Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area, also referred to as the Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA (French: Pointe Au Chien), is a
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 ...
located in
Terrebonne
Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America:
;Canada
*Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal
**Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec
**Terrebonne City Council, the gov ...
and
Lafourche
Lafourche Parish (french: Paroisse de la Fourche) is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Thibodaux. The parish was formed in 1807. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, whi ...
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 ...
that is owned and 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
The WMA is located approximately 15 miles southeast of
Houma, east of
Montegut and
LA 55, west of
Galliano and
Golden Meadow on
LA 1. The WMA is separated into two sections by
LA 665 and Bayou Pointe Au Chien, that runs northwest to southeast, along with the parish boundaries.
Description
Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA consists of three units, Grand Bayou, Pointe-aux-Chenes and Montegut. The WMA is mostly intermediate to
brackish marsh
Brackish marshes develop from salt marshes where a significant freshwater influx dilutes the seawater to brackish levels of salinity. This commonly happens upstream from salt marshes by estuaries of coastal rivers or near the mouths of coastal r ...
and mainly accessible by boat on the many ponds, bayous, and canals but with ample highway access. Game species include
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 ...
,
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
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 ...
,
rails
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
,
gallinule
Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen".
They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...
s, and
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 ...
. Inland saltwater fish species, crabs, and shrimp are also present as well as freshwater fish in the northern parts. The WMA participates in the Louisiana dove hunting program
was proposed as a limited access area in 2010 and by the 2012-2013 season the Montegut Unit and the upper quarter of the Pointe-aux-Chenes Unit, both on the east side of LA 665, have been designated as limited access, meaning paddlecraft only.
Restoration
Restore the Earth Foundation (REF) and a
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is an American foundation that was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase the resources available for the conservation of the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats.
Authority
The Natio ...
grant allowed 35 Shell employees to plant a second round of 600
bald cypress
''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve;
''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...
saplings between protective levees on the WMA access road. The first round involved planting 500 saplings, that are reported as thriving, as part of a goal of restoring one million acres of degraded lands and critical wetlands, in the lower
Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Isla ...
.
''A Journey of One Million Acres Begins with One Tree''
Retrieved 2018-09-11
See also
List of Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas
Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas are protected conservation areas within the state of Louisiana. The goal is protecting, conserving, and replenishing wildlife, including all aquatic life. Wildlife Management Areas may be owned or managed by th ...
References
{{Reflist
Wildlife management areas of the United States
Wildlife management areas of Louisiana
Protected areas of Louisiana
Geography of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana