Louisiana’s wetlands have defined its natural character and rich culture. Over the centuries, Louisiana has lost significant portions of it wetlands due to farming, development, oil and gas exploration and hurricanes. Public and private preserves are working to protect and restore Louisiana’s wetlands. Remaining wetlands continue to attract tourists for birdwatching, nature exploration, photography, hunting, fishing and environmental education.
The Terrebonne Basin
The Terrebonne Basin contains nearly 730,000 acres of marsh and swamp, including nearly 200 square miles of cypress forests. Visitors to the area enjoy hunting, fishing and birdwatching.
Cajun Man's Swamp Tours and Adventures leads boat tours through Terrebonne Basin at Bayou Black. Tours embark from Gibson, located a few miles from Houma, and take passengers through cypress swamps, where they can see alligators, red-tail hawks and blue herons. During fall and winter, visitors can see migratory birds, including bald eagles, geese and ducks. Tours cost around $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 2-11.
Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish has more than 1,500 square miles of water, including swamps, marshes and lakes. The parish lies at the southernmost point in the state and attracts hordes of anglers casting for freshwater and saltwater fish. Freshwater species include catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and sunfish. April through June are the best months to fish in Plaquemines Parish.
Blaize Charters guides anglers to fishing spots in local lakes and ponds, along the Mississippi River, around oilrigs and along oyster reefs. Blaize’s all-inclusive packages include meals, lodging, charter services and fishing gear, starting at around $550 per person, per day.
Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Located 25 miles west of New Orleans, the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area encompasses nearly 100 square miles. Most of the refuge consists of cypress swampland, home to white-tailed deer, alligators, raccoons, nutria and rabbits. The park’s waters provide a habitat for crappie, largemouth bass and perch. From late autumn to early spring, the refuge also hosts bald eagles.
Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours conduct kayak tours through the Maurepas swamps. Tours begin in New Orleans with a presentation about Louisiana’s threatened wetlands. Afterwards, passengers travel to Maurepas, where they paddle through the swamps for about 3-4 hours. Tours cost around $95-175 per person, depending on group size.
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest swamp, is located 30 miles northeast of Lafayette. Each year, commercial fishers harvest more than 20 million pounds of crawfish from the area, which also is home to roseate spoonbills, alligators and water moccasins.
Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Marina in Henderson offers airboat tours of the swampland seven days per week. Tours cost around $50 for adults and $35 for kids five years of age and younger.
Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve: Barataria Preserve
The Barataria Preserve, located 25 minutes south of New Orleans, encompasses 36 square miles of wetlands that are home to hundreds of bird species, wildflowers and alligators. The park offers a cellphone tour, which guides visitors along trails and boardwalks.
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours conducts pontoon boat tours of the preserve, which run just under two hours. Tours start at around $29 for adults and $12 for kids 3-12 years of age.
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area
Located just a few miles from Slidell, the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area is home to wild boars, turkeys, minks, bobcats, nutria and deer. The preserve covers more than 30,000 acres and is a nesting ground for golden and bald eagles. The park allows fishing, boating and canoeing in its ponds, streams and bayous and has several boat ramps.
Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours offers boat tours of the preserve for around $25 for adults and $15 for children.
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Located just outside New Orleans, Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is a habitat for hundreds of bird species. The area sits behind levees designed to withstand hurricanes, which helps to protect the marshland and the animals that make their home in the refuge.
The refuge allows sport fishing, for species such as catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill.
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area is located in Vermilion Parish, about one hour southwest of Lafayette. About 80 square miles of marshland occupy the preserve, which is home to a large population of black-crowned herons and other bird species. The park also is home to a flock of the endangered whooping crane.
White Lake Wetlands is open year round and has a 2-mile trail that meanders through the bird sanctuary.
Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area
Situated between the Chandeleur Sound and Lake Borgne, the Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area is home to waterfowl, fish, crabs and shrimp. The park lies 40 miles east of New Orleans on 36,000 acres of sloughs and bayous, covered with widgeon grass, black rush and salt grass.
The park is a popular spot for commercial and sport fishing, as well as hunting. Wildlife in the area include snipe, ducks, rabbits and deer, and the area’s waters are home to crabs, shrimp, flounder, redfish and speckled trout.
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge
The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 57 acres of sloughs, lakes, swamps and bayous along the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. The topography of the park changes throughout the year, as the river floods and subsides with the seasons.
Bogue Chitto provides a habitat for an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, swallow-tailed kites, gopher tortoises and ringed-sawbacked turtles. The park is also home to the Gulf sturgeon, an imposing-looking fish that can grow up to nine feet long. Sturgeon can live in fresh and salt water and are on the federal endangered species list. The park allows hunting and fishing, and has a limited number of areas designated for primitive camping.
References
- CWPPRA: Wetland Loss In Louisiana
- National Water Quality Monitoring Council: Bayou Black at Gibson, Louisiana
- Cajun Man's Swamp Tours and Adventures
- CWPPRA: The Terrebonne Basin
- Houma-Louisiana Bayou country: Houma and Terrebonne
- Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries: Fishing Licenses and Fees
- Plaquemines Parish Tourism: Fishing
- Blaize Charters: Fishing Charters
- The Conservation Fund: Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
- Louisiana Travel: Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
- Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries: Maurepas Swamp WMA
- Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours
- Louisiana Department of Natural Resources: Atchafalaya Basin
- Atchafalaya National Heritage Area
- Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours
- Louisiana Travel: Pearl River Wildlife Management Area
- Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours
- Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries: White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area
- Choose Lafayette: Birdwatchers Love White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area
- Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries: Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge
Resources
- Louisiana's Outback: Creole Nature Trail -- Rockefeller Refuge
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge
- America's WETLAND: Resource Center -- Types of Wetlands
- Gulf Restoration Network: Wetland Importance
- Lean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center
- Wetland Tours & Guide Service: For those who want to know more about the Louisiana Wetlands . . .
Writer Bio
Michael Evans graduated from The University of Memphis, where he studied photography and film production. He began writing travel articles after moving to Peru, where he owned a city tour business. Later, he served as the Colombia correspondent for International Living magazine, offering his readers insights into living and traveling in Colombia. Michael’s travel writings have appeared in numerous print and online publications, including International Living, USA Today, The Guardian, Fox Business, Yahoo! Finance and Bankrate.