Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notice
Although most refuge lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we ask that you recreate responsibly.

  • Check alerts and local conditions on this website and call ahead for current information. Operations vary based on local public health conditions.
  • Consistent with CDC recommendations, all visitors (age 2 and older), who are fully vaccinated are required to wear a mask inside of federal buildings in areas of substantial or high community transmission.. All visitors who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces.
  • Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick and continue to watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow CDC guidance on how to protect yourself and others.


Features

  • Walk on the Wild Side Banner with bear, turtle, bird, bighorn sheep, flower outlines

    Walk on the Wild Side

    Join us for a self-guided walking event in celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week (October 9 - 16). Sign up by Sept. 14, 2021

    Sign up and learn about the event here…

  • Child holding an Eastern lubber grasshopper

    Junior Ranger Activities

    Check out some fun nature activities you can do while social distancing!

    Junior Ranger Activities 2020

  • Wildlife & Habitat - Wintering Waterfowl

    Get your permit online!

    Get your Annual Use Permit, check out refuge Brochures, and apply for a Lottery Hunt online!

    Permits and Lotteries

  • Blackfork Trail Rotator Promo

    Blackfork Walking Trail

    This scenic trail winds through the cypress forest and is marked by white diamond markers.

    Learn More

News

Alert: Hurricane Ida Clean Up and Hunting and Fishing

Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Clean-up in Response to Hurricane Ida and 2021-2022 Fish and Hunting Regulations and Seasons

More about Hurricane Ida Clean Up and Hunting and Fishing

Final Hunting and Fishing Package

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a final hunting and fishing package for Cat Island NWR in Louisiana.

View the detailed information here . . .

Young Artists Wanted for Wild Things Youth Art Contest and Exhibition

Leopard Frog painting

Artists ages 5 thru 18 are invited to capture the plants, animals, and landscapes of Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges for the annual Wild Things Youth Art Contest.

More About the Wild Things Youth Art Competition

Bald Cypress

Champion Cypress

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge is home an impressive bald cypress tree, Taxodium distichum. At a height of 96 feet, a diameter of 17 feet, and a circumference of 56 feet, it is truly a sight to behold. The tree is estimated to be approximately 1,500 years old. Visitors may view the tree by way of the Big Cypress Trail, a .75 mile round-trip trail through a unique mixture of bottomland hardwood forest on flat terrain. Parking is located at the trailhead, which is located 4.6 miles from the main gate. This trail is in a no hunting area and allows only foot traffic.

Learn more about the Cypress-Tupelo Swamp
Friends Group and Partnerships

Friends Group & Partnerships

Wood Duck 150 width Multimedia pg

The refuge partners with Friends of Cat Island Refuge on many important projects that benefit wildlife, the visiting public and surrounding communities.

Partnerships

About the Complex

Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge is managed as part of the Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex.

Read more about the complex
About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

NWRS Logo

The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants.

Learn more about the NWRS
Follow NWRS Online