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D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge

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National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana

D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge on November 18, 2013.
Map showing the location of D'Arbonne National Wildlife RefugeMap showing the location of D'Arbonne National Wildlife RefugeMap of the United States
LocationOuachita and Union Parish, Louisiana
Nearest cityWest Monroe, Louisiana
Coordinates32°36′30″N 92°13′00″W / 32.60833°N 92.21667°W / 32.60833; -92.21667
Established1986
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteD'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge
D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge

D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located north of West Monroe, Louisiana. It is in Ouachita and Union Parishes on either side of Bayou D'Arbonne near its confluence with the Ouachita River. It lies on the western edge of the Mississippi River alluvial valley. It was established in 1975 to protect bottomland hardwoods and provide wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl. D'Arbonne is one of four refuges managed in the North Louisiana Refuges Complex.

Ecology

See also: Piney Woods § Floodplains and Low Terraces (35b)

The refuge is bisected by 13 miles of Bayou D'Arbonne and is crisscrossed by numerous creeks, sloughs, and oxbow lakes. Cypress swamps and bottomland hardwood and upland forests provide several types of habitat for native plants and animals. Local species include the American alligator, Rafinesque's big-eared bat, the bald eagle, and the red-cockaded woodpecker.

In years of normal or above rainfall, the refuge's bottomland hardwood forest is a very important overflow area for the Ouachita River basin. High water levels, which usually occur between January and May, can flood up to 87% of the refuge. The wetland forests not only provide habitat to wetland-dependent wildlife, but they also reduce damage from flooding in developed areas. They filter silt and pollutants from the water and they provide recharge areas for aquifers.

Recreation

No camping is allowed on the refuge. Camping areas can be found in nearby Lake D'Arbonne State Park.

See also

References

  • Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  1. ^ "Fish & Wildlife Service - D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge" (PDF). Retrieved February 7, 2011.

External links

Protected areas of Louisiana
Federal
National Historical Parks
National Monuments
National Marine Sanctuary
National Forests
National wild and scenic rivers
National Wildlife
Refuge System
State
State Parks
State Historic Sites
State Preservation Area
State Forests
State Wildlife Refuges
  • Elmer's Island
  • Marsh Island
  • Rockefeller
  • St. Tammany
  • State
  • Terrebonne Barrier Islands
  • White Lake Wetlands
Wildlife management areas
Other
Private
City
National Wildlife Refuges of the United States
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