Salvador Wildlife Management Area
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| Salvador Wildlife Management Area | |
|---|---|
| Salvador WMA | |
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  Location within Louisiana | |
| Location | St. Charles Parish, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 29°48′13″N 90°14′16″W / 29.80361°N 90.23778°W: |
| Area | 34,520 acres (139.7 km2) |
| Established | 1968 |
| Governing body | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
Salvador Wildlife Management Area (Salvador WMA) is a protected area in St. Charles Parish Louisiana covering a combined total of over 36,000 acres (15,000 ha). The WMA is located 11 miles (18 km) south of New Orleans, Louisiana, and provides habitat for many species of animal and plant life with hunting, fishing, and boating as the predominant activities. Commercial fishing or harvesting is not allowed.
Salvador WMA is surrounded on three sides by water with Lake Cataouatche to the northeast, Bayou Couba to the east, and Lake Salvador to the south, all considered part of the Wetlands of Louisiana. The WMA is only accessible by boat with the more direct route from US 90 at the Pier 90 Marina down Bayou Verret to Lake Salvador.[1]
The northwestern section of the WMA is marshland fed by the Davis Pond Diversion canal. The canal serves as flood control and as a means of sediment replenishment. The benefits stretch through Bayou Perot and Bayou Rigolettes to Little Lake, Hackberry Bay, Creole Bay, Mendicant Island, the surrounding waterways, and ultimately providing sediment to Barataria Bay and the barrier islands of Grand Isle and Grand Terre[2]
Combined management
The 2,867 acres (1,160 ha) Timken Wildlife Management Area is jointly managed with the Salvador WMA and referred to as the Salvador/Timken Wildlife Management Area. The Timken WMA is located entirely on Couba Island between Lake Salvador and Lake Cataouatche and is leased (ends on December 31, 2020) from the City Park Commission of New Orleans.[3] The Salvador/Timken WMA headquarters are located within the Salvador WMA.[4][5]