Pearl River Wildlife Management Area, also known as Pearl River WMA, is a tract of

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

near Slidell in

St. Tammany Tamanend (historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, "the Affable," ) (–) was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the Peace Treaty wit ...

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, in the United States. The WMA is managed by the

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge. Mission The Louisiana Department of Wildlife a ...

(LDWF)

Location

Pearl River WMA is located six miles east of Slidell and one mile from

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...

. The WMA is bordered on the north by the

Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge is located northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., and encompasses of Pearl River Basin swampland. History On June 30, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96-288 authorizing the Bogue Chitto ...

. The eastern boundary is the

and the Louisiana

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

line. The southern boundary is the Little Lake Pass, across West Middle River, North Pass, and the east mouth of the Old Pearl River. The western boundary is the Old Pearl River.

Lower Pearl Partnership

In 2002 the Lower Pearl Partnership was formed between the Louisiana and Mississippi chapters of

the Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, the

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is a state agency of Mississippi that oversees environmental quality of the air, land, and water in the state. Its headquarters are in Jackson.Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) (french: Département de Qualité Environnemental de Louisiane) is a state agency of Louisiana that monitors the environment of the state. It is headquartered in the Galvez Building in downto ...

, to address issues and concerns along the Lower Pearl River to "restore, preserve, and protect the ecological integrity of the Pearl River and its watershed". The conservancy helped acquire 22,765 acres of the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge that connected it to the WMA on the north side.

Wildlife

There are several species of wildlife that are on the

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

list, resulting from the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

, in the Pearl River basin and Pearl River WMA. The

ringed map turtle The ringed map turtle or ringed sawback (''Graptemys oculifera'') is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae endemic to the southern United States. Geographic range It is frequently found in the Pearl River system in Louisiana and Mississip ...

, also called the ringed sawback (''Graptemys oculifera''), was designated threatened in 1986, is only found in the Pearl River basin. The

alligator snapping turtle The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in ...

(''Macrochelys temminckii'') designated threatened in 2006. The

Pearl River map turtle The Pearl River map turtle (''Graptemys pearlensis'') is a species of emydid turtle native to the southern United States. According to a study done in January 2017, the species ''G. pearlensis'' was significantly less abundant in the Pearl River ...

, thought to be the

Pascagoula map turtle The Pascagoula map turtle (''Graptemys gibbonsi'') is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the southern United States. Geographic range The Pascagoula map turtle is restricted to the Pascagoula River in the Unit ...

(''Graptemys gibbonsi'') until 2010, but was found to be a separate species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Pearl River basin. The

diamondback terrapin The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the Northeastern and southern United States, and in Bermuda. It belongs to the monotypic genus ''Malaclem ...

(''Malaclemys terrapin pileata''), considered a "species of concern". In 2005 twenty-seven pairs of

swallow-tailed kite The swallow-tailed kite (''Elanoides forficatus'') is a pernine raptor which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. It is the only species in the genus ''Elanoides''. Most North and Central American b ...

(''Elanoides forficatus'') were observed in the basin. The kite is not federally protected but the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

considers the bird a "Species-at-Risk". The

Gulf sturgeon The Gulf sturgeon (''Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi'') is a subspecies of sturgeon that lives in the Gulf of Mexico and some rivers draining into it. The Gulf sturgeon was first recognized as a separate subspecies in 1955. The nominate subspe ...

(''Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi'') listed in 1991. The inflated heelsplitter mussel (''Potamilus inflatus''), was listed in 2006. The

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

(''Haliaeetus leucocephalus''), the

dusky gopher frog The Mississippi gopher frog (''Lithobates sevosus''), also known commonly as the dark gopher frog, the dusky gopher frog, and the St. Tammany gopher frog, is a critically endangered species of frog in the family Ranidae (true frogs). The speci ...

(''Rana capito sevosa'' or ''Lithobates sevosus''), the

gopher tortoise The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide ...

(''Gopherus polyphemus''), and the

Louisiana black bear The Louisiana black bear (''Ursus americanus luteolus''), one of 16 subspecies of the American black bear, is found in parts of Louisiana, mainly along the Mississippi River Valley and the Atchafalaya River Basin. It was classified as 'threatene ...

(''Ursus americanus luteolus''). Other wildlife include the

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

lottery hunts,

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...

, and

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

. Trapping includes

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

nutria The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

, and

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

Endangered flora

Louisiana quillwort (''Isoetes louisianensis''), found in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and St. Tammany parishes, was classified as an endangered species in 1992. The species was identified on several creeks and bayous in Washington and St. Tammany Parish, in the Pearl River basin, including the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge and the Pearl River WMA.FWS: Louisiana quillwort in Louisiana
Retrieved 2017-08-04

References

{{Reflist Wildlife management areas of the United States Wildlife management areas of Louisiana Protected areas of Louisiana Geography of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Fauna of the Southeastern United States Endangered fauna of the United States Endangered flora of the United States