Black Bayou Lake NWR Black Bayou Lake NWR was established in 1997 in a unique partnership with the City of Monroe, LA. The area consists of about 2,000 acres of pristine wetlands with the flora and fauna characteristic of southern swamps. Situated in a semi-urban location, the new refuge will handle most FWS environmental education and interpretation activities in North Louisiana.
Bogue Chitto NWR On June 30, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96-288 authorizing the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Washington and St. Tammany Parishes, LA, and Pearl River County, MS. Since that time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been acquiring bottomland hardwood habitat in the Pearl River Basin. On December 13, 1989, Congress authorized a boundary expansion for Bogue Chitto NWR that included an additional 8,400 acres of bottomland hardwoods in St. Tammany Parish. The refuge is still in an acquisition phase. Over 90% of the refuge can be flooded during seasonal high river periods. White-tail deer, squirrel, turkey and hog hunting and fishing is offered to the public. Access is primarily by boat on the refuge's Louisiana side and road access is available on the refuge's Mississippi side.
Bonnet Carre Spillway Over the years, the Bonnet Carre Spillway has developed into an extensively used outdoor recreation area with approximately 250,000 visitors enjoying the spillway each year. The public is allowed acccess provided their activities do not interfere with the operation and maintenance of the project. These lands and waters provide opportunities for fishing, crawfishing, hunting, dog training, camping, and wildlife watching. More specialized activities include retriever dog field trials and model airplane flying competitions. The spillway contains two boat launching sites and a primitive campground, provided by St. Charles Parish. Additional on-site management is planned to enhance the recreation and natural resource values of the project lands and waters. The project office is located on the Mississippi River in Norco, LA.
Breton NWR Established in 1904, Breton National Wildlife Refuge is the second oldest refuge in the Refuge System. It includes Breton Island and all of the Chandeleur Islands in St. Bernard Parish, LA. The area above mean high tide is approximately 6,923 acres. In 1975, the refuge was established as a National Wilderness Area. In May 1990, an agreement was signed with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries to give the Service management rights and law enforcement authority on State-owned islands (including Curlew, North, New Harbor, Free Mason, North and South Grand Gosier, and Old Harbor Island Shoal) in and adjacent to Breton and Chandeleur Sounds. The dominate vegetation on Breton NWR is black mangrove, groundsel bush and wax myrtle. Over 10,000 endangered brown pelicans were recorded nesting on the refuge. Nesting tern populations are also high, including royal tern, caspian tern and least terns. The Chandeleur Islands winter peak population of 25,000 redhead ducks. Primitive camping and fishing are popular.
Caddo Lake Caddo Lake, LA has facilities for bank fishing at the dam, which is operated by the Corps.
Cameron Prairie NWR Cameron Prairie is in Southwest Louisiana in Cameron Parish. The refuge is divided into two management units, Gibbstown & East Cove Unit, based upon habitat types. The Gibbstown Unit habitat consists of fresh marsh, coastal prairie and old rice fields. The Gibbstown unit provides excellent habitat for waterfowl, water birds, white-tailed deer, small game, furbearers, and many other wildlife species. Gibbstown unit is managed to provide natural foods for wintering waterfowl and other water birds. The East Cove Unit consists of intermediate, brackish and salt marshes. It is an integral part of the Cameron Creole Watershed Project, a large marsh restoration project. East Cove is an important habitat for many estuarine marine organisms (shrimp, crab, menhaden, redfish, etc.) and also waterfowl and other water birds. Public use on East Cove includes recreational fishing, boating and wildlife observation. East Cove is accessible only by boat via Calcasieu Lake.
