USFWS · Louisiana

Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge

Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, located in east central Louisiana, United States, 12 miles (19 km) east of Jena, was established in 1958 as a wintering area for migratory waterfowl. The refuge contains 25,162 acres (101.83 km2) divided into two units. The 6,671-acre (27 km2) Headquarters Unit borders nine miles (14 km) of the northeast shore of Catahoula Lake, a 26,000-acre (110 km2) natural wetland renowned for its large concentrations of migratory waterfowl. The 18,491-acre (74.83 km2) Bushley Bayou Unit, located 8 miles (13 km) west of Jonesville, was established May 16, 2001. This acquisition was made possible through a partnership agreement between The Conservation Fund, American Electric Power, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The habitat found at the refuge is primarily lowland hardwood forest subject to seasonal backwater flooding from the Ouachita, and Red Rivers. The refuge is located in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Southern Backswamps ecoregion.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge25,186 acresUSFWSLA
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateLouisiana
Size25,186 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point31.62° N, 91.98° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

Boundary map

5 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 5.69 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.53 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.71 inches of precipitationApril: 5.38 inches of precipitationMay: 4.43 inches of precipitationJune: 4.86 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.51 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.80 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.60 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.72 inches of precipitationNovember: 5.46 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.82 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 46.6°F averageFebruary: 50.6°F averageMarch: 57.9°F averageApril: 64.4°F averageMay: 72.4°F averageJune: 78.8°F averageJuly: 81.5°F averageAugust: 81.2°F averageSeptember: 76.4°F averageOctober: 65.8°F averageNovember: 55.4°F averageDecember: 48.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Jena, 10 miles from the center point at 143 feet, station USC00164696 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 60 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 14 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Louisiana and the South

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge?

25,186 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge in?

Louisiana.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 31.623° N, 91.979° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 14 listings within 15 miles, including Marengo Plantation House and Harrisonburg Methodist Church.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.