Delta National Wildlife Refuge

Location: Louisiana

Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Fisheries Recovering from Earlier Oil Spill take a Second Blow

Delta National Wildlife Refuge sits along the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana and can only be reached by boat. The refuge's marshlands are an important nursery for fresh and saltwater fish species such as speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and largemouth bass. Thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds come each year to rest and feed during migration or find a home for the winter.

The American alligator,brown pelican, Arctic peregrine falcon, and piping plover are federally listed species that are either refuge residents or migratory visitors.

The Delta Refuge is already recovering from an oil spill in April 2010 when a Chevron pipeline leaked 18,000 gallons of crude oil. Combined damage from the Gulf oil spill could devastate the marshland ecosystems and the species they sustain.