Cornwall Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located along the west bank of Otter Creek in the towns of Cornwall and Whiting. It is part of a vast swamp in the flatlands of the Otter Creek Valley. Small acreages of agricultural field and upland hardwood forest occur. Swamp Road runs east/west through the center of the WMA. There is a small fishing access and parking area on the west side of the covered bridge crossing Otter Creek. All other access is by boat or foot, which is difficult at some times of the year due to wet conditions. Mosquitoes are very dense in season. The 1,566-acre WMA is owned by the State of Vermont and managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Part of the WMA is managed to protect and enhance white-tailed deer habitat, particularly a deer wintering area. Another portion is set aside for ruffed grouse habitat improvement. The remainder of the WMA is managed for mature timber and forested wetlands. Cornwall Swamp WMA is part of the largest interior wetland complex in Vermont and, as such, is considered a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. The area is a seasonally-flooded forested wetland with a mosaic of tree species. Interesting natural communities here are the red or silver maple-green ash forest, silver maple-ostrich fern riverine forest, red maple-northern white cedar swamp, and northern white-cedar swamp. Tree species include red maple, American elm, green ash, northern white-cedar and white pine. The understory is dominated by red maple seedlings and royal and sensitive ferns. Black ash, slippery elm, yellow and gray birch are also found. Shrubs include arrowwood, gooseberry, speckled alder, red-osier dogwood, nannyberry and high-bush cranberry. There are a number of wetland plants, including duckweed, water-dock, water parsnip, marsh marigold, cattail, wild iris and tall beggar-ticks. Mounds support marsh fern, bedstraw, cinnamon-fern, woodbine, wild sarsaparilla, starflower and swamp milkweed. Purple nightshade forms tangles in the shrubs. Included in this great diversity of plant life are some rare plants such as ram’s head, showy and yellow lady’s slipper, thin-flowered sedge, lily-leaved twayblade, green adder’s mouth, eastern Jacobs ladder, swamp fly- honeysuckle, cuckoo flower and false cyperus.