Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management Area

Location

The WMA is situated on the lower Mississippi River, starting at the Head of Passes, including an extreme northern portion of the Southwest Pass, all of the South Pass, and Pass a Loutre, in the Plaquemines-Balize delta lobe of the Mississippi River Delta Basin.

Flora

The WMA is a combination of low marsh, tidal marsh, mudflats, and salt marsh, covering three of the five main types of wetlands. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation Types, Pass A Loutre State Wildlife Management Area would have a Southern Cordgrass, aka Spartina (78) vegetation type and a Coastal Prairie, aka Western Gulf coastal grasslands (20) vegetation form.

Fauna

The Pass a Loutre WMA, within the Mississippi River Delta, sometimes referred to as "The Birds Foot", has a diverse range of wildlife including whitetail deer and rabbit, fur bearing animals and alligators, and indigenous as well as migratory birds and waterfowl that includes game species.

Fish

Fish are abundant. Freshwater species include bass, bream, catfish, crappie, warmouth, drum, and garfish. Inland saltwater fish, found in the saltwater marches include Red Drum (redfish), Spotted Seatrout (speckled trout )and Southern Flounder (flounder).

Invasive Pests

Since 2017, over 80% of the reed beds of Roseau Cane in the WMA have been damaged by the invasive "Roseau Cane Mealybug", Nipponaclerda biwakoensis, threatening wildlife habitat throughout the affected regions of the WMA.

Mississippi Flyway

Pass a Loutre is the final destination of the Mississippi Flyway bird migration route for many species. About 40% of all migratory birds use this route including American goldfinch, American tree sparrow, Baltimore oriole, black-capped chickadee, blue grosbeak, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, Bullock's oriole, chipping sparrow, common grackle, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, evening grosbeak, field sparrow, hairy woodpecker, house finch, indigo bunting, northern cardinal, northern flicker, orchard oriole, pileated woodpecker, pine siskin, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-throated hummingbird, tufted titmouse, and the white-breasted nuthatch.

The Audubon Society priority species are the American oystercatcher, black skimmer, brown pelican, clapper rail, least tern, little blue heron, mottled duck, piping plover, reddish egret, red knot, ruddy turnstone, sanderling, seaside sparrow, short-billed dowitcher, snowy plover, western sandpiper, and Wilson's plover.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pass A Loutre State Wildlife Management Area has a Humid subtropical climate (‘’Cfa’’). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at Sawdust Bend Bayou is 9b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 28.8 °F (-1.8 °C).

| Jan dew point F = 46.9 | Feb dew point F = 49.2 | Mar dew point F = 53.9 | Apr dew point F = 59.5 | May dew point F = 67.3 | Jun dew point F = 72.2 | Jul dew point F = 74.1 | Aug dew point F = 74.2 | Sep dew point F = 71.2 | Oct dew point F = 64.4 | Nov dew point F = 56.7 | Dec dew point F = 49.7 | year dew point F= 61.7

WMA use

Starting July 1, 1993, a Wild Louisiana Stamp, hunting license, or fishing license is required to use any Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries administered land. This includes wildlife refuges, wildlife management area, and habitat conservation areas. Any person under sixteen or sixty and over are exempt from this requirement.

Wetland enhancement programs

There have been many wetland enhancement programs in the WMA. Sixteen small-scale sediment diversions (crevasses), have been completed since 1986, as well as sediment retention measures.

Artificial Reef Program

The WMA extends into the Gulf of Mexico as part of the "Artificial Reef Program" created by La. R.S. 56:639.1 et seq., and participants are the LDWF, the Louisiana State University School of the Coast and Environment, formerly the Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources, and the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program.

Loutre Restoration Project

In 2015 the Pass a Loutre Restoration Project received a $1,000,000 matching grant from the North-American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA). Partners in the grant are the Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which will provide and additional $2,150,000. The project has an impact 2,034 acres of coastal marsh and 225 acres of beach/dune habitat, including migration and wintering habitat, and two remote bird nesting islands.

References

References

1. "Pass-a-Loutre".
2. [http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/wma/2786-pass-loutre-wma/passaloutre.pdf WMA map]- Retrieved 2017-03-29
3. [https://lacoast.gov/reports/cwcrp/1993/Appendix_C_MS_River_DeltaBasin.pdf Mississippi River Delta Basin map]: ''Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan'', Introduction (7 of 80), figure 1; By the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force (November 1993)- Retrieved 2017-03-29
4. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". [[Data Basin]].
5. [http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=22537 Portrait of the Bird’s foot delta]: part one- Retrieved 2017-03-29
6. [http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=22539 Bird’s Foot Delta]: part two - Retrieved 2017-03-29
7. [http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wma/2786 LDWF: Fauna]- Retrieved 2017-03-29
8. [http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/04/scientists_finally_identify_pe.html Scientists identify pest laying waste to Mississippi River Delta wetlands grass]
9. [http://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/documents/audubon_strategic_plan_-_web_2012.pdf Audubon: ''Mississippi Flyway''] {{Webarchive. link. (July 28, 2016 - Retrieved 2017-03-29)
10. [http://www.birdfeeders.com/articles/mississippi-flyway-migration#sthash.xtcgBNHp.dpuf Bird Migration: Birds of the Mississippi Flyway] - Retrieved 2017-03-29
11. "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". [[United States Department of Agriculture]].
12. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University".
13. [http://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2011/rs/title56/rs56-109 Justia; LA Rev Stat § 56:109, D.(1)]- Retrieved 2017-03-29
14. [https://lacoast.gov/reports/cwcrp/1993/Appendix_C_MS_River_DeltaBasin.pdf Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan]: "Mississippi River Delta Basin": pp. 3 (8 of 80), By the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force (November 1993)- Retrieved 2017-03-29
15. [http://www.masglp.olemiss.edu/Marine%20Protected%20Areas/Louisiana.pdf ''Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of Mexico: A Survey''] (pp. 76-77) - Retrieved 2017-03-29
16. [https://www.fws.gov/birds/grants/north-american-wetland-conservation-act/nawca-project-summaries1508.php NAWCA grant]- Retrieved 2017-03-29