Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is open with all fall/winter activities available as usual. In addition to providing public waterfowl hunting during the Louisiana coastal zone duck season, it is a great place to get out and walk the levee trail just off Streeter Road and/or visit Lacassine Pool where 1000’s of ducks can be viewed and photographed from the Wildlife Drive. If you have been looking for a place to get out and away from the house for a half a day or so, make the trip to Lacassine NWR. Please see our Lacassine brochure for details on how to get where you want to go at:https://www.fws.gov/southeast/pdf/brochure/lacassine-national-wildlife-refuge.pdf
Sabine and Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuges sustained widespread damage to infrastructure, facilities, and equipment from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, which hit southwest Louisiana six weeks apart. Both refuges are still without power, are serving as staging areas for utility restoration efforts throughout Cameron Parish, and require additional clean up and repairs to open most facilities and recreation areas safely.
Although the Cameron Prairie NWR youth and senior lottery waterfowl hunts did not occur this year and the visitor center will remain closed for an extended period, Pintail Wildlife Drive and Bank Fishing Road have re-opened just in time for the holidays. There are currently thousands of ducks and geese as well as numerous other birds using the areas along the Drive, making it another great day trip destination to view and/or photograph nature. The half-mile Boardwalk at Pintail Wildlife Drive, however, is unsafe to open at this time and remains closed until repairs can be completed.
Pintail Wildlife Drive was scheduled to have an Enhancement Project implemented in September; unfortunately, it was delayed by the hurricanes. Staff was hopeful it would be completed prior to re-opening the Drive, however, due to weather and contractor availability; it has been delayed for at least 2-3 more weeks. The Drive will close temporarily once the Project work can get started. Improvements to the Drive will elevate a portion of the road prone to flooding, improve drainage, and re-shape and rock the entire 3-mile drive to help prevent extended seasonal closures.
Sabine refuges waterfowl hunt will not take place this season and all roadside recreation areas including Northline, Hog Island Gully, Blue Goose Trail, Blue Crab, West Cove, and the Wetland Walkway, as well as all boat launches remain closed. Refuge staff are working on funding requests and contracts to begin utility and facility repairs, coordinating with utility company staff/contractors to remove utility debris from canals, cutting up trees and clearing debris from refuge grounds, as well as repairing hurricane damaged equipment. Once canal debris removal begins after the New Year, staff may have a better sense of when some of the roadside recreation areas will be able to re-open for fishing and crabbing.
For additional information about any of the SW LA National Wildlife Refuges call 337-563-3491 or view our websites at www.fws.gov/refuge/cameron_prairie/ , https://www.fws.gov/refuge/lacassine/, and https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sabine/ .
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/okefenokeewildliferefuge or www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.
