The White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area (WLWCA) is a nearly 72,000-acre area managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Vermilion Parish. Historically, the “Amoco marsh” is regarded as one of the most important areas for waterfowl along the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

The WLWCA has 2 large marsh management units on the south side of the Intracoastal Waterway, an approximately 16,000-acre passively managed hunting unit and a nearly 5,000-acre Refuge unit. Ducks Unlimited has completed several projects on the WLWCA, including adding a new 36-inch pump system on a smaller unit within the hunting unit, constructing shoreline protection, or breakwaters, along 1.5 miles of the Intracoastal Waterway, a large water control on the east side of the hunting unit, and most recently repairing a critical section of levee on the south end of the refuge unit.

The Refuge Unit includes critical habitat for the region and has long been considered important for providing sanctuary and holding birds throughout the hunting season. More than 14 miles of levees and several low-lift pumps contain the Refuge Unit and maintain water levels at desirable levels. However, if the levees breach, as they did several years ago, the entire unit remains flooded and too deep for most dabbling ducks.

In 2022, Ducks Unlimited completed the levee repair on the southernmost section of the Refuge Unit levee. While only 500 feet in length, this critical section of levee is exposed to wave action and erosion from White Lake and jeopardizes 5,000 acres of some of the most important waterfowl habitat in Southwest Louisiana. Despite past attempts to repair the levee with limited funds, Ducks Unlimited secured the necessary funding to complete the fix with substantial investment from partners. Several hundred yards of soil were barged to the site to reconstruct the levee, and then barge loads of limestone rip-rap were added to provide protection from waves and storm surge.

This critically important project was supported by Ducks Unlimited, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Entergy, James M. Cox Foundation, Bass Pro Shops and LA Gulf Coast Initiative Supporters. Total project cost was $649,659.