The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) today announced completion of a $2.6 million project at Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge (SWR) that replaced the boat launch and bulkheads at Joseph Harbor and upgraded the East End Locks Road. Both access points will open again Oct. 16 for daily public use from sunrise to sunset.

“Rockefeller is a popular site for recreational fishermen and the improved access will benefit that user group plus boaters and nature watchers wishing to utilize the refuge’s abundant natural resources,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham.

The site improvements, three miles east of the refuge headquarters along Hwy. 82, were completed with Rockefeller Trust funds available for maintenance on the refuge.

The improved facilities provide for safer vehicle access to the refuge and boat launching into coastal marshes.

Rockefeller SWR is one of the most biologically diverse wildlife areas in the nation and and attracts over 100,000 visitors annually. Located at the terminus of the vast Mississippi Flyway, south Louisiana winters about four million waterfowl annually. The refuge provides high quality wetlands habitat for ducks, geese, shorebirds and wading birds, spanning 26 miles of coastal Louisiana in Cameron and Vermilion parishes.

An abundant fisheries population provides recreational opportunities to fishermen seeking shrimp, redfish, speckled trout, black drum, and largemouth bass, among others. No hunting is allowed on the refuge, but some regulated trapping is allowed for furbearers that could potentially damage the marsh if their populations are not controlled.

For more information on Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge, visit the LDWF website at www.wlf.la.gov or call 337-491-2593.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries