Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

• Established: 1937.
• Acres: 124,511.
• Location: the refuge is located 8 miles south of Hackberry, on State Highway 27, the Creole Nature Trail All American Road, in Cameron Parish, LA.

Natural History

• Refuge occupies the marshes between Calcasieu and Sabine lakes in southwest Louisiana.
• Concentrations of ducks, geese, alligators, muskrats, nutria, raptors, wading birds, shorebirds, blue crabs and shrimp. Olivaceous cormorant, snowy egret and common egret rookeries present.
• Open water 39,844 acres and grassland/herbaceous/marsh 84,667 acres.

Financial Impact

• 15-person staff.
• Approximately 300,000 visitors annually.
• Refuge visitors contribute to the local economy through the purchase of gasoline, food items, and fishing/hunting license sales.
• Current budget (FY03) $964,000.
• Gas and oil exploration activities generate financial returns to the local economy during oil well drilling and seismic exploration activities, and in the form of federally mandated excise tax revenues to local governments from oil extraction activities.

Refuge Objectives

• Provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds.
• Preserve and enhance coastal marshes for fish and wildlife.
• Provide outdoor recreation and environmental education for the public.

Management Tools

• Water management to control salinity levels and preserve marsh and aquatic habitats.
• Creation of marsh through beneficial use of dredge material.
• Open water terracing for waterfowl and fishery habitat enhancement.
• Impoundments for preserving marsh and freshwater fishery.
• Prescribed fire for marsh and coastal prairie restoration and maintenance.
• Mechanical and chemical control of invasive, non-native plant species.
• Trapping of nutria and alligators for population management.
• Environmental education and interpretation of importance of coastal wetlands.
• Law enforcement for protection of wildlife resources and public safety.
• Public and private partnerships for resource management and outreach.

Public Use Opportunities

• 1.5 maile marsh trail and observation tower.
• Public fishing, crabbing, castnetting for shrimp.
• Visitors center with interpretive displays.
• Four waterside recreational areas with boat launches.
• Salt and fresh water fishing, crabbing and seasonal castnetting for shrimp.
• Canoeing and kayaking canals, bayous and impoundments.
• Observation tower.
• Wildlife observation and photography.
• Waterfowl hunting and special youth waterfowl hunt.