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 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.
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 area is being supervised 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 public use. 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 for white-tailed deer, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, woodcock, and waterfowl is permitted on the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area.
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
The 15,220-acre Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984. 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.
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 multi-agency 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 forestry management techniques utilized to improve wildlife habitat. Mature old-growth forests are also being preserved and left intact for species that require this habitat.
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