Ducks Unlimited (DU), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and conservation partners gathered to celebrate wetland restoration and infrastructure improvements across Southwest Louisiana’s national wildlife refuges as part of the United States’ Freedom 250 Celebration.
The October 21st event highlighted an ongoing multi-year, multi-phase effort to improve wetland habitat and water-management infrastructure at Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine national wildlife refuges near Lake Charles. Together, the projects will give refuge managers greater flexibility to provide quality habitat for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife while supporting public recreation and strengthening resilience benefits for nearby coastal communities.
Nearly 300,000 people visit the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex each year to fish, crab, hunt, paddle, watch wildlife, and explore walking trails. Many of the improvements celebrated at the event are directly visible or accessible to visitors, demonstrating how habitat conservation and public use can advance together.
“Public lands belong to all of us, and conserving them is an investment in both wildlife and people,” said Jerry Holden, DU Senior Director of Operations. “Working alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our community partners, we are improving the health and resilience of these wetlands, giving refuge managers better tools to care for them, and ensuring that future generations can continue to recreate in these special places.”
Beyond their value to wildlife and recreation, healthy wetlands can improve water quality and store floodwater during tropical weather events, helping increase the resilience of coastal communities.
“These improvements give our refuge staff greater flexibility to manage water in ways that benefit wildlife and sustain the habitats that make southwest Louisiana so special,” said Daffny Pitchford, Deputy Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region. “As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, partnerships like this help us conserve our natural heritage, connect people with the outdoors and support coastal communities.”
In addition to DU and USFWS, support for this effort was provided by Chevron, Williams, Dow, Phillips 66, Energy Transfer, the James M. Cox Foundation of Georgia, Sempra, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Cameron LNG, NOAA, and individual Gulf Coast Initiative sponsors.
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
Established in 1937, the 34,724-acre Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge protects important habitat for wintering waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species in Cameron, Evangeline and Jefferson Davis parishes. Its 16,000-acre Lacassine Pool is a popular destination for fishing, hunting, birdwatching and wildlife viewing, with vehicle access to about 5,000 acres.
At Unit B, DU and USFWS installed a 30-inch low-lift surface pump and two culverts, improving management capacity on 800 acres of marsh. The unit, two miles from refuge headquarters, supports walk-in waterfowl hunting for youth and seniors and includes a nature trail and vehicle-accessible bird observation deck.
Planned improvements to the adjacent 300-acre Unit A, include nearly five miles of levee construction, nine water-control structures and refurbishment of an existing low-lift pump. DU engineers will begin surveying this fall. When complete, eight independently managed shallow-water impoundments will allow managers to vary flooding schedules, diversify habitat, and support ongoing waterfowl banding and mallard telemetry research.
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
About 15 miles southeast of Lake Charles on Highway 27, Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 24,548 acres of wetlands, including about 1,230 acres managed as moist-soil habitat. DU and USFWS are addressing water-management needs through a prioritized, three-phase effort.
Phase I improvements at Unit 6, known as Pintail Loop and moist-soil units near the visitor center are complete. The work added a water-control structure and new electric power equipment for an existing low-lift pump. Phase II, which focused on Fields B-D behind the visitor center, was wrapped up in September. This project enhanced 300 acres of moist-soil habitat through land leveling and drainage infrastructure installation.
Phase III will focus on additional water-management infrastructure as funding becomes available. The partners’ goal is to complete the broader repair and replacement program by summer 2028, allowing refuge staff to optimize wetland habitat while enhancing visitors’ experience across the refuge.
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
Eight miles south of Hackberry on State Highway 27, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge protects the marshes between Calcasieu and Sabine lakes. As the largest coastal marsh refuge on the Gulf Coast, Sabine NWR includes freshwater impoundments, wooded ridges and levees, canals, ponds, lakes and bayous. Visitors can fish, hunt, crab, photograph wildlife and explore the Wetland Walkway. This terracing project, projected to begin in 2028, will help provide coastal protection, while improving critical habitat for fisheries and migrating waterfowl. DU will build over 100,000 linear feet of terraces to enhance approximately 865 acres. The terraces will increase biodiversity, protect natural marsh from wave erosion, promote aquatic vegetation growth, and provide fish and wildlife habitat.
By celebrating these investments during Freedom 250, DU, USFWS and their partners are hoping to showcase a shared commitment to conserving America’s wetland heritage and ensuring that these public lands continue to serve wildlife, residents, and visitors for generations to come.
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Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 20 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
