Cameron Parish Sabine, Lacassine, Cameron Prairie and Shell Keys National Wildlife Refuges will be closed to all public access and recreational use. Hurricane Ike has done extensive damage throughout southwest Louisiana and the National Wildlife Refuges were not spared. For public safety concerns all the refuge entrance gates will be closed. The refuge will re-open when it is determined safe for public access and after damages are assessed.
For additional information about the closure or re-opening dates and times call our Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex Office at 337-598-2216.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 546 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. Visit the Service's website at http://www.fws.gov or the Southeast site at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/.
