Sportfishing and Hunting Activities that Affect 

 the Environment. The most important ecological ef- 

 fect of sportfishing and hunting is the direct harvest 

 of fish and wildlife (part 3.5.2). Other impacts may 

 be significant locally. Construction of recreation cen- 

 ters, boat launching ramps, picnic grounds, parks, 

 camping spots, and private camps, may cause localized 

 pollution and environmental disruption. The location 

 and identity of such centers in the Chenier Plain are 

 shown in plates lA and IB. The use of lead shot may 

 modify the impact of hunting,but it has not been fully 

 evaluated. 



Wildlife Refuge Establishment. The factors that 

 lead to the isolation of natural areas for refuges are 

 varied. The concern of wildlife enthusiasts was un- 

 doubtedly one iniDortant factor. In the Chenier Plain 

 135,559 ha (334,974 a), including the 57,000 ha 

 (140,850 a) Sabine National Wildlife Refuge have been 

 set aside as refuges by Federal, State, and private or- 

 ganizations (table 3.34). The eight refuges comprise 

 over 11% of the area of the Chenier Plain, exclusive 

 of the nearshore Gulf habitat. They are discussed in 

 some detail in part 4. Most of the refuges were estab- 

 lished primarily for waterfowl management but con- 

 trolled access, controlled development, and manage- 

 ment practices make them important refuges for many 

 other species. 



3.2.6 COMMERCE, INDUSTRY, AND THE 

 RESIDENT POPULATION 



(county) data were multiplied by the proportion of 

 that parish's population living within a basin's borders. 

 This assumes that each parish is homogeneous. How- 

 ever, most of the industrial and commercial activity is 

 concentrated just north of the Chenier Plain borders. 

 As a result, the influence of the industrial-commercial 

 sector is probably somewhat exaggerated. Also, em- 

 ployment figures (U.S. Department of Commerce 

 1975) record only employees covered under the 

 Federal Insurance Compensation Act. Because of 

 the provisions of the act, fishery and agricultural em- 

 ployees are underestimated, and self-employed indivi- 

 duals are not included in the U.S. Department of 

 Commerce figures. 



Population. The Chenier Plain is predominantly a 

 rural area and with the exception of the Texas portion 

 of the Sabine Basin, the population density is often 

 less than one individuaI/5 ha (12 a). In comparison, 

 the overall Louisiana population density is one person/ 

 3 ha (7 a) and the density of the adjoining industrial- 

 ized Harris County, Texas, is about 4 persons/ha (3 a). 

 The population of the Chenier Plain changed Uttle from 

 1960 to 1970 (table 3.35). There has been modest 

 growth, but the urban areas of Calcasieu Parish and 

 Jefferson County have not grown. Bolivar Peninsula 

 in the East Bay Basin is a rural appendage of Galveston 

 County, separated from it by Galveston Bay, so that 

 the Galveston County figures are not representative 

 of East Bay. 



This section provides a general view of the magni- 

 tude and character of the local economy as a source 

 of activities having an impact on the Chenier Plain 

 ecosystem. The Chenier Plain basin boundaries, as 

 described, do not correspond with political boundaries. 

 Hence, extrapolations have been necessary to estimate 

 economic indices for the basins. To do this, parish 



Table 3.34. Refuges, parks, and management areas in the Chenier Plain. 



Refuge 



Basin 



Size (ha) 



Management objectives 



Preserve and improve habitat 

 Preserve and improve habitat 

 Preserve and improve habitat 

 Habitat improvement for waterfowl; 

 hunting 



Habitat improvement for waterfowl; 

 hunting 



Habitat improvement for waterfowl 



Habitat improvement for waterfowl, 

 preservation of estuarine marshes; 

 recreation 



Habitat improvement for waterfowl; 

 hunting 



Paul S. Rainey Wildlife Refuge 

 Louisiana State Wildlife Refuge 

 Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 

 Sabine National Wildlife Refuge 



Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge 



Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge 

 Sea Rim State Park 



J. D. Murphree Wildlife Manage- 

 ment Area 



Sabine 



3,404 



52 



