The project encompasses 595,000 acres of the largest contiguous tract of
bottomland hardwoods in the United States. The Atchafalaya Basin is a scenic
semi-wilderness area of hardwood forests, cypress stands, marshes and bayous.
It is one of the last great river swamps left in the nation. The Atchafalaya
River and hundreds of miles of bayous bring life to this wilderness area.

The project encompasses 595,000 acres of the largest contiguous tract of bottomland hardwoods in the United States.  The Atchafalaya Basin is a scenic semi-wilderness area of hardwood forests, cypress stands, marshes and bayous.  It is one of the last great river swamps left in the nation.  The Atchafalaya River and hundreds of miles of bayous bring life to this wilderness area.

butterfly

Atchafalaya Basin

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1984, is located in the
floodplain of the Atchafalaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi that flows
into the Gulf of Mexico.

The refuge's conservation objective is to sustain representative habitats of
this region — bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo swamps, bayous, and
wetlands — to provide high quality and diverse habitat to support neotropical
songbirds, the Louisiana black bear, waterfowl, and other native fish and
wildlife species.

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area,
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bayou Des Ourses Area combine to form a
44,000 acre tract of wildlands, collectively referred to as the Sherburne
Complex. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries owns 11,780 acres,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns 15,220 acres, and the remaining 17,000
acres is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The complex is managed as
one unit by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Atchafalaya means long river in the language of the indigenous people of the
area. Tribes with a history in the Atchafalaya Basin include the Chitimacha,
Attakapas, Opelousa, Houma, Choctaw, Coushatta and Alabama, Tunica-Biloxi and
Avoyel, and Tensas.

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1984, is located in the floodplain of the Atchafalaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge's conservation objective is to sustain representative habitats of this region —  bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo swamps, bayous, and wetlands — to provide high quality and diverse habitat to support neotropical songbirds, the Louisiana black bear, waterfowl, and other native fish and wildlife species.Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bayou Des Ourses Area combine to form a 44,000 acre tract of wildlands, collectively referred to as the Sherburne Complex. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries owns 11,780 acres, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns 15,220 acres, and the remaining 17,000 acres is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The complex is managed as one unit by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.Atchafalaya means long river in the language of the indigenous people of the area. Tribes with a history in the Atchafalaya Basin include the Chitimacha, Attakapas, Opelousa, Houma, Choctaw, Coushatta and Alabama, Tunica-Biloxi and Avoyel, and Tensas.

Mississippi Kite at Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge

Atchafalaya Basin

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Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge