SITES

	Greatham, Teesside, UK
	West Site, Billingham, UK
	Grimsby, Humberside, UK
	Calais, France
	Huelva, Spain
	Scarlino, Italy
	Teluk Kalung, Malaysia
	Umbogintwini, South Africa
	Lake Charles, USA
Wildlife on the Lake Charles Site Wildlife Areas in the Lake Charles Region Biodiversity Management
	Burnie, Tasmania

Index by Category

Appendices

References

West Lake, St Charles, Louisiana, USA

Wildlife on the Lake Charles Site

Only a limited amount of wildlife data are available for the production site and no detailed ecological surveys have been carried out. A number of habitats are present however, including some fairly extensive areas of woodlands and wetlands, so the site has considerable potential for high biodiversity.

A brief visit in June 1994 recorded a number of interesting birds. Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) and Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) were present on a small wetland area and Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscatus major) and Great-tailed Grackle (Q. mexicanus) were seen around the picnic site. Great-tailed Grackle is a relatively recent immigrant to the Lake Charles region from further west (Crider ND). On a small area of landfill Killdeer Plovers (Charadrius vociferus) were nesting.

Other wildlife reported on the site by company employees included Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Wetland Creation
In accordance with a policy of “no net loss of wetlands”, and in mitigation for reclaiming a small wetland area on the production site, the company was required to acquire a minimum of 29 acres of previously drained wetland and allow it to revert back to natural habitat. In addition a further 18 acres of land had to be acquired and planted and managed to restore it to forested wetland habitat.

The company, in fact, acquired 70 acres of land, a far larger area than was legally required. This area, approximately 20 miles northwest of the production site is being actively managed with technical assistance from the McNeese Wildlife Club and the McNeese State University to create a wooded wetland habitat for wildlife.

Restoration work to restore the habitat started in 1992 and during a brief visit in June 1994 a considerable variety of wildlife had colonised the site. Over 15,000 indigenous trees had been planted including water oak (Quercus nigra), cherry oak (Q. falcate), willow oak (Q. phellos) and bald cypress (Toxodium distichum).

Birds found in this area in 1994 included Great Egret (Ardea alba), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) and Northern Cardinal. Mammals included Raccoon, Coyotee (Canis latrans), Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), Eastern Cotton, White-tailed Deer and Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).

Insects were not studied in detail but the following dragonflies and buttereflies have been recorded, Common Whitetail (Libellula lydia), Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina), a very handsome dragonfly, Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) and Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae).