Manchac
Purchased from E.G. Schlieder in 1975, Manchac WMA is characterized by flat, low marshland subject to flooding, especially with easterly winds. Major vegetation was originally bald cypress, but nearly all of this has been logged from the area, leaving an open freshwater marsh. There is a 500-acre shallow, freshwater pond, known as the Prairie, near the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline. Predominant vegetation includes bull tongue, smartweed, alligator weed, and spartina. Submerged aquatic vegetation includes naiads, pondweeds, fanwort, and coontail. There is a strip of cypress tupelo along the Lake Pontchartrain boundary. The canopy is generally open, and the understory consists of black willow, maple, palmetto, baccharis, and assorted grasses.
Activities and Amenities
Hunting and trapping: The most sought after game species on the WMA are waterfowl including scaup, mallard, teal, gadwall, widgeon, shoveler, coot, and rail. The Prairie is one of the better waterfowl areas within the Lake Pontchartrain system. Other game species include snipe and rabbits. See regulations for details.
Fishing and boating: See regulations for details.
Birding: Birders have spotted both bald eagles and ospreys on Manchac WMA.
LDWF has installed about 50 wood duck nesting boxes at various locations on Manchac WMA to make up for the lack of mature trees with cavities in them.
Acreage
8,328
Owner/Manager
LDWF
Directions
Manchac WMA is located about 17 miles north-northeast of LaPlace. Entrance to the interior of the area is presently limited to various canals. Pirogues and mudboats are the major means of transportation in the Prairie. The headquarters are located on Galva Canal.