Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Bayou Cocodrie NWR are now part of the Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex. Catherine Creek NWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge was established in 1990 for the conservation and sanctuary for migrating and wintering waterfowl, and provides important foraging and sheltering habitat for thousands of other migratory birds year-
round. Much of the Refuge is located within the floodplain of Mississippi River, and these areas become naturally flooded annually around mid-January to late July. While some areas become inaccessible to vehicles and visitors, this annual flooding provides important fish and mussel habitat. As the floodwaters recede, food resources become available to thousands of shorebirds, wading birds, and other wildlife. The bottomland forests along the Mississippi River and on the Refuge provide a buffer to the surrounding areas, filter water, produce oxygen, and sequester carbon. The trees and plants of St. Catherine Creek NWR create amazing opportunities for botanical photography and landscape panoramas. Recreational opportunities include wildlife observation (birdwatching, hiking, kayaking, canoeing), fishing, hunting, and photography. Bayou Cocodrie NWR was established in 1992 to preserve bottomland hardwood forests of the lower Mississippi River. The Nature Conservancy purchased an 11,255.51-acre core tract from the Fisher Lumber Company, a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation. The Conservancy then sold the land to the USFWS over a span of 5 years. These days, the Refuge protects over 14,600 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, reforested lands, and early succession wildlife habitat. While much of the area was previously harvested for timber or cleared for agriculture, Bayou Cocodrie NWR conserves some of the last old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and is home to thousands of forest birds and wildlife. The Refuge is stewarded by the small but dedicated staff of St. Catherine Creek NWR. Recreational opportunities include wildlife observation (birdwatching, hiking, kayak/canoeing), fishing, hunting, and photography.
