Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

Map of the United States
Location	Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Nearest city	Hackberry, Louisiana
Coordinates	29°54′N 93°32′W / 29.900°N 93.533°W / 29.900; -93.533Coordinates: 29°54′N 93°32′W / 29.900°N 93.533°W / 29.900; -93.533
Area	124,511 acres or 503.88 km²
Established	1937
Visitors	open to public
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Cameron Parish in southwestern Louisiana. It is on Louisiana State Route 27, 8 miles (13 km) south of Hackberry and 12 miles (19 km) north of Holly Beach. The western boundary of the Sabine Refuge is Sabine Lake, the inlet for Port Arthur, Texas, while the tip of the eastern end reaches Calcasieu Lake.

Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex

The Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex was formed by administratively combining of the East Cove National Wildlife Refuge, Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, Shell Keys National Wildlife Refuge, and Sabine in 2004.^[1]

Wildlife and habitat

Sabine is a 124,511-acre (504 km²) sanctuary, the largest coastal marsh refuge on the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is home to more than 200 species of birds, including ducks, great egrets, geese, Neotropic cormorants, raptors, snowy egrets, wading birds, and shorebirds. There is also a very large contingent of American alligators, as well as blue crabs, American mink, muskrats, coypu, North American river otters, rabbits, shrimp, and turtles.

Located at the visitor center is a pamphlet that explains the Wetland Walkway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) nature trail made from concrete, a portion of which is a wooden boardwalk, located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the refuge headquarters. It includes an observation tower and fifteen knowledge stations to educate the public about Gulf Coast marshland. A second natural trail, the Blue Goose Trail is a 1-mile (1.6 km) round trip with a scenic overlook.

Petroleum exploration is allowed on the refuge. There was an oil spill at one of the well sites in Sabine during the winter of 2002-2003. Most of the spill was cleaned up by burning the oil.

Hurricane damage

Sabine NWR map (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; click for a larger view).

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge was in the direct path of Hurricane Rita on September 24, 2005. All of the office buildings, visitor center, and maintenance shops were damaged beyond repair and have been removed. There are three remaining structures at the refuge headquarters area that were repaired. Recreational areas along Highway 27 received varying amounts of damage to bridges, piers, observation towers, boardwalks, restroom facilities, fences, and parking lots. Some of these facilities still require repairs and refuge staff are working with state and local partners, contractors, and other federal agencies to complete the work.

West of Highway 27, Sabine refuge canals and marshes were severely affected by storm wind and water. Approximately 32,000 acres (130 km²) of refuge marshes, levees, and canals were damaged. Canals and marshes are clogged with seven million cubic meters of debris from off shore rigs and coastal communities. There are both physical and chemical hazards present throughout the refuge, many of which have settled below the marsh and water surfaces. Tanks and barrels containing hazardous liquids and gases have the potential to explode or break down and release toxins into the environment. Over 1,400 hazardous material containers have been identified and are estimated to contain between 115,000 and 350,000 gallons of hazardous liquids and gases.

Stats

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge - Hunter Check Station

Location: 29°54′N 93°32′W / 29.900°N 93.533°W / 29.900; -93.533
Elevation: 10 feet (3 m; avg)
Area:
- Water: 39,844 acres (161 km²)
- Grassland/herbaceous/marsh: 84,667 acres (343 km²)
Annual visitors: 300,000 (approximately)

References

↑ "Southwest Louisiana NWR Complex". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved July 12, 2014.

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ".

External links

Protected areas of Louisiana

Federal

National Historical Parks	Cane River Creole Jean Lafitte NHP and Preserve New Orleans Jazz

National Monuments	Poverty Point

National Marine Sanctuary	Flower Garden Banks

National Forests	Kisatchie

National Wildlife Refuge System	Atchafalaya Bayou Cocodrie Bayou Sauvage Bayou Teche Big Branch Marsh Black Bayou Lake Bogue Chitto Breton Cameron Prairie Cat Island Catahoula D'Arbonne Delta East Cove Grand Cote Handy Brake Lacassine Lake Ophelia Mandalay Red River Shell Keys Sabine Tensas River Upper Ouachita

State

State Parks	Bayou Segnette Bogue Chitto Chemin-A-Haut Chicot Cypremort Point Fairview-Riverside Fontainebleau Grand Isle Hodges Gardens Jimmie Davis Lake Bistineau Lake Bruin Lake Claiborne Lake D-Arbonne Lake Fausse Pointe North Toledo Bend Palmetto Island Poverty Point Reservoir St. Bernard Sam Houston Jones South Toledo Bend Tickfaw

State Historic Sites	Audubon Centenary Fort Jesup Fort Pike Fort St. Jean Baptiste Forts Randolph & Buhlow Locust Grove Longfellow-Evangeline Los Adaes Mansfield Marksville Plaquemine Lock Port Hudson Poverty Point Rebel State Rosedown Plantation Winter Quarters

State Preservation Area	Louisiana State Arboretum

State Forests	Alexander Indian Creek

State Wildlife Refuges	Elmer's Island Marsh Island Rockefeller St. Tammany State Terrebonne Barrier Islands White Lake Wetlands

Wildlife management areas	Acadiana Conservation Corridor Atchafalaya Delta Attakapas Barataria Preserve Bayou Macon Bayou Pierre Ben's Creek Big Colewa Bayou Big Lake Biloxi Bodcau Boeuf Bonnet Carré Spillway Buckhorn Camp Beauregard Catahoula Lake Clear Creek Dewey Wills Elbow Slough Elm Hall Floy Ward McElroy Fort Polk Grassy Lake Hutchinson Creek Indian Bayou Jackson Bienville Joyce Lake Boeuf Lake Ramsey Savannah Little River Loggy Bayou Manchac Marsh Bayou Maurepas Swamp Old River Control Ouachita Pass A Loutre Pearl River Peason Ridge Pointe-aux-Chenes Pomme de Terre Red River Russell Sage Sabine Island Sabine Salvador/Timken Sandy Hollow Sherburne Sicily Island Hills Soda Lake Spring Bayou Tangipahoa Parish School Board Thistlethwaite Three Rivers Tunica Hills Union Walnut Hill West Bay

Other

Private	Bird City Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary

City	Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism (web)
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (web)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (web)

National Wildlife Refuges of the United States

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