The Red River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2001 and will ultimately consist of approximately 50000 acres (202.3 km²) of US Federal lands and water along that section of the Red River

Red River (Mississippi watershed)

The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...

 between Colfax, Louisiana

Colfax, Louisiana

Colfax is a town in and the parish seat of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town, founded in 1869, is named for the vice president of the United States, Schuyler M. Colfax , who served in the first term of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, for whom the parish is named. Colfax is part of...

 and the Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 state line, a distance of approximately 120 miles (193.1 km). Currently the Service has acquired approximately 6000 acres (24.3 km²) of the proposed 50000 acres (202.3 km²).

The four focus areas to purchase land for the refuge are:

• Lower Cane River
  Cane River
  Cane River is a lake and river formed from a portion of the Red River that is located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it has been best known as the site of a historic Creole de couleur culture that has centers upon the National Historic Landmark Melrose...
  
   (Natchitoches Parish)
• Spanish Lake
  Spanish Lake (Louisiana)
  Spanish Lake is located in the Bluff Swamp on the Iberville - Ascension Parish line. It is fed into by Alligator Bayou, Brand Bayou, Bayou Braud, and Bayou Paul. Spanish Lake is a part of the Bluff Swamp Wildlife Refuge and Botanical Gardens, a national non-profit organization which has...
  
   Lowlands (Natchitoches Parish)
• Bayou Pierre Floodplain (DeSoto and Red River Parishes)
• Wardview (Caddo
  Caddo Parish, Louisiana
  Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
  
   and Bossier Parishes)

See also

• List of National Wildlife Refuges: Louisiana