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PARKS
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge -
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area
For information on the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area and/or the Atchafalaya National
Wildlife Refuge, please contact:
Area Supervisor
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area
P.O. Box 127
Krotz Springs, Louisiana 70750
(318) 566-2251
America's Great River Swamp Deep in the heart of Cajun country, at the southern end of the Lower
Mississippi River Valley in south-central Louisiana, lies the nation's largest complex of forested wetlands;
the Atchafalaya River Basin.
This basin contains nearly one-half million acres of hardwood swamps, lakes, and bayous, and is larger
than the vast Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia and Florida. It is an immense natural floodplain of the
Atchafalaya River, which flows for 140 miles south from its junction with the Mississippi River to the
Gulf of Mexico. The fish and wildlife resources of the Atchafalaya River Basin are exceptional. The
basin's dense bottomland hardwoods, cypress-tupelo swamps, overflow lakes, and meandering bayous
provide a tremendous diversity of habitat for many species of fish and wildlife. Ecologists rank the basin
as one of the most productive wildlife areas in North America. The basin also supports an extremely
productive sport and commercial fishery, and provides unique recreational opportunities to hundreds of
thousands of Americans each year.
Wildlife
Every year, thousands of migratory waterfowl winter in the overflow swamps and lakes of the basin,
located at the southern end of the great Mississippi Flyway. The lakes of the lower basin support one of
the largest wintering concentrations of canvasbacks in Louisiana. The basin's wooded wetlands also
provide vital nesting habitat for wood ducks, and support the nation's largest concentration of American
woodcock. More than 300 species of resident and migratory birds use the basin, including a large
assortment of diving and wading birds such as egrets, herons, ibises, and anhingas. Eagles, ospreys,
swallow-tailed kites, and Mississippi kites can occasionally be seen soaring overhead. Wild turkeys have
been reintroduced to the basin and their populations are increasing. Forest-dwelling mammals include the
white-tailed deer, gray and fox squirrels, eastern cottontail, swamp rabbit, gray and red fox, coyote,
striped skunk, and opossum. Commercially important furbearers found in this great swamp are raccoon,
mink, bobcat, nutria, muskrat, river otter, and beaver. A small remnant population of black bears also
exists here.
Aquatic Resources
The aquatic resources of the basin are phenomenal. The Atchafalaya River and its myriad bayous,
overflow lakes, and seasonally flooded hardwood swamps support a great abundance of fish and
crustaceans. The lifeblood of the fishery is the basin's annual flooding and dewatering cycle. Overflows
occur during the winter and spring rains, with many areas gradually becoming dewatered during the
summer and fall. This ebb and flow continually revives food and nutrient production, thus contributing to
the diversity and abundance of the fishery.
Sportfishing is popular throughout the basin. Largemouth bass, white crappie, black crappie, warmouth,
bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish are the primary species sought. More than 85 species of fish
occur in the basin, and their populations frequently exceed 1,000 pounds per acre. Red swamp crawfish,
white river crawfish, and blue crabs are also important from both a sport and commercial harvest
standpoint.
The basin's commercial fisheries are also extremely valuable. Crawfish are by far the most important
component, with an estimated average annual commercial harvest of nearly 22 million pounds. The most
important commercial finfishes include catfish, buffalo, and freshwater drum.
Public Land Management
The combined fish, wildlife, and related recreational and commercial values of the Atchafalaya River
Basin are so high that a major cooperative state and federal effort is underway to preserve and manage the
natural resources of the area. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries manages the 11,780-
acre Sherburne Wildlife Management Area in the upper third of the basin. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has established Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge on 15,220 acres adjacent to the Sherburne
Wildlife Management Area. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of acquiring
50,000 acres in the vicinity of both of these areas. All of these public lands are managed by the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries under a cooperative multiagency agreement. Good forest
management is essential to the protection and enhancement of the wildlife within the basin. The
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are responsible for
a wide range of forest inventory and management programs on the preserved areas of the basin. These
programs ensure that the area's productivity for wildlife remains high. Planting, thinning, and selective
vegetation regeneration are a few of the forestry management techniques utilized to improve wildlife
habitat. Mature old-growth forests are also being preserved and left intact for species which require this
habitat.
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area
The State of Louisiana's Sherburne Wildlife Management Area is located in the upper third of the
Atchafalaya River Basin between Interstate Highway 10 and U.S. Highway 190. It covers approximately
11,780 acres and was established in 1983 by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The area
supervisor's headquarters is located east of Krotz Springs, Louisiana, on La. 975 approximately three
miles south of U.S. Highway 190. This wildlife management area is being managed to provide a variety of
habitats for native and migratory wildlife and to promote public outdoor recreation. A camping area, boat
launching ramp, and shooting range are available for use by the public. Each year thousands of visitors
participate in hunting, fishing, camping, wildlife photography, target shooting, and nature study. The
shooting range has accommodations for rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooters to sharpen their marksmanship
skills. Hunting is permitted on the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area for white-tailed deer, squirrel,
rabbit, raccoon, woodcock, and waterfowl. Fishing is excellent for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and
sunfish. Both hunting and fishing are subject to current state regulations, which are available from the
headquarters office.
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
The 15,220-acre Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in 1986. It is located adjacent to the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area and is managed by the
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries under a cooperative agreement with the state.
Efforts are underway here to construct greentree reservoirs and other seasonally flooded impoundments
for the benefit of migratory waterfowl. Agricultural fields are being converted to native hardwood forests
for both waterfowl and upland wildlife. A large increase in the production of wood ducks and hooded
mergansers is being achieved through the use of artificial nest structures.
Public hunting is allowed on the refuge for migratory waterfowl and upland and big game species. All
seasons, rules, and regulations conform to those of the adjacent Sherburne Wildlife Management Area.
The refuge is popular for hunting white-tailed deer and is especially noted for its youth and handicapped
hunts. The refuge is open year-round for sportfishing in accordance with state fishing regulations.
This information provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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