Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1992 to preserve waterfowl habitat and hardwood forest of the lower Mississippi river. The 13,200-acre (53 km2) refuge is located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Vidalia, Louisiana. It is named for the state-designated scenic river of Bayou Cocodrie.
| Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Bald cypress stand at Bayou Cocodrie. | |
| Location | Concordia Parish, Louisiana |
| Nearest city | Vidalia, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 31°33′00″N 91°38′00″W |
| Area | 13,200 acres (53 km2) |
| Established | 1992 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge |
The Nature Conservancy purchased an 11,403-acre (46.15 km2) core tract in 1991 from the Fisher Lumber Company, a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation. The Conservancy then sold the land to the US Fish and Wildlife Service over a span of five years.
The bottomland hardwoods at Bayou Cocodrie have been noted as some of the last remaining, least disturbed timber of what historically was once a vast hardwood forest along the Mississippi River from Illinois to Louisiana.