Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ouachita Parish, Louisiana |
| Nearest city | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Area | 4,200 acres (17 km2) |
| Established | 1997 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge |
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a special place in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. It's a protected area where animals and plants can live safely. This refuge is part of a bigger system of wildlife refuges across the United States. It was created in 1997 through a partnership with the city of Monroe, Louisiana. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the lake for free for 99 years.
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What Animals and Plants Live Here?
Black Bayou Lake is full of amazing nature. It has many different types of trees and animals.
Amazing Trees and Plants
The lake is dotted with tall cypress and tupelo trees. Around the lake, you'll find swamps that lead into forests. These forests have trees like cherrybark oak, cedar elm, ash, hickories, and willow oak. Higher up, you'll see shortleaf pine, loblolly pine, and post oak.
About 800 acres of old farm fields have been replanted with eleven types of forest trees. The small hilly area on the east side of the refuge is home to a special bird called the red-cockaded woodpecker. This bird is endangered, so the refuge works to create the best habitat for it.
Who Lives in the Refuge?
Many different animals call Black Bayou Lake home. You might see alligators, wood ducks, and treefrogs. There are also broad-banded water snakes, red-eared sliders (turtles), and green herons. On land, you could spot coyotes, skunks, and white-tailed deer.
The lake is also a great place for fish. It provides important homes for birds that travel long distances, like migratory waterfowl. Many other local wildlife species also live here.
Helping Endangered Animals
Professors and students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe work with the refuge. They do research on fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
One special animal they help is the alligator snapping turtle. This turtle is becoming rare in many southern areas. It builds its nests along the lake's shores. Each year, the refuge checks these nests. They also help control the raccoon population. This stops raccoons from eating the eggs of the alligator snapping turtles and other turtles.
The refuge also has a large program to build nest boxes. These boxes provide safe places for prothonotary warblers and wood ducks to lay their eggs. Wood ducks are also tagged with bands each year to help track them.
Keeping Nature Healthy
The refuge works hard to control plants that don't naturally belong there. These are called exotic species. For example, they spray herbicides to stop water hyacinths from covering the lake.
They also work to control Chinese tallow trees. These trees are often planted in yards, but birds spread their seeds into the refuge. The refuge teaches people not to plant them. They also remove these trees from the reforested areas.
What Can You Do at the Refuge?
The main visitor center is a restored old planter's house. It's located at the Black Bayou Lake Environmental Education Center.
Right next to the visitor center, there's an arboretum. This is like a garden with over 100 types of native Louisiana woody plants. There's also a prairie area with native grasses and wildflowers.
The refuge has lots of things for visitors to enjoy:
- Interactive exhibits inside the visitor center.
- A mile-long nature trail made of asphalt and boardwalk.
- A 400-foot pier where you can watch wildlife.
- A boat launch for getting out on the water.
- An amphitheater and pavilion for events.
- A raised observation deck with a spotting scope to see animals far away.
- Several information signs (kiosks) to learn more.
A group called "Friends of Black Bayou, Inc." helps the refuge a lot. They volunteer thousands of hours to support the refuge's work.
