Tensas National Wildlife Refuge  
70,000-acres of bottomland forest

Off I-20 via US 65 [Tallulah Exit] or 
Off I-20 via LA 577 [Waverly Exit]

Enjoy the refuge 

The public is welcome to visit the refuge any time of the year. At the Visitor Center you'll find brochures, life-size exhibits, species lists, a Boardwalk Wildlife Trail, information, regulations, and refuge maps.

You'll see wildlife! Rare birds, turkeys, ducks, geese, bear, deer, and armadillo, and more.  You'll see ancient bottomland forests and botanicals.  Lush greenery in summertime. 

What can you do at the Tensas River NWR?  Hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, canoeing, interpreted trails, a boardwalk and educational programs. 

Primitive canoe launching offers a unique opportunity to explore the bottomland hardwoods by boat (area is marked on the refuge map), and there are also marked hiking trails. 

Public hunting is allowed on the refuge for migratory waterfowl, upland and big game species. Hunting white-tailed deer is especially popular. 

Open year-round for fishing on Africa, Judd, Buck, and Rainey Lakes. The remainder of refuge waters are open to fishing March 1 -- October 31. Anglers and hunters must be familiar with current refuge and state fishing and hunting regulations. Get a a Hunting and Fishing brochure from the Wildlife & Fisheries folks.

The Tensas River NWR might be the home of the largest black bear population in Louisiana. The Atchafalaya Basin also is home to bear, and bears from the Tensas refuge have been captured and released in the lower part of Concordia Parish along the Mississippi.

Teddy Bears Were Born Here!  There was a land dispute back in the early 1900's between Mississippi and Louisiana, and President Theodore ("Teddy") Roosevelt visited the area to help settle the dispute and do some hunting while he was there.  There are several variations about the president shooting--or NOT--shooting, a bear, and an editorial cartoon was drawn with a caption about President Roosevelt "drawing the line" referencing both the boundary dispute and not shooting a defenseless bear.  The president consented to the use of his name "Teddy" in connection with the cuddly bears we know know as teddy bears, and the rest is history--from Pooh to Beanies.

What kind of wildlife might you see?

• 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish; 

• black bear, bobcat, wild turkey, and wood duck

• otter, raccoon, mink, and squirrel 

• frequently seen on roadsides:  alligator, white-tailed deer, barred owl and pileated woodpecker

Seasonal wildlife visitors:  Migratory ducks use the forest in the winter while many song and wading birds arrive in the spring.

Endangered species

Few endangered species include 

• the bald eagle and 

• the peregrine falcon 

• the Bachman's warbler 

North America's largest woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, is thought to be extinct by most scientists, and it required large tracts of very old trees. One of the last verified recordings of the ivory-bill occurred in the early 1940's on what was called the "Singer Tract" and is now the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge property.

Links for additional information:

Directions to the Refuge: http://www.fws.gov/tensasriver/tensas_map.html

http://www.ivory-bill-woodpecker.com/ivory-bill-news.htm

http://www.fws.gov/southeast/carbon/TensasRiver.html

http://www.fws.gov/tensasriver/

Mississippi River Birthplace of C.J. Walker Delta Airlines Beginnings Grant's Canal Poverty Point Archeology Site Lake Bruin