Major improvements soon will be underway at Bear Rocks Lake Wildlife Management Area in Ohio County, thanks to a $10,000 contribution from Williams Energy Corporation through Cabela’s Wheeling store Community Campfire Fund. Bear Rocks Lake WMA is owned and managed by the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
“The Community Campfire Fund was set up to contribute to the wellbeing of our customers in the upper Ohio Valley,” said Honor “Bud” Forte, retail events coordinator for the Cabela’s Wheeling store. Money for the fund is raised from private contributions and from bake sales, yard sales and other activities that involve both the store and its customers.
Williams Energy Corporation is new to West Virginia. Williams, a mid-stream gas pipeline and processing company, home-based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has contributed $10,000 to the Bear Rocks Lake WMA restoration project. That contribution will be combined with additional money from the Community Campfire Fund to pay for materials and labor for extensive improvements to the area, which is about four miles from Cabela’s.
“We’ve adopted the entire wildlife management area to provide a greatly enhanced opportunity for our customers and the people in our area to hunt and fish,” Forte said.
Major aspects of the improvement project will include relocating access to the Class Q, Handicapped and Children’s fishing lake and building a new fishing pier, as well as construction of a vehicle access ramp and parking spaces close to the pier. Staff from the store have been clearing brush, building benches and performing general preparation for the larger projects to follow. Savage Construction Company of Wheeling is supplying heavy equipment, engineering services and labor for earth moving and pier relocation at an estimated in-kind contribution of $15,000. Cabela’s also is working with additional groups such as building supply retailers and local energy companies for additional contributions.
“DNR is grateful to Cabela’s, Williams Energy, Savage Construction and everyone who has contributed to the of Bear Rocks Lake WMA project,” said DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “This contribution and involvement will allow us to enhance and maximize the hunting and fishing opportunities that this WMA is capable of furnishing for our hunters and anglers. We are very proud of this partnership that will greatly benefit the public in the northern panhandle, and we look forward to working with them on future projects.”
About Bear Rocks Lake WMA
Bear Rocks Lake Wildlife Management Area comprises 242 acres in Ohio County near Valley Grove and is eight miles east of Wheeling. Its terrain is moderate to gently rolling slopes dominated by mixed hardwood forests and open fields. Hunting prospects include deer, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, and waterfowl. Fishing opportunities are available at Bear Lake (eight acres, electric motors only, with a boat ramp and physically challenged fishing trail); Rock Lake (four acres); Baker Lake (3.4 acres); and Wood Pond (.5 acres). Game fish available include bluegill, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and trout (stocked).
