Creole Nature Trail
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, LA

Consisting of over 9,000 acres of fresh-water marsh and coastal prairie, the refuge was previously owned by companies that constructed levees and dikes for controlling water levels in their rice fields. When rice farming became unprofitable, they sold their properties for a refuge, which had in the meantime been identified as being crucial to meeting goals set by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international plan to restore wetlands and waterfowl numbers.

Besides wintering waterfowl, the refuge boasts many long-legged waders, including egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbill. Rails and shorebirds in season are also attractions. The visitor center at Cameron Prairie opened its doors to the public in 1994. Included among its interpretive exhibits are a diorama, which describes the four types of marsh found in Louisiana, and Tante Marie, an animated exhibit that discusses life on the refuge from her perch in a pirogue, a narrow, flat-bottomed, hand-made version of the canoe.