Mile 325.0 - Miles 325-320: Three Rivers WMA and Red River NWR

325 - 320 Three Rivers WMA and Red River NWR

From the top of Palmetto island down to Shreve’s Bar the sprawling Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Red River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)

create sprawling swaths of deep bottomland hardwood forests, tupelo gum wetlands, and countless lakes, bayous and other waterways, bounded between the Mississippi and the Red River. When viewed from above, this is one of the most extensive green areas on the entire Lower Mississippi, ranking alongside the White River WMA at the close confluences of the White-Arkansas-Mississippi River systems. Only the Mighty Atchafalaya River Basin creates a bigger green space.

Red River NWR is a critical stop over point for migratory birds and provides crucial wintering grounds for waterfowl and wading birds. Over 80,000 waterfowl utilize the refuge for feeding and resting annually and over 200 species of neo-tropical migratory song birds seek refuge here. Habitat types include shrub/scrub, open grassland, cypress sloughs, sandbars, various stages of reforested agriculture lands, batture and bottomland hardwood forest and moist soil impoundments. The refuge also has numerous oxbow lakes, bayous, rivers, irrigation ditches and reservoirs. With such a diverse array of habitats, Red River NWR supports an abundance of wildlife including over 44 species of mammals, more than 70 species of reptiles and amphibians, over 106 fish species, more than 200 species of migratory birds, 25 species of waterfowl and an array of plant life. Priority species for conservation found on the refuge include the cerulean warbler, Swainson’s warbler, the endangered least tern, the recently delisted bald eagle, the American alligator, alligator snapping turtle, rusty blackbird, Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, southern myotis bat and endangered pallid sturgeon.

There are endless possibilities for paddlers along the Red River, Ouchita River, and the numerous protected lands along their lower stretches like Three Rivers WMA. The best source for further exploration by canoe or kayak in Louisiana is Ernest Herndon’s Canoeing Louisiana. For a taste of Ernest’s writing, please go to Appendix XVI: Stories by Outdoor Writer Ernest Herndon.