The 300-plus acres of wildlife habitat in southern Nokesville known as Merrimac Farm will be preserved from developers; the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has officially purchased the land.

According to a VDGIF press release issued last week, the nearly-$2.9-million acquisition will result in "this scenic property [being] permanently conserved for public use, including hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and environmental education programs."

The Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area is slated to be opened to the public this spring.

All-terrain vehicles, dog walking, jogging and horseback and bicycle riding will be prohibited on the property.

Though the land was valued last year at more than $3 million, Merrimac Farm's former owner, the late Marine Col. Dean McDowell, intended for the land to be saved for preservation purposes.

His family ultimately sold the property following a process that dragged on for more than three years. No one from the McDowell family officially resided on the farm after 2004, though it was still privately owned.

Merrimac Farm borders Cedar Run, which separates the farm from the Quantico Marine Corps Base to the south. Because the state will own Merrimac Farm and the federal government runs the 59,000-acre base, residential developers will not be able to build homes on any of the land.