Lake Pontchartrain, Basin, LA

In the heart of Louisiana's commercial and recreational fisheries region, the Fund, in partnership with the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has protected more than 40,000 acres of the Lake Pontchartrain ecosystem. This acquisition created the Big Branch Marsh and Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuges. In 2000, the Fund added an additional 1,300 acres to the refuges. The area is dominated by bald cypress and tupelo gum trees and is home to a variety of game and non-game wildlife species such as white-tailed deer, ibis, herons, and egrets. Bald eagles have been known to visit the area and five nest sites have been documented.