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Pat Stinson
Refuge Manager
North Louisiana National
Wildlife Refuges Complex
11372 Highway 143
Farmerville, LA 71363-0201
(318) 726-4400
FAX: (318) 726-4667
E-mail: northlarefuges@fws.gov
Fact
Sheet
Directions
to Refuge
Louisiana
Waterfowl Issues |
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Refuge
Facts:
- 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.
- To guide acquisition efforts,
the Service has identified four focus areas plus a proposed headquarters/visitor
center site. The refuge would be a complex of four separate refuges
with a headquarters/visitor center near Shreveport/ Bossier City. The
focus areas include:
- Lower Cane River (Natchitoches
Parish)
- Spanish Lake Lowlands
(Natchitoches Parish)
- Bayou Pierre Floodplain
(Desoto and Red River Parishes)
- Headquarters Site (Bossier
Parish)
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Natural
History:
- 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.
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Financial
Impact of Refuge:
- D’Arbonne, Handy
Brake, Red River, Upper Ouachita, Black Bayou NWR’s and Louisiana
Wetlands Management District are administered under the North
Louisiana Refuges Complex with a total budget for FY05 of
$1,435,500.
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Refuge
Objectives:
- Provide for restoration
and conservation of native plants and animal communities on suitable
sites in the Red River Valley, including restoration of extirpated species.
- Provide habitat for migratory
birds.
- Provide technical assistance
to private landowners in the restoration of their lands for the benefit
of fish and wildlife.
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Management
Tools:
- Reforestation of bottomland
hardwoods.
- Water management for waterfowl
and other wetland species.
- Law enforcement.
- Hunting.
- Partnerships.
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Public
Use Opportunities:
- Education/interpretation.
- Hunting and fishing.
- Wildlife observation.
- Photography.
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Calendar of Events:
December 2001: Release of draft environmental assessment
“Proposed Establishment of Red River NWR” for public review
and comment.
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Questions and Answers:
When will Red River NWR
be established?
When sufficient property has been acquired by the Service within
the proposed boundaries to constitute an area that can be efficiently
managed as a national wildlife refuge, then the establishment of Red River
NWR will take effect.
Have any funds been appropriated
for land acquisition at Red River NWR?
Congress has made $1,000,000 available for this purpose in the
FY 2002 budget. In addition, the Service is proposing to spend an additional
$1,000,000 of Migratory Bird Conservation Funds for land acquisition at
the refuge in FY 2002.
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