Water Trails of the Atchafalaya

Named "long river" by the Choctaw, the Atchafalaya River stretches over one hundred miles from where it branches off the Mississippi and Red Rivers to its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico. The basin of this river, which encompasses some 1.4 million acres, is the only growing delta in Louisiana. It boasts the largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in North America and is prime wintering habitat for more than half of America's migratory waterfowl.The Atchafalaya Basin may be a last refuge for endangered species such as the Peregrine Falcon, Bachman’s Warbler, and the Ivory Bill Woodpecker, as well as the endangered Louisiana Black Bear and the Florida Panther. West Baton Rouge Museum highlights Louisiana’s rich natural diversity this summer with an exhibit dedicated to the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp, titled Water Trails of the Atchafalaya, which will be on display in the Museum's Whitehead Gallery from June 17 through October 29. westbatonrougemuseum.com.