Friends Group and Partnerships

Friends Group & Partnerships

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

About the Complex

Lower Mississippi River Refuge Complex

There are three refuges in this complex. The other refuges in the complex are St. Catherine Creek and Bayou Cocodrie.

Cat Island is managed as part of the Lower Mississippi River Refuge Complex.

About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

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.

National Champion Bald Cypress Tree

Bald Cypress

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. At an impressive 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.