The Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge is a large area of marshland in Cameron Parish and Vermilion Parish, [1] Louisiana, United States. It was donated to the state with certain provisions as to its management as a wildlife sanctuary. It is a biodiverse habitat and is visited annually by many migratory birds. Much research is undertaken into marshland management and alligator ranching, and the income from the sale of alligators contributes to conservation of the marshland.
On July 12, 1913, naturalist and businessman Edward Avery McIlhenny bought about 86,000 acres of marshland in Louisiana with the help of donated money. [2] The following year, on May 20, 1914, the land was sold to the Rockefeller Foundation for the preservation and protection of migratory birds. [3] The Rockefeller Foundation entrusted control of the land to the Conservation Commission of Louisiana for a period of five years. [3] After this was successfully completed, the land was donated to the state, and in 1920 became the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. During the early years the marsh was patrolled to prevent poaching and the land was periodically burnt to encourage the growth of suitable fodder for muskrats and geese. The expenses of the Refuge were at least partly met by the sale of muskrat pelts. [4]
The primary aim of the project was to conserve the wetlands habitat, particularly water fowl. [3] The provisions of the bequest stipulated that all revenue must be ploughed back into the project. Fur–bearing mammals, waterfowl and alligators could be cropped on a sustainable basis and these and the oil available underground have been carefully harvested and have provided a steady source of income. In the 1960s, the commission used these funds for a pioneering program of alligator management with the whole area becoming, in effect, a vast alligator ranch. [5]
The Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge occupies a strip of low-lying flat treeless land adjoining the Gulf of Mexico for 26.5 miles (42.6 km) and extending inland for about 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Grand Chenier Ridge, a marine terrace. The original 86,000 acres of the site have been reduced to about 76,000 by coastal erosion along the gulf. [3] It is one of the most biodiverse wildlife areas in the United States. [6]
When the Rockfeller Foundation donated the land it stipulated that: [6]
Animals resident in the refuge all year round include mottled ducks, rails, nutria, muskrat, raccoon, mink, otter, opossum, white-tailed deer and alligators. Large numbers of migratory birds including about 160,000 waterfowl visit it each year including geese, ducks, coots, shorebirds and wading birds. Fish present include redfish, speckled trout, black drum and largemouth bass. Some recreational fishing is permitted but no hunting is allowed, although some animals are trapped if their populations seem to be getting out of control. [6]
There are eleven impoundments on the site with some method of water control. Levees and sluice gates are built and maintained so as to divide the land into areas with varying degrees of salinity. The land is managed so as to stabilise water levels as far as possible. A reduction in the level of salinity in some areas encourages the growth of submerged aquatic and annual plants which provide suitable habitat for wildfowl. Some mineral developments have been allowed to produce revenue but these have been managed so as to minimise their impact on the environment. The research centre employs biologists, conservation officers and maintenance staff. [6]
The Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge is best known for its pioneering research into alligators, their natural history, their requirements and ranching. Some aspects covered include penning, stocking rates, egg incubation, hatching, rearing and diet. This information has been used by other crocodilian farms and ranches around the world. [5] Brown pelican and bald eagle restoration projects are managed from here and striped bass are raised for distribution to river systems in the west of the state. Other research studies include wildfowl habitat management, marsh management, various wildlife projects, alligator snapping turtles and how to reduce the impact of mineral extraction in wetlands. [6]
The refuge is visited each year by more than 100,000 people. [7] Many are students and members of organisations who come to learn about wildlife conservation at the study centre which can provide lodging and laboratory facilities. Others are attracted by the opportunities for bird watching and recreational fishing, shrimping and crabbing. [6] Each year, the refuge holds a controlled alligator harvest for alligator hunters with specific permits, tags, and licenses. [7] [8]
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a 145,188-acre (587.55 km2) wildlife sanctuary is located west of Boynton Beach, in Palm Beach County, Florida. It is also known as Water Conservation Area 1 (WCA-1). It includes the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem.
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Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport.
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The Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,941 acre (52.4 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Washington County, Mississippi. Named after the Yazoo tribe, it was established to provide waterfowl and other migratory birds in the Mississippi Flyway with nesting, feeding, brooding, and resting habitat.
The National Wildlife Refuge System in the United States has a long and distinguished history.
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Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge is located in Cameron and Evangeline Parishes in southwestern Louisiana, was established in 1937 by Executive Order No. 7780 as "a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife." The refuge is nearly 35,000 acres (140 km2) in size, including 653 acres (2.64 km2) leased from the Cameron Parish School Board. The Evangeline Parish unit is called Duralde Prairie and is currently being developed. It is located south of the city of Eunice.
Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1988 to protect the Mississippi/Red River floodplain ecosystem. The refuge is located in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, east central Louisiana. The refuge is named for its most prominent water body, the 350-acre (1.4 km2) Lake Ophelia that was at one time a channel of the nearby Red River of the South.
Wetland conservation is aimed at protecting and preserving areas where water exists at or near the Earth's surface, such as swamps, marshes and bogs. Wetlands cover at least six per cent of the Earth and have become a focal issue for conservation due to the ecosystem services they provide. More than three billion people, around half the world’s population, obtain their basic water needs from inland freshwater wetlands. The same number of people rely on rice as their staple food, a crop grown largely in natural and artificial wetlands. In some parts of the world, such as the Kilombero wetland in Tanzania, almost the entire local population relies on wetland cultivation for their livelihoods.
The North American Wetlands Conservation Act authorizes a wetlands habitat program, administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which provides grants to protect and manage wetland habitats for migratory birds and other wetland wildlife in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. A nine-member council meets periodically to decide which projects to fund.
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Modoc National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in northeastern California. It is next to the South Fork of the Pit River in Modoc County, southeast of Alturas.
Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 66,000-acre (270 km2) protected wetland in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The WMA is located due south and bordering the 48,000 acre Delta National Wildlife Refuge, accessible only by air or boat, contains the Pass A L'Outre Lighthouse, and Port Eads is within the boundary.
The Summer Lake Wildlife Area is a 29.6-square-mile (77 km2) wildlife refuge located on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin drainage in south-central Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The refuge is an important stop for waterfowl traveling along the Pacific Flyway during their spring and fall migrations. The Summer Lake Wildlife Area also provides habitat for shorebirds and other bird species as well as wide variety of mammals and several fish species. The Ana River supplies the water for the refuge wetlands.
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