Like ‘farmers of the marsh,’ refuge managers give nature a hand

GRAND CHENIERE, La. (WVUE) -- Scooter Trosclair steers an airboat through a marshy area of the Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge in search of snow geese and ducks.

He has no trouble finding them.

Trosclair, the refuge manager, witnesses one of America’s great bird migrations each fall and winter, when waterfowl descend on this spot by the thousands.

It happens in areas south of Lake Charles at the terminus of the Mississippi Flyway.

However, Trosclair notes, in these modern times it does not happen by accident.

“We’re like the farmers of the marsh,” Trosclair said.

For starters, 52 larger water control structures dot the refuge, managing salinity, water levels and determining what vegetation grows where. It creates a menu of aquatic plants to lure the ducks.

“One of the most special things about Rockefeller is the variety,” said Austin Hebert, a wildlife biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which manages the refuge.

A century after its founding, managers say Rockefeller remains one of the country’s most biologically diverse wildlife areas.

Surveys indicate as many as 160,000 waterfowl winter on the refuge, including blue- and green-winged teal.

While more than 250 different species of birds have been found on the refuge, Trosclair said he believes the variety of ducks has declined in recent years, due partly to changes in the landscape outside the refuge.

Significant drought in recent years turned some ponded areas dry. When rains came later, marsh grasses took root and overwhelmed spots that had been wet.

Managing the water levels throughout the year fosters the types of aquatic vegetation that lures ducks.

Trosclair pointed to a recent controlled burn that kept marsh grass in check and attracted a flock of nearly 4,000 snow geese.

Rockefeller borders the Gulf for 26.5 miles and extends six miles inland.

When the Rockefeller family donated the refuge to Louisiana in 1919, it encompassed about 86,000 acres. Today, it measures closer to 70,000 acres, largely because of the heavy toll of beach erosion.

The refuge has had some success in fighting erosion by installing rock barriers along the beach.

“Today, the refuge serves as a test site for marsh management strategies to limit saltwater intrusion, reverse marsh deterioration, and provide productive wildlife habitat,” according to an LDWF website.

At certain times of the year, that may involve de-watering, using water control structures and pumps to lower water levels in summertime, solidifying pond bottoms and then reflooding to promote vegetation.

Without the structures, this would be a very different place.

“You’d have a lot of saltwater intrusion,” Hebert said. “You’d see, with time, mass die-offs of vegetation.”

While the refuge has battled land loss, it has not been as dramatic as in areas closer to New Orleans.

“The main thing about Southwest Louisiana, we still have the land,” Trosclair said. “We have stuff to work with.”

A series of hurricanes battered this region over the last 20 years, most recently Laura in 2020.

“Since 2005, we have seen just some of these areas deteriorate,” Trosclair said. “Some of these areas haven’t been restored.”

Of the 52 water control structures, Trosclair said 43 are in need of repair. Some of them still function, but they could be compromised while the refuge waits on various agencies that control disaster recovery dollars.

“It’s tough to get through the process,” Trosclair said. “We’re waiting on five years.”

As for the future, he said the focus is on maintaining what they have.

“It’s adapting to the situations Mother Nature throws at us, as well as man,” Trosclair said. “We have altered this system so much.”

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