What animals live in the Atchafalaya Basin?

Other animals that call the Atchafalaya home include the Louisiana black bear, white-tailed deer, bobcat, coyote, alligator, beaver, nutria, mink, otter, muskrat, armadillo, fox and opossum.

Are there alligators in Atchafalaya Basin?

Alligators range from central Texas eastward to North Carolina. Of the almost 4.5 million acres of alligator habitat available in Louisiana, coastal marshes account for more than 3 million, followed by cypress-tupelo swamp (750,600 acres), Atchafalaya Basin swamp (207,000 acres), and lakes (32,105 acres).

Is the Atchafalaya Basin protected?

The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana has identified the Atchafalaya River Basin as one of the state’s most important natural habitats. And now, working with landowners and other partners, we’re able to work to protect this unique landscape for people and nature for the first time in its history.

Is the Atchafalaya Basin man made?

As a result of the 1927 flood, the entire Atchafalaya Basin was designated an official floodway and a series of man-made levees were built that would permanently alter flooding patterns in the region.

What kind of trees are in the Atchafalaya Basin?

The combined area of the refuge, totaling 44,000 acres (180 km2), classified as bottomland hardwoods, contains four dominant tree species associations: (1) cottonwood and sycamore, (2) oak, gum (American sweetgum or redgum), hackberry (sugarberry or sugar hackberry), ash (swamp or water ash), (3) willow (black willow).

How deep is the Atchafalaya Basin?

12 feet
The Atchafalaya River is maintained at a depth of 12 feet by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At the port, the channel is approximately 1,000 feet wide, providing ample clearances for anchorage and fleeting. The Port is located adjacent to State Hwy. 105 and one mile south of U.S. Hwy 190.

How old is a 7 foot alligator?

They grow very fast when young, but growth slows with age. In general, for every additional foot the fish grows, its age doubles. A 3-foot gar is typically about 2.5 years old; a 4-foot gar about 5, and a 7-foot trophy catch might be 40 years old.

What is the biggest gator on record?

The current world record alligator was taken by Mandy Stokes, of Thomaston, in August 2014. It measured 15 feet, 9 inches long and weighed 1,011.5 pounds. Stokes and her crew took the gator in Mill Creek, a tributary of the Alabama River.

Who owns the Atchafalaya Basin?

Wilbert’s Sons LLC. The company owns about 40,000 acres within the Atchafalaya River Basin floodway, land that hasn’t been as productive as it once was because there’s little control over when the area floods.

Can you live in the Atchafalaya Basin?

Swamplands here are dotted with rich oil and gas fields. Today, nearly 1 million Cajuns live in the 22 parishes of Southern Louisiana in the state’s Great Atchafalaya (Ah-cha-fah-lay-yah) swamp and the “Looseeann” bayou country. Living in the same area are French-speaking blacks who call themselves Creoles.

Does anyone live in the Atchafalaya Basin?

Today, nearly 1 million Cajuns live in the 22 parishes of Southern Louisiana in the state’s Great Atchafalaya (Ah-cha-fah-lay-yah) swamp and the “Looseeann” bayou country. Living in the same area are French-speaking blacks who call themselves Creoles.

Why is Louisiana so swampy?

The wetlands of Louisiana are water-saturated coastal and swamp regions of southern Louisiana, often called ‘Bayou’. This is because Louisiana is the drainage gateway to the Gulf of Mexico for the Lower Mississippi Regional Watershed.

What kind of habitat does the Atchafalaya Basin have?

Atchafalaya Basin. The basin contains about 70% forest habitat and about 30% marsh and open water. It contains the largest contiguous block of forested wetlands remaining (about 35%) in the lower Mississippi River valley and the largest block of floodplain forest in the United States. Best known for its iconic cypress-tupelo swamps,…

Where does Interstate 10 cross the Atchafalaya Basin?

Interstate 10 crosses the basin on elevated pillars on a continuous 18.2 mile (29,290 m) bridge from Grosse Tete, Louisiana, to Henderson, Louisiana, near the Whiskey River Pilot Channel at 30°21′50″N 91°38′00″W / 30.36389°N 91.63333°W / 30.36389; -91.63333.

When did the water in the Atchafalaya Basin turn brown?

Where once the water was black (1850), the water became brown (1927). Where the water was formerly brown (1927), it is now black (2009). During the period of 1960–1980, oil and gas exploration and development in Louisiana increased dramatically.

What are the names of the deltas of the Atchafalaya River?

It includes the Lower Atchafalaya River, Wax Lake Outlet, Atchafalaya Bay, and the Atchafalaya River and bayous Chêne, Boeuf, and Black navigation channel. See maps and photo views of the Atchafalaya Deltas centered on