Town: Wellfleet
Acreage: 71
Wildlife Management Zone: 12
Waterfowl Zone: Coastal (South)
Description
Fox Island WMA consists of salt marsh, coastal dune and beach, tidal flats, and upland forested habitat. Common vegetation includes salt meadow cordgrass, salt marsh cordgrass, sea lavender, and high tide bush. Upland portions of the WMA are dominated by pitch pine, various oaks, eastern red cedar, and common greenbrier.
Location, access, & parking
The main section of the WMA can be accessed via a small gravel parking area at the end of King Phillip Road, which extends south off of Indian Neck Road. There is a small sand footpath through the marsh that provides access to the beach/tidal flat area abutting Wellfleet Harbor and Blackfish Creek. Access to the conservation restrictions across Blackfish Creek is gained via a small dirt parking area at the end of South Cove Road (near what shows on some maps as First Right Road), which is off of Baker Road. See WMA map.
Note: WMAs are intentionally wild, visitors will find natural landscapes rather than maintained trails.
Hunting & fishing opportunities
The extensive salt marshes and tidal flats provide some opportunities for waterfowl hunting in the fall. There are also hunting opportunities for eastern coyote, red fox, and gray fox.
The WMA provides shoreline access to Wellfleet Harbor and Blackfish Creek for fishing.
Wildlife viewing & other features
Wildlife watching opportunities are excellent on this WMA. Federally Endangered roseate terns along with common and least terns forage in the salt marsh and bay. All of this WMA is included in BioMap2, the state’s comprehensive biodiversity conservation plan, because of the rare species and the capacity to allow potential uphill migration of salt marsh as sea level rises. Other wildlife that can regularly be seen on the WMA include hawks, ospreys, migrating songbirds, small mammals, horseshoe crabs, and a variety of saltwater invertebrates. The adjacent conservation restriction areas contain several marked walking trails through the upland forest and out onto the edges of the salt marsh with excellent views. The area including the WMA was also designated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in 1982 as containing visual landscapes and cultural resources that place it in the top 5% of all landscapes in the Commonwealth.
Regulations
About Wildlife Management Areas
MassWildlife owns and manages over 220,000 acres of land to conserve fish and wildlife habitats and provide access for outdoor recreation. All WMAs are open to hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreation activities. Visit the MassWildlife Lands Viewer for an interactive map of MassWildlife properties.
You can support land protection in Massachusetts. Contributions to the Wildlands Fund help pay for the cost of acquiring wildlife habitat. Learn more about the Wildlands Fund.