The Creating of the Wild Life Refuges 



in Louisiana 



_v 



I. 



The Louisiana State Wild Life Refuge 



IN march, 1910, I was in a sporting goods store in New 

 Orleans looking over some fishing tackle. The clerk serv- 

 ing me, called me by name, and at once a man standing 

 at the counter near me, turned to me and said, "Are you 

 Mr. Mcllhenny of Avery Island?" On being assured that 

 I was, he said, "I am Charles Willis Ward, of Michigan, 

 and I have been wanting to meet you for a long time, to 

 learn at first hand how you have accomplished the protec- 

 tion of the wild life in Louisiana, for which you are 

 famous." 



This was my first meeting with Mr. Ward, who was 

 destined to be of such great assistance in establishing the 

 Louisiana Wild Life Sanctuary. 



During our conversation at this first meeting, I learned 

 of Mr. Ward's interest in birds, plants, shooting, and 

 fishing. Recognizing in him a kindred spirit — for all my 

 life these subjects had interested me more than any 

 others — I asked him to come to Avery Island and spend 

 a week-end with me. Mr. Ward told me he was camping 

 on Wolf River, back of Pass Christian, Mississippi, and 

 would be very glad to accept my invitation, as soon as he 

 felt well enough. He explained that he was just recovering 

 from a severe illness, and was under the care of a trained 

 nurse. 



I had quite forgotten about W r ard, when he arrived at 

 Avery Island, about three weeks later. I took him to my 

 house expecting he would stay two days at most, but he 

 was so fascinated with the bird and plant life, and the 

 fishing, that he remained two weeks. Mr. Ward was greatly 

 impressed with my building and protecting the Egret and 

 Heron colony on Avery Island, which at the time of his 

 visit contained about 15,000 pair of nesting birds. This 

 "Heronry" started by me in an artificial pond in 1893, with 

 a few pair of Egrets, in an effort to save this bird from 

 extermination, and later as a duck sanctuary, had proven 

 a wonderful success, and demonstrated the fact that year 



