Bayou Pierre (Louisiana)

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Bayou Pierre
French Settlement La Ferry Bayou Pierre.jpg
Ferry in French Settlement, Louisiana on Bayou Pierre, ca. 1940–43
Bayou Pierre (Louisiana)
Bayou Pierre
Location
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parishes
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • location Shreveport, Louisiana
 • coordinates 32°28′15″N93°44′16″W / 32.4709°N 93.7377°W / 32.4709; -93.7377
Mouth  
 • location
 Red River
 • coordinates
 32°21′03″N93°39′00″W / 32.3507°N 93.6499°W / 32.3507; -93.6499
Discharge 
 • location Clarence, Louisiana
Basin features
River system Red River
Cities

Bayou Pierre is a partially man-made bayou and ancient course of the Red River [1] in Louisiana, United States. It is a tributary of the Red River originating from an ancient bend of the Red River at Coate's Bluff (Wright Island) in Shreveport, LA [2] (now blocked off by a levee to prevent the Red River from flooding into Bayou Pierre) and merging west from the town of Clarence, Louisiana. [3] The upper part of Bayou Pierre within Shreveport city limits is now a concrete drainage ditch at the bottom of the former watercourse, and provides street drainage for much of eastern Shreveport before the concrete drainage ditch section ends south of LA 526.

Contents

During the era of the Great Red River Raft that blocked much of the Red River and diverted water into alternate waterways such as Bayou Pierre, Bayou Pierre was a navigable waterway that served as an alternate water route connecting the downriver plantations with Shreveport. History books tell of steamships docking at the current site of Betty Virginia Park in Shreveport, LA in order to bypass the raft and serve the plantations downriver. [4]

Wildlife Management Area

In Frierson, Louisiana, there is a wildlife area for Bayou Pierre and marshes. In this land, there are 2,799 acres. [5] The land is owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). They allow hunting, trapping, and ornithology. Also, camping is allowed at specific areas. [6]

History

In the early 1990s, farmers drained the area and destroyed the ecosystem. However, the farming attempts backfired assumedly because of poor soil absorption. The farmers gave up and deeded the land to the LDWF. [6]

Ecosystem

The ecosystem is known to contain white-tailed deer, raccoons, sandpipers, dove, rabbits, and many types of waterfowl. In the winter, sandpipers flock to the area. Additionally, the area floods occasionally due to poor soil absorption. [6]

Fort Selden

Fort Selden was situated at the junction of Bayou Pierre and Red River in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. [7]

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Attakapas Wildlife Management Area, also known as Attakapas Island Wildlife Management Area, is a 27,962-acre tract of protected area located in St. Mary, St. Martin, and Iberia Parishes, Louisiana. The property was acquired in 1976 and is under the authority of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The LDWF has 25,730 acres and the USACOE has 2,200 acres.

Elm Hall Wildlife Management Area is a 2,839-acre (1,149 ha) protected area in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. The WMA is located five miles west of Napoleonville, with Lake Verret on the western border, farmland to the east, and is managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area is a 52,559-acre (21,270 ha) tract of protected area located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) leases the land from Hancock Timber.

Dewey W. Wills Wildlife Management Area, also just called Dewey Wills Wildlife Management Area and formally known as the Saline Wildlife Management area, is a 63,984-acre (25,893 ha) tract of protected area located in LaSalle Parish, Catahoula Parish, and Rapides Parish, in Central Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) owns 63,901 acres, the LaSalle Parish School Board owns 1530 acres, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE) owns 265 acres, managed by the LDWF.

The Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area, formerly the Red River/Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area, is a 70,872-acre (28,681 ha) tract of protected area in lower Concordia Parish, Louisiana. The area is owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE). The WMA is located off LA 15 approximately 35 miles (56 km) south of Ferriday between the Red River and the Mississippi River.

Biloxi Wildlife Management Area also referred to as Biloxi WMA, is a 35,644-acre (14,425 ha) privately owned tract of protected marsh land located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The land is owned by Biloxi Marsh Lands Corporation, owning approximately 90,000 acres (36,000 ha) of land in St. Bernard Parish, that started leasing land to the LDWF as early as 1957. Access is limited to boats as there are no roads in the WMA. The nearest road access is LA 46 to Shell Beach or LA 624 to Hopedale.

Fort Johnson North Wildlife Management Area, known locally as Peason Ridge WMA, is a 74,309-acre tract of protected area located in the Parishes of Natchitoches, Sabine, and Vernon, in the state of Louisiana. The WMA is managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

Salvador Wildlife Management Area is a protected area in St. Charles Parish Louisiana covering a combined total of over 36,000 acres (15,000 ha). The WMA is located 11 miles (18 km) south of New Orleans, Louisiana, and provides habitat for many species of animal and plant life with hunting, fishing, and boating as the predominant activities. Commercial fishing or harvesting is not allowed.

Grassy Lake is 1,024 acres (414 ha), a natural lake, and is located in St. Martin and Assumption, Parishes, Louisiana. The 246,000 acres (1,000 km2) of watershed includes Lake Verret, Lake Palourde, all draining into the Atchafalaya River, and finally the Gulf of Mexico. Grassy Lake is almost entirely in St. Martin Parish but Assumption Parish runs along the east side, just west of the shoreline.

Bodcau Wildlife Management Area also referred to as Bodcau WMA, is a 33,766-acre (13,665 ha) tract of protected land located in Bossier and Webster Parish, Louisiana. The land is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and managed under long-term lease by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

Pomme de Terre Wildlife Management Area, also referred to as Pomme de Terre WMA, is a 6,434 acres (2,604 ha) protected area located in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, owned and managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

J. C. "Sonny" Gilbert Wildlife Management Area is a 7,524-acre (3,045 ha) wildlife management area in Catahoula, Parish, Louisiana, owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) miles west of Sicily Island. The area contains the 17 ft (5.2 m) high Rock Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the state.

References

  1. ↑ US Army Corps of Engineers (September 1950). "Geology of the Lower Red River". Technical Memorandums (TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 3-319): 20.
  2. ↑ UL Coleman Companies. "History of Coates' Bluff at Wright Island". UL Coleman Companies. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Trudeau History Tours. "During the steamboat era" . Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Bayou Pierre Wildlife Management Area". Louisiana Land Conservation Assistance Network. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bayou Pierre". Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Frazer, Robert W. (1972). Forts of the West. University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 63-64.
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