Louisiana DWF WMAs and Refuges Reopening Sept. 1, Habitat Damage Assessment Continues

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 09.03.12

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will reopen 21 state wildlife management areas (WMAs) and refuges on Sept. 1. All had been closed in advance of Hurricane Isaac’s landfall. Flood waters and access roads blocked by storm debris are still preventing site openings in some areas.

Sites opening Sept. 1 include: The Acadiana Conservation Corridor, Atchafalaya Delta, Attakapas, Biloxi, Grassy Lake, Hutchinson Creek, Lake Boeuf, Marsh Island, Pass a Loutre, Pointe au Chenes (except Point Farms area), Pomme de Terre, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge (except East End boat launch construction area), Salvador-Timken, Sandy Hollow, Sherburne, Spring Bayou, State WMA, Tangipahoa, Thistlethwaite, Tunica Hills and White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area.

Sites that remain closed until further notice include the following WMAs and refuges: Elm Hall (Assumption Parish); Elmer’s Island (Jefferson Parish); Joyce (Tangipahoa Parish); Lake Ramsey (St. Tammany Parish); Manchac (St. John the Baptist Parish); Maurepas Swamp (Ascension, Livingston, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes); and Pearl River (St. Tammany Parish).

The Waddill Outdoor Education Center in Baton Rouge is closed due to storm impacts, but will reopen on Sept. 4.

Habitat and facility damage assessments are ongoing at sites impacted by storm winds and rain, and the public is advised to proceed with caution when accessing WMAs and refuges by boat or vehicle.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.