Parks & Refuges

Accessible only by boat, Delta National Wildlife Refuge is a place where the wealth of the great river and the warmth of the Gulf of Mexico meet to create lush marshes that are habitat for diverse wildlife species. Large numbers of wading birds nest on the refuge, and thousands of shorebirds can be found on tidal mudflats and deltaic splays. Tens of thousands of waterfowl winter at the Refuge, and spring and fall migration bring many other bird species. The Refuge was set aside in the early 1930’s under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act in order to serve as a refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife and provide a refuge for migratory waterfowl.

Hundreds of millions of birds cross the gulf each year and travel along the Mississippi Flyway with 2.5 million stopping daily in Louisiana to feed and rest. Woodlands Conservancy’s managed properties provide habitat for several species of Conservation Concern per Louisiana’s comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy, the Wildlife Action Plan, and several species of Continental Importance according to Partners in Flight.

Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area is located in southern Plaquemines Parish at the mouth of the Mississippi River, approximately 10 miles south of Venice, and is accessible only by boat. The nearest public launches are in Venice. This area is owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and encompasses some 115,000 acres. The area is characterized by river channels with attendant channel banks, natural bayous, and man-made canals which are interspersed with intermediate and fresh marshes.