Friends of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

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Friends of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

The Friends of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge is a non-profit group dedicated to supporting the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge.

The Friends of Bayou Teche Refuge Inc. are committed to community stewardship of the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge and by extension the entire National Wildlife Refuge System through preservation and restoration of the natural environment as well as increased public awareness, appreciation, education and responsible recreational use. Further, the Friends of BTR is dedicated to preserving those lands, swamps, marshes and related waterways that encompass the watersheds of Vermilion, Teche, Atchafalaya and West central Louisiana Coastal in an effort to conserve future important ecological resources (for instance, protection of an endangered wildlife species) for the state of Louisiana and the North American continent as a whole. For more information on the Friends Email us at [email protected].

09/10/2026

The fall bird migration seems to be on the way on the Bayou Teche Refuge.
This is photos of the Palmetto trail which the bird migration will continue to ramp up through September. The State, St Mary Parish, and the Bayou Teche Refuge serve as a vital corridor.
Because of the Cypress-tupelo swamps, bottomland hardwoods and nearby coastal marshes it acts as a critical rest and refueling stop for traveling birds.
Shade from the heat lots of bugs and pockets of water on the Palmetto Trail is providing what they need on their journey.
More information with captions at photos.

09/03/2026

The Friends of Bayou Teche Refuge also monitors the plants on the refuge.
Since the Start of the Wildflower Energy Project we are recording all the flowering plants that we find on the refuge and this is one of them. We took the picture of the White Water lily a while back and recently went back to see how it was doing.
Did not find it anywhere because the invasive grass has taken over.
Sometimes a small window of time is all we have.

08/31/2026

This is a trip to the first designed hiking trail on the BTR. It was once the Franklin Oil and Gas Field . There is evidence of about 7 different oil drilling sites.
The parking lot was once a metering station for the oil and gas removed and that is why there is a retaining wall around the parking lot. The trail itself was once a board road. Later the road was elevated by digging ditches on the sides of the road and using the dirt to elevate the road. The ditches are not for drainage, they are borrow pits used for the dirt for the road.
Today the board road is a hiking trail and the first Oil Field to hiking trail in the US.
The borrow pits have become habitat for woodducks.
On this trip they were dry but they usually hold water all summer long.
We have had a dry summer and the ducks have found other places to hang out.
More info under each photo and video.

08/26/2026

Going to see and old friend an oak tree that is about 20 feet around.
The tree sits on an old levee built before the Atchafalaya Levee was built and is now part of the Bayou Teche Refuge.
A tree that size is said to be about 150 to 300 years old. It may have been there before St. Mary Parish was split from the Attakapas District in 1811 to Form St. Martin and St. Mary Parishes.
Louisiana became a state in April 30 1812. so the original levee may be up to 200 years old. We are using the size of the tree to date the levee. It is definitely over 100 years old.
Did not get to see my friend but did clean the trail a little.
Thank you to all the people that have offered to volunteer.

08/24/2026

The Bayou Teche Refuge transitions from residential to farmland to coastal forest, swamp habitat and coastal marshes. This area is important to the Louisiana Black Bear which is the main mission of the refuge. The dense stand of cypress, water tupelo and mixed hardwoods becomes their homes and first land that many migratory birds see after crossing the gulf and the last land before leaving to go to their winter home.
It is also home to many species of birds, water fowl, fish. shell fish, crustaceans, reptiles and amphibians,
Man has harvested many of these as well as oil and gas. It is a very valuable area for all of the above as well as recreation,
This video hopes to give you a view of what we see when we are out there. Feel free to like and follow us as numbers matter.

08/21/2026

The Friends of Bayou Teche Refuge have built trails, guided paddling trips, birding trips, hiking trips, built boat docks and walkways, planted thousands of trees, built and installed habitat boxes and restored wildflower habitat.
We also gather and share information for colleges and universities.
Some of our Facebook posts that we share with you are also being used by others for research.
One of the projects called the Wildflower Energy Project, has allowed us to record 350 flowering plants of which 95 are invasive or nonnative. We have found 3 that are not even listed for Louisiana.

This post is one of those posts. We also have information under each photo. Thank you for sharing our information and following us.

08/19/2026

On the Franklin Trail today but not for long because of the heat. Thermometer reading of 98 feels like 108.
Trying to get some of the Giant Ragweed down so that it looks somewhat like a trail.
It is a little better but still needs work.
Photos with captions.

08/17/2026

This is a motor boat trip into some remote places on the Bayou Teche Refuge. We had to pull over some falling trees to get into the area. Not a problem for a kayak but in a motor boat it can be.
Always looking for new paddling destinations.

08/15/2026

We were traveling to the Wood Duck Trail today but had to change our plans.
The Friends of Bayou Teche monitors about 1000 miles of hiking paddling, bicycle and birding trails in St. Mary Parish. Some trails are on the refuge and some just go through the refuge.
We always have a back up plan and you should also. Things change that we can not control. Grass cutting, fallen trees, flooding or low water. We even performed a rescue a while back when a tree fell across a road trapping an elderly couple. We had a battery operated chainsaw with us to free them.
Even the trails on our website need a lot of attention. It can be wilderness so prepare for it. We hope you enjoy whatever trips you may take and be safe.
A few photos of our trip.

08/13/2026

A view of the TC Energy pipeline on the Wildflower Energy Project.
It is more that just a pipeline carrying our energy needed to supply our homes and factories.
This area is now the fuel or energy for wildlife.
The late summer flowers provide Monarch butterfly's the high- sugar fuel needed for the thousands of miles of flight to Mexico.
Native bees and bumblebee's rely on late pollen to feed their final brood of the year.
Migrating Humming birds require constant nectar to fuel their journey across the Gulf of Mexico.
The flowers that bloom in August and September quickly turn into seed heads by late fall feeding resident songbirds all winter long.

Cutting the pipelines at the right time is very important !
All the flower photos were taken on the TC Energy Pipeline this week.

Address

P. O. Box 242
Franklin, LA
70538

Website

http://www.bayoutecherefugefriends.org/

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