Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

𝐋𝐃𝐖𝐅 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 At the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting today, LDWF honored 10 Enforcement Division agents with the LDWF Medal of Merit for their bravery and response while working security during the January 1 terrorist attack. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐃𝐖𝐅 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞: - Lt. Suni Nelson - Sgt. James Bruce - Sgt. James Smith - Sgt. Carl Armstrong - Sgt. Devin Bryant - Corporal Tib Guillory - Senior Agent Rebecca Bercegeay - Senior Agent Mason Castello - Senior Agent Christopher Pippin - Senior Agent John Stansbury “I couldn’t be prouder of this group of agents who in the face of danger ran towards the danger,” said Col. Stephen Clark, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division. “Their actions were not simply performed out of duty but out of an unwavering commitment to public safety and the preservation of life. Their fearlessness, professionalism and quick reaction to this heinous situation is highly commendable and they deserve every acknowledgement.” These agents were on a security detail for New Year’s Eve and Sugar Bowl events within the French Quarter in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 when a terrorist act occurred on Bourbon Street resulting in 14 fatalities and 57 injuries. When the attack occurred, they immediately responded to the scene while not knowing if the threat had been neutralized or about any bombs that were later found in the area. Once the threat was neutralized, agents immediately began helping render aid to victims and assisting in securing the area. This is the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 that LDWF has awarded the Medal of Merit. The medal is granted for conspicuous and intrepid gallantry at the risk of life with full awareness of that risk. Thank you, agents for your bravery and commitment to protecting the community 💚

𝗟𝗗𝗪𝗙 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 recently visited Louisiana’s whooping cranes to see firsthand the efforts of 𝗟𝗗𝗪𝗙’𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁! One of the remarkable pairs he observed includes a female who previously nested for several years in Southeast Texas with her former mate. After he passed away, the female didn’t return to Louisiana on her own, and with no whooping cranes in her area, LDWF captured and relocated her back to Louisiana. Within weeks of her release, she paired with a 𝟮-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 (𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱), and they successfully nested shortly after. This strong pair has remained together, and last year they successfully fledged a chick. Their 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘄, so we are hopeful for another successful season. LDWF remains committed to protecting and restoring Louisiana’s whooping cranes, and 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Have you spotted a whooping crane? Report sightings at https://buff.ly/sJaA5uj To learn more about the project, visit: https://buff.ly/LmxtPd1 To support the project, you can make a donation through the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation at https://buff.ly/hejbAR3 #WhoopingCranes #ConservationSuccess #LDWF

📢 Exciting News for Louisiana Schools! 🎯🎣🏕️ Thanks to a new partnership between LDWF and the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF), Louisiana schools can now offer the Outdoor Adventures curriculum! This fully accredited K-12 outdoor education program—already taught in over 1,500 schools across all 50 states and Canada—introduces students to wildlife conservation, angling, archery, camping, survival skills, hunter education, and more! With 40 units to choose from, this adaptable curriculum is designed to connect students with the outdoors while aligning with LDWF’s programs and resources. Schools can offer it as a one semester or a full academic year class (typically taught as a PE class), making outdoor learning more accessible than ever! 📲 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gaeRmtJ4 or call (225) 765-2800. #OutdoorEducation #GetOutside #LDWF #GoOTF #OutdoorsTomorrowFoundation #LouisianaSchools #Education #Curriculum #K12Curriculum #ElementaryEducation #Highschool #Teacher #Educator

🎯💪 Exciting! Empowering! Challenging! Fun! 🛶🔥 Those are just some of the words the 135 participants used to describe their experience at the 2025 Becoming An Outdoors-Woman, Louisiana Style at Camp Grant Walker! Over three days, these women got hands-on training in a variety of outdoor skills, including firearms safety, wilderness survival, cooking & food prep, trapping, fishing, kayaking, birding, fish & game cleaning, ATV safety, and even how to hook up a trailer & back it down a boat ramp! For more information on the annual BOW program, go to: https://lnkd.in/gf3RifQr #BecomingAnOutdoorsWoman #BOWLouisiana #OutdoorAdventure #EmpoweredWomen #LouisianaOutdoors  

🏆𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁! 🏆 The results are in! We are thrilled to congratulate Jeff Penny, Abbie Bourgeois, Ty Hibbs, and Chad Nolan for winning the 2025 hard license card contest with their stunning photos showcasing the beauty of Louisiana's wildlife and fisheries. Their incredible artwork will be featured on Louisiana’s 2025-26 collectible, 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 hard cards, which will be available for purchase by April 28th. A huge 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to everyone who participated—your talent and passion for the outdoors made this contest a success! The hard cards will be available for purchase at https://lnkd.in/gsQJXPqC They will display all active annual privileges held by the owner. If you have already purchased your annual licenses, or have a lifetime license, you will have the option to upgrade to one of the new collector’s cards by purchasing one for an additional fee. That card will display all active privileges held by its owner. #LDWF #HardCardContest #winningdesigns #louisianawildlife

Just in! The Spring 2025 issue of the Louisiana Conservationist is now available online. Check it out! https://buff.ly/nCcGPwc This edition features incredible stories, including Louisiana veteran Deron Santiny’s 696-pound black bear harvest, John Nelson Harris securing his third Louisiana Duck Stamp Contest win, how the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program is giving hunters hands-on experience—and so much more! #ExtraExtra #Conservationist #Louisiana #SportsmansParadise #News

Reminder for Educators! There is still time to apply for this year's Wetland Education Teacher Workshop (WETshop)! This 6-day coastal awareness workshop provides selected participants with an in-depth look at issues related to wetland ecology and coastal land loss in Louisiana. Workshop experiences provide ideas to incorporate Louisiana phenomena-based learning in classrooms at all grade levels. Don't miss this amazing opportunity! 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: July 13-18, 2025 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: LDWF Grand Isle Fisheries Research Lab 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: April 25, 2025 For more information and to apply, click here: https://buff.ly/M8CASjx #WETshop2025 #LDWF #CoastalConservation #Educators #EducationalOpportunity #ProfessionalDevelopmentforEducators #Teachers #Teaching #LouisianaSchools #Louisiana #LouisianaTeacher

LDWF agents proudly go above and beyond the call of duty to protect Louisiana sportsmen and women and our natural resources each day. Seeing them recognized at their annual @Louisiana Wildlife Agent’s Association (LWAA) convention and banquet in Houma on March 14-15 was the highlight of the year! During the event, LDWF honored some very deserving agents with awards for their dedication and service: 🏆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 – Lt. Austin Landry 🏆 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳’𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 – Lt. Col. Eddie Skena 🏆 𝗗𝗨𝗜 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 – Sgt. Jeremy Foret 🏆 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 – Lt. Thomas Wolf 🏆 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 – Cpl. Jason Stagg 🏆 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 – Accepted by Sgt. Randy Lanoux on behalf of Senior Agent Lloyd Pearson 🏆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 – Sgt. DJ Anderson, Agent Logan Laffoon, Cpl. Dustin Nash, Cpl. James Smith, Cpl. Derek Logan, Cpl. Tib Guillory, and Senior Agent Austin Wiles 🏆 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿: ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭 – Senior Agent Tracen Francis ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮 – Sgt. Tyler Wheeler ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟯 – Cpl. Dustin Nash ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟰 – Cpl. Michael Blanchard ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟱 – Senior Agent Chelsea Moudry ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟲 – Senior Agent Joel Rubio ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟳 – Senior Agent Dustin Slade ▪ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟴 – Lt. Austin Landry ▪ 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 – Capt. Davis Madere Congratulations to all our award recipients ! 👏 #LDWF #WildlifeEnforcement #LWAA

Spring has officially arrived, and with it comes a fresh new era of discovery! Today, officials cut the ribbon at Port Wonder, a brand-new lakeside landmark in Lake Charles, bringing two incredible museums to Southwest Louisiana which are set to open very soon! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 – A 15,000 sq. ft. hands-on experience designed to spark curiosity in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). The museum will feature four new gallery experiences, interactive exhibits, and year-round educational programs! 𝗟𝗗𝗪𝗙 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 & 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 – A 5,700 sq. ft. immersive experience showcasing Louisiana’s remarkable wildlife, fisheries, and ecosystems. Visitors can enjoy freshwater and saltwater aquariums, touch tanks, and hands-on learning opportunities! LDWF is proud to partner with the City of Lake Charles, The Children's Museum of Southwest Louisiana, and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation to bring this 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗳-𝗮-𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 experience to Louisiana. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵: "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘋𝘞𝘍 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴." Both museums are completing final preparations. Once open, they will have 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. Located on North Lakeshore Drive near I-10, Port Wonder is set to become a 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝘂𝗹𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! Who’s ready to explore? #PortWonder #LakeCharles #LDWF #WildlifeAndFisheries #STEAM #ChildrensMuseum #SportsmansParadise

𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿! Last week, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge was the hub of hands-on learning as experts and attendees gathered for the Waterfowl Capture, Banding, and Analyses Workshop! Participants worked alongside seasoned professionals from LDWF, University of Minnesota, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Bird Banding Laboratory, gaining invaluable experience in capturing, banding, and analyzing waterfowl data. From rocket nets to bait traps, attendees got up-close with critical techniques used to study and manage migratory gamebirds. Classroom sessions complemented fieldwork, giving students the opportunity to learn first-hand how waterfowl managers utilize data to make informed population management decisions. A huge thank you to our expert instructors: Paul Link – Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Todd Arnold – University of Minnesota Chris Nicolai – Delta Waterfowl Foundation Antonio Celis-Murillo – Bird Banding Laboratory #WaterfowlConservation #BandingForScience #LDWF #WildlifeResearch #RockefellerRefuge