FRIENDS OF BLACK BAYOU LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - Friends of Black Bayou Blog

2023 Fall Celebration Oct 21 9AM to 2PM

8/11/2023

Fall Celebration Oct 21 2023 at Black Bayou Lake National WIldlife Refuge in Monroe, Louisiana

Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the annual Fall Celebration out at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe, Louisiana on Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 9am through 2pm. Stay around after the festival is over to keep exploring the wildlife refuge, and see how humans are taking great strides to keep wildlife safe in an environment where they are protected and respected.

There will be lots of FUN activities for kids and grownups, too! Educators will be on hand sharing information on the animals in our area, with lots of activities for hands-on learning. Face painting, button making, games, and more.

The winning entries in the 2023 Photo Contest will be on display. Deadline to submit entries by email is October 1, 2023.

Keep up-to-date on the plans and specifics with us here on our website, AND on our FoBB Facebook Group>>

We hope to see you there!

FINALLY Re-opening!! (Partially...)

5/12/2023

Subject to volunteer availability the Visitor Center will be open:
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9 am - 4 pm, Saturdays 9 am - 1 pm and Sundays 1 pm -4 pm.
The Conservation Learning Center will be open:
Mondays 9 am - 1 pm, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9 am - 4 pm, Saturdays 9 am - 1 pm and Sundays 1 pm -4 pm.

THANKS to the US Fish and Wildlife Service hiring an intern, Jackson Cox, to work at Black Bayou Lake NWR. Jackson will split his time between the Visitor Center, the Conservation Learning Center, and other projects around the refuges (volunteers will be around, too). Welcome Jackson! Thank you for your help.

Visitor Center at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Monroe, Louisiana

Conservation Education Building with Blue Goose out front

Frog Walk and Talk! June 3, 2023

5/12/2023

Moonlight Frog Walk and Talk
Saturday June 3, 2023 at 7pm
Learn about frogs, how to identify their calls, as you enjoy a guided walk with others who want to learn what that sound is in the night.
Meet up in front of the Visitor Center
(We suggest bringing a headlamp or flashlight to help with nighttime footing.)

2023 June Moonlight Frog Walk and Talk Educational Program at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Earth Day 2023 at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe, Louisiana

5/7/2023

A good time was had by all at the Earth Day 2023 celebration event at Northeast Louisiana's Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge! There was also plenty of environmental education from soil science and herpetology to Climate Sience.

This sort of event is great for outreach and recruiting new FoBB members and volunteers.
Would you like to join Friends of Black Bayou?

Friends of Black Bayou Lake NWR and Louisiana Master Naturalist Northeast member Dr. Anne Frazier was educating for Climate Change awareness from her "Eyes on the Climate" table display at the BBL-NWR Earth Day Celebration on April 22nd..

Anne says "I had great contributions from Erin Bellavia (formerly Cox) on the orphan well capping project for the North Louisiana Refuges Compex that's funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021. Tyler Fricker prepared the global surface temperature maps for 1980, 2000, and 2020, and Jana Giles shared ideas for content and presentation".

She says "Having a lattice as the support for the display worked out pretty well. My notion was that if the day were windy (which it often is at the refuge), a lattice would be more stable than standard poster board. As it turned out, the weather was very nice without much wind."

Thanks to Anne, brochures on the "Louisiana Master Naturalist Program" and "Healing Nature" brochures were available along with a sign-up sheet for prospective new members. Sure enough, a prospective new member signed up on the day!

Check out Ani's FB post for some great shots!

North Louisiana Refuges Complex to Remediate 133 Orphaned Oil and Gas wells!

5/7/2023

In a nutshell, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) included $4.7 billion dedicated to remediating orphaned oil and gas wells. Of that amount, approximately $500 million was dedicated to public land agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Gas wells number in the thousands across National Wildlife Refuges in North Louisiana, many of which were drilled decades ago prior to Refuge establishment. Since many of these have been officially declared orphans, the North Louisiana Refuges Complex has received funding to plug and abandon (P&A) 133 wells on Upper Ouachita, D'Arbonne, and Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuges. Many of these wells have been leaking and in disrepair for years. Methane readings will be taken before and after P&A activities take place. The gas infrastructure will be capped and removed above ground and the sites will return to their native habitat conditions.

Erin Belllavia USFWS
Refuge Manager
Black Bayou Lake, D'Arbonne, Handy Brake, & Upper Ouachita NWR's

Earth Day Celebration 2023 at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

4/17/2023

Celebrate Earth Day at Black Bayou Lake NWR! Fun for all the family!

earth_day_celebration.pdf
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2022 Annual Photo Contest Winners Announced

10/14/2022

The winners of the 2022 Annual Photo Contest are announced! Congratulations to each and every participant, and thank you for submitting your amazing photographs! Thank you to the volunteers, the judges, and photographers.

Best of Show
The "Charlie Heck Memorial Best of Show" award goes to an amazing photograph entitled "Speared" by Jon Guice.

2022 Best of Show Photo entitled "Speared" by Jon Guice.

Photographs are listed and shown online here>>

2022 Fall Festival information October 15, 2022

2022 Photo Contest Rules Announced

8/19/2022

The public is invited to participate in the Friends of Black Bayou annual Photo Contest. 2022's contest objectives are the same as always: to encourage protection of wildlife and conservation of natural resources through photographic skills and an appreciation of natural settings on the Refuge.

The categories include micro/macro, landscape, animals, birds, people on refuge, or plants.

Ribbons will be awarded for the Charles Heck Memorial Grand Prize (best in show) as well as 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, and Honorable Mention in each category.

Each person may submit up to three (3) photos in each category, but each person may win only one “place” ribbon per category (except Honorable Mentions, which are unlimited, and Grand Prize, which may be awarded in addition to a “place” ribbon).

Photos will be judged anonymously.
Judging criteria:
• Technical excellence (sharpness, lighting, composition, exposure)
• Originality/creativity
• Interest/Refuge appreciation
• Only minor manipulation should be used to create natural-looking photographs.

The Charles Heck Memorial Grand Prize photo and all first-place photos will be printed and displayed in the Refuge Visitor Center at the October 15, 2022, FoBB Fall Celebration, while all ribboned photos will be displayed online at www.friendsofblackbayou.org and on the FoBB Facebook group page.

For complete rules>>.

PHOTOS coming soon...

Kayak and Canoe Rentals Still Suspended

6/14/2022

FoBB is currently unable to rent canoes and kayaks to the public, due to a shortage of staff. We appologize for any inconvenience. The boat launch is still available for you to bring your own watercraft and enjoy the lake. The trails are still open, and we encourage all to be safe, respect the wildlife, and enjoy your time in nature!

2020 Photo Contest Winners Announced

2/2/2021

On February 1, 2021, the winners of the 2020 Friends of Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge PHOTO CONTEST are announced. Ribboned photographs are:

Best of Show-Adult Division, Kimmie Paxton, “Ardea Alba Angling”
Adult, 2nd place: Doug Moon, “Barred Owl”
Adult, 3rd place: Charles Paxton, “American Alligator and Amber Wings”
Adult, Honorable Mention: Doug Moon, “This Is My Spot”; Anirudh Girey, “Lightning Strike by the Lake”; Tim Spillers, “Early Morning Playing.”
Youth, 1st place: Lexi Harper, “Purple Beauty”
Youth, 2nd place: Marirose Spillers, “Standing Out”
Youth, Honorable Mention: Lexi Harper, “I See You”; Tyler Byrd, “Cypress Balls”; Lexi Harper, “Another Day Gone.”

See all winning photos>>

Best of Show-Adult Division,

Best of Show-Adult Division, "Ardea Alba Angling" by photographer Kimmie Paxton FoBB 2020 Photo Contest

Youth 1st Place Division,

Youth 1st Place Division, "Purple Beauty" by photographer Lexi Harper FoBB 2020 Photo Contest

See All winning photos>

All photos in the contest were taken at the North Louisiana Refuges Complex, including Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge, Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, and Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuge.

FoBB board member Leslie Calhoun was chair of the contest this year, with assistance from Ann Bloxom Smith. Judges were several regional photographers who evaluated the entries in youth and adult categories. Charles Heck, Sr., founded the contest in 2004. Deborah Evans is the current president of the Friends, following the 2020 president Gloria Dedmon.

The public is invited to view all the ribbon-winning photos on the FoBB website, www.friendsofblackbayou.org. Although the refuge visitor center is presently closed due to Covid 19, when it reopens, the photos will be on display there.

CONGRATULATIONS PHOTOGRAPHERS!

Friends of Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Board and Officers 2023>>

Contact the Visitor Center at 318-387-1114 for more information.
Physical Location of the Visitor Center is 480 Richland Place, Monroe, Louisiana (no mail )
Mailing Address: Friends of Black Bayou Lake NWR, Post Office Box 9241, Monroe LA 71211-9241

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Website maintained and updated by FoBB volunteers.
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Note to Photographers: All photos used on the FoBB web site are with permission. We may have cropped or optimized some of the photos to fit the pages and load quicker. If we have used YOUR photo and you would prefer that we remove it, send us an email to friendsofblackbayou.org and let us know. Thank you for sharing your talents and the refuge with the rest of the world.