Attakapas Wildlife Management Area, also known as Attakapas Island Wildlife Management Area, is a 27,962-acre tract of
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
located in
St. Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
,
St. Martin, and
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
Parishes,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. The property was acquired in 1976 and is under the authority of the
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge.
Mission
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife ...
(LDWF). The LDWF has 25,730 acres and the USACOE has 2,200 acres.
Description
The WMA is located NNE of
Jeanerette and
Charenton, east of the west
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp (; Louisiana French: ''Atchafalaya'', ), is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atch ...
Spillway levee. The
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...
runs almost through the middle. The WMA is actually located on several islands with Bayou Chene on the west and West Grand Lake and East Grand Lake on the east. The northern boundary is the Texaco pipeline and the southern boundary is a three prong point with West Grand Lake on the west side, Thibodaux Chute in the center (above Cypress Island), and an area south of Blue Point (and Blue Point Chute) east of Tiger Island known as Willow Cove.
Destination points of hunters and fishermen on the west side of the Atchafalaya are Mud Cove (Iberia Parish), Rogers Cove, Miller Chute, Crew Boat Chute, Raymonds Cove, Goat Island, Myette Pointe, and San Diego Cut, in St. Mary Parish, along with part of Grassy Lake, that is on the east side of the river. There is a tract of land east of the Atchafalaya opposite Mud Cove in Iberia Parish and south of that is Schwing Cove, Schwing Chute, and an Exxon pipeline runs diagonal east to west through the area that is in St. Martin Parish. Union Oil #1 and #2 are both located south of Grassy Lake.
Restoration
In 1999 Hunt Oil installed a water control structure with some minor levee repairs when extending Crew Boat Chute. The improvements will increase moist-soil production with favorable water levels for early migratory waterfowl as well as wintering waterfowl.
Crew Boat Chute enhancement
Retrieved 2017-02-19
See also
* List of Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas
Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas are protected conservation areas within the state of Louisiana. The goal is protecting, conserving, and replenishing wildlife, including all aquatic life. Wildlife Management Areas may be owned or managed by ...
References
{{Protected areas of Louisiana
Wildlife management areas of Louisiana
Geography of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Atchafalaya River