Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 25 miles (40.2 km) southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana
, in north central Cameron Parish
. It contains 9621 acres (3,893 ha) that include fresh marsh, coastal prairie, and old rice fields
The visitor center opened in 1994 and is located located south of Lake Charles on Louisiana Highway 27, 11 miles south of Holmwood, Louisiana. The center's exhibits focus on the birds and other wildlife found in the refuge, and the plant and animal life and different types of ecosystems. An animated exhibit features a Cajun
resident named Tante Marie, who sits in a pirogue
and talks about life in the refuge. The visitor center suffered damage from Hurricane Rita
, and is expected to reopen with new exhibits in the fall of 2009.
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, in north central Cameron Parish
Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...
. It contains 9621 acres (3,893 ha) that include fresh marsh, coastal prairie, and old rice fields
The visitor center opened in 1994 and is located located south of Lake Charles on Louisiana Highway 27, 11 miles south of Holmwood, Louisiana. The center's exhibits focus on the birds and other wildlife found in the refuge, and the plant and animal life and different types of ecosystems. An animated exhibit features a Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
resident named Tante Marie, who sits in a pirogue
Pirogue
A pirogue is a small, flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh. In West Africa they were used as traditional fishing boats. These boats are not usually intended for overnight travel but are light and small enough to be easily taken onto land...
and talks about life in the refuge. The visitor center suffered damage from Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
, and is expected to reopen with new exhibits in the fall of 2009.
See also
- List of National Wildlife Refuges: Louisiana
External links
- Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge - Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex
- Cameron Creole Watershed Marsh Terracing Project
- Louisiana's Cameron-Creole Project: An Ecosystem-Based Watershed Project