Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
| Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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 Map of the United States
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| Location | Cameron and Evangeline parishs, Louisiana |
| Nearest city | Lake Arthur, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 29°57′31″N 92°52′01″W / 29.9585448°N 92.8668156°WCoordinates: 29°57′31″N 92°52′01″W / 29.9585448°N 92.8668156°W |
| Area | 35,000 acres (140 km2) |
| Established | 1937 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge |
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge is located in Cameron and Evangeline Parishes in southwestern Louisiana, was established in 1937 by Executive Order No. 7780 as "a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife." The refuge is nearly 35,000 acres (140 km2) in size, including 653 acres (2.64 km2) leased from the Cameron Parish School Board. The Evangeline Parish unit is called Duralde Prairie and is currently being developed. It is located north of the city of Eunice.
The refuge, along with Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, East Cove National Wildlife Refuge, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, and the Shell Keys National Wildlife Refuge was included in the forming of Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex in 2004.
The refuge was formed with 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) purchased from The Lacassane Company. The land had previously been part of two plantations, the Illinois Plantation and the Lowery Plantation, and purchased for $51,774.00. The mineral rights were reserved but included in the consideration and were subjugated to a mineral servitude by covenant. Easement was established as well as a timeline. A 2003 Third Circuit court decision led to a 2006 decision, Waterfowl Limited Liability Company v. United States, in the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, resulted in a reversal and the case remanded.
The vegetation types occurring on the refuge are primarily water-tolerant grasses, sedges, and shrubs. Vegetation in the undeveloped marshes is dominated by bulltongue and maidencane. The habitat is divided into 16,500 acres (67 km2) of natural, freshwater marsh and open water, 16,000 acres (65 km2) of managed, freshwater marsh (Lacassine Pool), 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of rice, wheat, soybean, and natural moist soil fields, 350 acres (1.4 km2) of flooded gum and cypress trees, and 350 acres (1.4 km2) of restored tallgrass prairie.
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