Welcome to Red River NWR
Aerial view. Credit: USFWS
Red River National Wildlife Refuge Act - signed into law 10/13/00. It was established on 8/22/02. According to legislation, refuge shall consist of approximately 50,000 acres of Federal lands and waters along that section of Red River between Colfax, Louisiana and Arkansas state line, a distance of approximately 120 miles.p
Historically, the Red River Valley was forested with bottomland hardwoods, cypress sloughs, and shrub swamps, however, for the last three decades, the Red River Valley was utilized extensively for agricultural production.
After completion of the Red River Waterway Project in 1994, water levels in the river are higher and more constant which have greatly reduced the turbidity. Water quality has improved and with the seasonal retention of water levels, a rich diversity of aquatic plants have developed.
Increased water levels on the river also improved some adjacent habitats. Flooded timber and farm fields with wet, depressional areas are now common. USDA programs such as the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are restoring valuable wildlife habitats through the reforestation of prior converted wetlands and highly erodible lands in the Red River Valley.
