Alabama Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are tracts of land which have been established for the conservation and management of natural resources such as wildlife and aquatic life within the State of Alabama. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is responsible for the management of these lands and their associated uses. The land is not typically state-owned, but is private land which is leased for public use. The landholders are typically large timber, oil and gas, coal, or infrastructure (railroads, utilities, etc.) companies. Public uses of the WMAs vary from area to area, but typically includes hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and camping. As of the 2007–2008 season over 768,000 acres (3,110 km2) of land was under management as part of Alabama WMAs from the north Alabama mountains down to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico coast. [1]