Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Lacassine NWR, Lake Arthur, Louisiana: The dominant feature of Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Louisiana is Lacassine Pool, a 16,000-acre marsh enclosed by a low levee. Lacassine refuge supports one of the largest concentrations of waterfowl of any national wildlife refuge. In the past, as many as 800,000 waterfowl have been seen at Lacassine Pool. The refuge is also home to one of the first breeding colonies of cattle egrets in America outside of Florida. And one of the few roseate spoonbill rookeries in Louisiana is found here. The refuge is also home to many other wetland-dependent species, such as alligators, swamp rabbits, nutria, otters, great and snowy egrets, both black- and yellow-crowned night herons, American bitterns. And there are armadillos, occasional endangered Louisiana black bears, fox squirrels, and deer.