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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lakes and Recreation, Okatibbee Lake. |
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Nature and Wildlife
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General Information
The bottomland forests and numerous beaver flowages provide a paradise
for the bird watcher and nature enthusiast. The endangered American Alligator
is a permanent resident of the project. Occasionally a Bald Eagle may be seen
during spring, fall or winter. Eagles are transient residents of the project
during their annual migrations.
Public hunting is a popular activity at
Okatibbee during the fall and winter. More than 6,000 acres of land are
licensed to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks for
wildlife management purposes.
Deer, rabbit, squirrel, dove, ducks, geese,
quail and woodcock are abundant. Food plots, nesting boxes, the selective
clearing of brush, the planting of mud flats with grain crops during low water
and agricultural leases are a few of the techniques used by the Corps of
Engineers and the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks to promote
populations of game and nongame birds and animals. State regulations govern
hunting on project lands. Permits for the "Permit Hunting Areas" are
free and can be obtained at the Okatibbee Wildlife Management Office. For more
information call the Management Office at (601) 737-5831.
Forest management practices of thinning
overpopulated stands of trees, planting seedlings and prescribed burning
complement the wildlife conservation program. Revenues generated from the sale
of harvested timber are returned to the project to help defray the cost of
overall natural resource and management programs.
Contact a Park Ranger with questions about nature and wildlife at Okatibbee Lake.
| Okatibbee Lake |