Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge

Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of the United States
Location	Union and Morehouse Parishes
Nearest city	West Monroe, Louisiana
Coordinates	32°52′00″N 92°05′00″W / 32.86667°N 92.08333°W / 32.86667; -92.08333Coordinates: 32°52′00″N 92°05′00″W / 32.86667°N 92.08333°W / 32.86667; -92.08333
Area	41,430 acres (167.7 km²)
Established	1978
Visitors	23,000 (in 2005)
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1978 and is located Union and Morehouse Parishes in northern Louisiana.^[1]^[2]

Wildlife and habitat

Eighteen miles long and up to ten miles (16 km) wide, the refuge consists of over 14,500 acres (59 km²) of bottomland hardwood forest, 5,000 acres (20 km²) of upland forest, 3,000 acres (12 km²) of shrub/wooded swamp, 16,000 acres (65 km²) of reforested farmland, and 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of open water. About 80% of the refuge is subject to annual flooding from December through May.

The central physical feature is the Ouachita River, which bisects the refuge. The river’s wide floodplain is characterized by alluvial soils. Refuge supports concentrations of ducks, geese, wading birds, raptors and a small wintering population of bald eagles.

The refuge provides excellent wintering habitat for tens of thousands of ducks and geese. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the threatened Louisiana black bear are found on Upper Ouachita NWR. Other wildlife species that call the refuge home include alligators, deer, turkey, squirrels, bald eagles and beaver. Upper Ouachita NWR is one of the four refuges managed in the North Louisiana Refuge Complex.

Management

Selective thinning and water level manipulation is conducted within the bottomland hardwoods for the benefit of migratory birds, resident wildlife and the overall health of the forest. Reforestation of bottomland hardwoods has taken place on the east side of the refuge. Emphasis was placed on planting the tree species that grew there historically. Approximately 983 acres (3.98 km²) of the refuge are managed as moist soil units. These wetland units are managed for the benefit of waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife. Water levels are manipulated to produce high quality natural foods such as wild millets, grasses and sedges. Cooperative farming occurs on a rotational basis in portions of the refuge to provide food for wintering waterfowl.

The upland mixed pine hardwood forest on the western portion of the refuge is managed for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker through thinning and prescribed fire. Installing artificial cavity inserts and woodpecker banding and occasional transplanting are also important management tools. Other management practices include wood duck nest box project, fish stocking, and removal of exotic, invasive plants and animals.

References

↑ "Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge". Southeast Region Fish & Wildlife Service. August 14, 2014. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
↑ OUACHITA AND BLACK RIVERS NAVIGATION CHARTS 2006. USACE, Vicksburg District. pp. 56–. GGKEY:6GCU31AG393.

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ".

Protected areas of Louisiana

Federal

National Historical Parks	Cane River Creole Jean Lafitte NHP and Preserve New Orleans Jazz

National Monuments	Poverty Point

National Marine Sanctuary	Flower Garden Banks

National Forests	Kisatchie

National Wildlife Refuge System	Atchafalaya Bayou Cocodrie Bayou Sauvage Bayou Teche Big Branch Marsh Black Bayou Lake Bogue Chitto Breton Cameron Prairie Cat Island Catahoula D'Arbonne Delta East Cove Grand Cote Handy Brake Lacassine Lake Ophelia Mandalay Red River Shell Keys Sabine Tensas River Upper Ouachita

State

State Parks	Bayou Segnette Bogue Chitto Chemin-A-Haut Chicot Cypremort Point Fairview-Riverside Fontainebleau Grand Isle Hodges Gardens Jimmie Davis Lake Bistineau Lake Bruin Lake Claiborne Lake D-Arbonne Lake Fausse Pointe North Toledo Bend Palmetto Island Poverty Point Reservoir St. Bernard Sam Houston Jones South Toledo Bend Tickfaw

State Historic Sites	Audubon Centenary Fort Jesup Fort Pike Fort St. Jean Baptiste Forts Randolph & Buhlow Locust Grove Longfellow-Evangeline Los Adaes Mansfield Marksville Plaquemine Lock Port Hudson Poverty Point Rebel State Rosedown Plantation Winter Quarters

State Preservation Area	Louisiana State Arboretum

State Forests	Alexander Indian Creek

State Wildlife Refuges	Elmer's Island Marsh Island Rockefeller St. Tammany State Terrebonne Barrier Islands White Lake Wetlands

Wildlife management areas	Acadiana Conservation Corridor Atchafalaya Delta Attakapas Barataria Preserve Bayou Macon Bayou Pierre Ben's Creek Big Colewa Bayou Big Lake Biloxi Bodcau Boeuf Bonnet Carre Spillway Buckhorn Camp Beauregard Catahoula Lake Clear Creek Dewey Wills Elbow Slough Elm Hall Floy Ward McElroy Fort Polk Grassy Lake Hutchinson Creek Indian Bayou Jackson Bienville Joyce Lake Boeuf Lake Ramsey Savannah Little River Loggy Bayou Manchac Marsh Bayou Maurepas Swamp Old River Control Ouachita Pass A Loutre Pearl River Peason Ridge Pointe-aux-Chenes Pomme de Terre Red River Russell Sage Sabine Island Sabine Salvador/Timken Sandy Hollow Sherburne Sicily Island Hills Soda Lake Spring Bayou Tangipahoa Parish School Board Thistlethwaite Three Rivers Tunica Hills Union Walnut Hill West Bay

Other

Private	Bird City Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary

Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism (web)
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (web)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (web)

Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife and habitat

Management

See also

References