named have their headwaters on the west flank of Fairview Mountain. [5]
Two solutional caves are also reported to exist in this area. Revell's and Darby Caves are both said to be developed in the Tonoloway Formation, a thin-bedded dolomitic limestone of the upper Silurian. [6]
Much of the land not held by private individuals is part of the Indian Springs State Wildlife Preserve and is open to the public. A local sportsman's club also owns land adjoining the preserve. Several companies and institutions maintain equipment located atop the larger hills, including Johns Hopkins University, Verizon, and local radio stations; trespassing is strictly prohibited.
Cave Run Lake, located south of Morehead, Kentucky, USA along Kentucky Route 801, is an 8,270-acre (33 km2) reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 148 feet (45 m), half-mile dam construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1973. Cave Run Lake is in the northern part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Cave Run Lake provides flood protection to the lower Licking River valley, supplies water to the area's communities, improves the Licking River's water flow conditions, and offers a habitat for various species of fish and wildlife. It is in Rowan, Morgan, Menifee, and Bath counties.
Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area is located on 10,675 acres (43.20 km2) south of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The wildlife management area's principle access road is off Grassy Lick Road. Nathaniel Mountain is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), and is one of West Virginia's largest wildlife management areas. The WMA was expanded in November 2003 after the WVDNR purchased 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) from the MeadWestvaco Corporation.
Short Mountain Wildlife Management Area is located on 8,005 acres (32.40 km2) eight miles (13 km) south of Augusta off Augusta-Ford Hill Road in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Short Mountain WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Little Indian Creek Wildlife Management Area is located on 1,036 acres (419 ha) southwest of Westover in Monongalia County, West Virginia. The wildlife management area is centered on reclaimed former coal mine land along Little Indian Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River.
Beury Mountain Wildlife Management Area is located on 9,232 acres (3,736 ha) near Babcock State Park and New River Gorge National River in Fayette County, West Virginia. Beury Mountain's sloping terrain is covered with mixed hardwoods and oak-hickory second growth woodlands overlooking New River Gorge. Camping is not allowed at Beury Mountain WMA, but is available at nearby Babcock State Park.
Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area is a 25,477-acre (103.10 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Virginia. It is the second-largest WMA in the Commonwealth, covering portions of Smyth, Washington, Russell, and Tazewell counties.
Powhatan Wildlife Management Area is a 4,462-acre (18.06 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Powhatan County, Virginia. Consisting primarily of former farmland, much of the area is currently covered by open fields; these combine with mature and new forest growth to provide habitat for a diverse array of wildlife. The property is divided by Route 60 and contains one interior parcel of privately owned land. The elevation of the property is between 200 and 350 feet above sea level.
Stewarts Creek Wildlife Management Area is a 1,087-acre (4.40 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Carroll County, Virginia. It lies along the Blue Ridge Mountains, with terrain that is rugged and steep; its lowest elevation is 1,580 feet (480 m) above sea level, while the highest is at 2,955 feet (901 m), near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Five sections of streams totaling 4.8 miles (7.7 km), including the headwaters of both the North and South forks of Stewarts Creek, lie within the area's boundaries; many of these contain populations of brook trout, and are bordered by thickets of rhododendrons. Most of the area is wooded, mainly with tulip poplar, yellow birch, oak, and hickory.
G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area, one of the richest botanical areas of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, is a 4,000-acre (16 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) located primarily in Fauquier County, Virginia, with small encroachments into both Warren and Clarke counties.
Cecil H. Underwood Wildlife Management Area is located on 2,215 acres (896 ha) near in Marshall and Wetzel counties near Cameron, West Virginia. The rugged, steep terrain varies in elevation from about 800 feet along the banks of the West Virginia Fork of Fish Creek to over 1500 feet. The steep slopes are covered with mixed hardwoods and forest clearings fields. The WMA is located about 10 miles south of Cameron on Rice Ridge Road off U. S. Route 250, along the border of Marshall and Wetzel counties.
Cross Creek Wildlife Management Area, named after Cross Creek which flows through its southern part, is located on 630 acres (250 ha) in Brooke County near Wellsburg, West Virginia. Mixed hardwoods cover most of the former strip mine site. The rolling terrain is punctuated with a few highwalls and ponds. Cross Creek WMA can be reached by State Route 7 about 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Wellsburg.
Dunkard Fork Wildlife Management Area is located on 470 acres (190 ha) in Marshall County near Moundsville, West Virginia. Mixed hardwoods cover most of the former Jacob Crow (1815–1901) (later C.C. Mooney [d. 1970] farm, site, whose major focus is a flood control lake on Dunkard Fork Wheeling Creek. The rolling terrain is punctuated with a few highwalls and ponds. Dunkard Fork WMA is located in northeast Marshall County along the Pennsylvania line on County Route 15. Construction of the dam was originally slated for a location upstream, but was later moved into West Virginia. Construction was underway by 1991 and the Jacob Crow farm was ruined. Archeological digs were conducted and photographs taken to document the site before the structures were razed.
Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area is a Wildlife Management Area in Washington County, Maryland near Clear Spring. The 6,400-acre (2,600 ha) tract is in wooded mountainous terrain.
Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in Wetzel County, West Virginia, USA, about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) south of Jacksonburg on County Route 82. It is located on 13,590 acres (5,500 ha) of steep terrain with narrow valleys and ridgetops. The WMA second growth mixed hardwoods and hemlock with a thick understory of mountain laurel and rhododendron.
Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area, is located near Pax, West Virginia in Fayette county. Located on 3,201 acres (1,295 ha) land that varies from wetlands to steeply forested woodlands, the Pleasant Creek WMA rises to an elevation of 1,600 feet (490 m).
Stumptown Wildlife Management Area is located in both Calhoun and Gilmer Counties near the community of Stumptown, West Virginia. Stumptown WMA is located on 1,675 acres (678 ha) of hilly terrain, mostly covered with mixed oak and pine forest, with stands of mixed hardwoods.
Tate Lohr Wildlife Management Area, is located in Mercer County near the community of Oakvale, West Virginia. Tate Lohr WMA is located on 500 acres (200 ha) of sloping terrain varying from 2,100 feet (640 m) to 3,500 feet (1,100 m).
Thorn Creek Wildlife Management Area, is located about 7 miles south of Franklin, West Virginia in Pendleton County. Thorn Creek WMA is located on 528 acres (214 ha) of steep terrain along hills above Thorn Creek.
Short Hills Wildlife Management Area is a 4,232-acre (17.13 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) located in Rockbridge and Botetourt counties, Virginia. It covers approximately 10 miles (16 km) of ridgeline along the Short Hills range.
