Hodges/Keville Nature Preserve
Mountainside forest from the cliffs to the banks of the Cacapon River.
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About Hodges/Keville Nature Preserve
The Hodges/Keville Nature Preserve, which the family calls “Seldom Seen,” fronts the Cacapon River for a half mile in Hampshire County, WV , supporting a healthy river and native wildlife.
Scenic Values
Offers scenic views to paddlers on the Cacapon River
Fauna & Flora
Habitat for many year-round native plants and animals as well as neotropical migrant birds including the Connecticut warbler (Oporomis agilis), Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea), and Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus).
The property includes two ridges framing a small hollow, and through the hollow flows Chestnut Run. The mixed hardwood forest includes chestnut oak, yellow poplar, northern red oak, hickories, and sugar maple. White pine appears along the lower slopes near the Cacapon River and along the eastern ridge, while sycamore, black oak, white oak, and scarlet oak are also scattered throughout the property.
The Hodges/Keville Nature Preserveprovides excellent wildlife habitat for turkey, deer, fox, raccoon, bobcat, owls, hawks, squirrels, and a large variety of neotropical migrant birds including Connecticut warblers (Oporomis agilis), Prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea), and Loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus). Several of these species are declining due to habitat loss and fragmentation, so the permanent protection of this property is important.