We support enactment of both bills with minor changes. H.R. 3292 would authorize the establishment of a National Wildlife Refuge at the area known as Cat Island, Louisiana. Cat Island is a highly significant wildlife and natural area, and has the potential to become an exciting new National Wildlife Refuge. It is unleveed and one of the last remaining tracts in the lower Mississippi Valley that is still influenced by the natural dynamics of the river. Cat Island is habitat for several declining species of neotropical migratory birds with a strong potential for swallow-tail kites, a species of special concern, and supports thousands of wintering waterfowl.
Woodcock use the area as overwintering grounds, and bald eagles are regular visitors.
In addition, Cat Island is considered to be prime habitat for the Louisiana black bear, a threatened species. It supports one of the highest densities of virgin bald cypress trees in the Nation. Many of these trees are estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 years old, and they include the Nation's largest bald cypress tree, which is 17 feet in diameter and has a circumference of 53 feet. Overall, the forested wetlands typical of Cat Island represent one of the most valuable and productive wildlife habitat types in the United States. Adding it to the Refuge System would help meet the habitat protection goals of the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.