By Karen Kilpatrick & Robert Pos/USFWS
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About 75 years ago on a hot and humid day, newly appointed construction supervisor W.A. Casler, arrived in Natchitoches on June 26, 1931 to a 100 acres of plantation land to be transformed into a national fish hatchery. The following morning and into the evening, he and Glenn Leach, Chief of the Division of Fish Culture, started laying out ponds and making proposals for hiring the necessary workers and getting the equipment needed. Pond construction was done by local farmers who had mule teams, and many of the merchants that dealt with the Hatchery are still in business today. In early September of 1931, Casler was joined by C.H. (Swamp) Walker, the first Hatchery Superintendent. The Hatchery came to final fruition in 1933 when 25,000 bluegill were delivered to Chapman Lake, 10,000 bluegill to Collins Lake, and 300 largemouth bass to B.E. Collins’ private farm pond. These were the first fish stocked into public and private waters by the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery, beginning a legacy that has extended 75 years. On May 1, 2006, a gathering of friends from the community, young and old, including business and professional entities and dignitaries from Washington D.C. gathered to celebrate the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery’s 75 th Anniversary. Congressman Jim McCrery (R-4 th District) spoke of the economic impact of the facility and the benefit of having the facility and Joe Moran of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Fish Hatchery System spoke of the facility’s impact and contributions to resource management. Hatchery Manager Karen Kilpatrick spoke of the facility’s 75 years of service to the community and to the Nation. An initial economic impact study estimates that $147 is returned for every $1 of public investment by the facility. |
| The Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery was established under the authority of the White Act as a warm-water facility that would produce catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, and sunfish for local public waters and farm ponds. Since 1931, resource needs in the southeast have changed and the mission of the station has changed with the times. Natchitoches still raises largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish, but on a limited scale and primarily for stocking National Wildlife Refuges and other Federal waterways. In addition, Natchitoches currently raises three species of fish: striped bass, pallid sturgeon, and paddlefish, and several aquatic species including Louisiana Pearlshell mussels and alligator snapping turtles. These species are raised according to National priority objectives which include the restoration of depleted species (striped bass, paddlefish and alligator snapping turtles), recovery of threatened or endangered species (pallid sturgeon and the Louisiana Pearlshell mussel), management of interjurisdictional fisheries (paddlefish), and recreational fisheries (largemouth bass, bluegill, and channel catfish).
Visitors to the Hatchery include individuals, couples, families, church groups, senior groups, tours, and others from the local area, across the state and Nation. School classes, pre-K through 12, visit year round on field trips and as part of their life science curriculum. Student teachers from the nearby
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Aerial view of the Hatchery’s 53 ponds |
university use the facilities to learn field lab methods. The Harold B. Wales Environmental Education Classroom is used for grades K-12 and has been used for teacher workshops. It is a specially designated building capable of holding up to 32 students in a classroom/wetlab setting. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the Hatchery's REAPERS (Revitalizing Environmental Activities & Programs as Educational Resources in Schools) manual, or separately for individually designed lessons.
The aquarium was opened to the public in 1968 and houses 16 tanks which display a variety of warm-water fish, alligators, and turtles. The aquarium also boasts a rare albino snapping turtle. A presentation by the park ranger to visiting groups gives an overview of the Hatchery's history and mission of conserving America's fisheries in the region. Twelve tanks display a variety of warm-water fish, alligators, and turtles. Four fish (gar, bowfin, paddlefish, and sturgeon) are found so far back in the fossil records that they "swam with dinosaurs," and are still with us. All are quite common in the region and can be seen here. The four static displays highlight local wildlife, the explorer Henri de Tonti - who came here in 1690, and the Natchitoches-Caddo people who occupied the region before 1835. The hatchery grounds, a state historic site, was once the location of a Caddoan village of the Natchitoches Indians, which is where the town gets its name. The Caddo Indian Nation and the Hatchery have an excellent relationship centered around acknowledging their cultural and historical impact on the physical ground upon which the Hatchery is located. The aquarium, educational classroom, and relationship with the Caddo Indian Nation are added facets to the Hatchery dynamic and enable the Hatchery to have educational, cultural, and economic impacts to the community.
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Congressman Jim McCrery (R-4 th District) served as the keynote speaker for the day and spoke about the benefits of having a Federal partner in your community. |
Volunteers Ron and Nell Harwood with the 75th Anniversary pop-up display they researched and designed. |
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(Left) Joe Moran, Washington Office Division of the National Fish Hatchery System, Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen, and Hatchery Manager Karen Kilpatrick getting ready to kick-off the celebration. |
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(Right) Former Hatchery employees were given special attention for the event. Seated right-to-left:
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Powell – Manager from August 1970 – June 1980
Mr. and Mrs. Tony Mayeux – Manager from June 1980 – March 1994
Mr. and Mrs. William Musselwhite – Animal Caretaker and Maintenance Worker – retired in 2000 – 1976- 2000
Mr. and Mrs. James Hart – came on board in July 1972 and retired as Assistant Manager in April 1989 |
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