White Kitchen Preserve

Why You Should Visit
White Kitchen possesses one of the last remaining, intact, overflow swamp systems in the Southeast and supports a major rookery of water birds, as well as a bald eagle's nest that has been used for more than 80 years. The highlight of this preserve is the unique boardwalk, built with the support of Chevron, that enables land-loving tourist to walk out over the marsh to view this phenomenon of nature. The preserve can also be visited via swamp boat tours in the surrounding areas that tour the Pearl River basin.

Location
The Pearl River basin in Slidell

Size
586 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The boardwalk is only open during daylight hours. There is a large parking lot and rest area located on site. Any other access must be requested by calling The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana at 225.338.1040

Please review the following visitation guidelines:

The preserve is suitable for children that are accompanied by an adult.
There are no restroom facilities available on site.
Dogs and other pets are not permitted.
Do not collect, remove, injure, damage, or destroy any artifact or mineral or any animal living or dead.
No hunting, trapping, fishing, or discharge of firearms is allowed.
No camping is allowed.
Absolutely no fires are allowed, and smoking is not permitted in the preserve.
Do not litter.
No permanent photography blinds may be constructed. Portable blinds are allowed, but we ask that you remove them when you leave.
Do not scatter feed or seed of any kind. Do not use taped calls to attract wildlife.
Keep your vehicle locked at all times, and do not leave equipment or valuables in your vehicle. Do not leave equipment unattended anywhere on the preserve.
Leave the preserve before darkness falls.
Please respect the rights of adjacent landowners. Do not trespass. Do not block neighbor's driveways. Please do not use any entrance other than the one designed for the preserve.

Directions
Entrance is located at the LA Highway Department Rest Area at the junction of US Highway 90 and Highway 190, southeast of Slidell LA. Visitors coming from I-10 in Slidell should exit to the east at Gause Blvd (Exit 266), then turn right when Gause ends at Military Road, then turn left (west) when Military Road ends at the junction with US Highway 190. Proceed east on Highway 190 to the junction with Highway 90.

What to See: Plants/Trees

Live oak
Loblolly pine
Spanish moss
Resurrection fern (so called because it shrivels up after a dry period and looks dead, only to spring to life after a rain)
Epiphytes. Both Spanish moss and resurrection fern are called by this name because they only grow on the surface of other plants, but they do not derive any nutrients from their host.
Bald cypress-black gum swamp (the Louisiana state tree that typifies the swamps of southeastern U.S.)
Cypress knees (projections from the cypress roots under water)
Red maple
Black willow
Virginia willow
Royal ferns
Spider lily
Giant blue iris
Swamp lily
Buttonbush
Bulltongue
Pickerelweed
White water lily

What to See: Animals

Blue jay
Red-bellied woodpecker
Barred owl
Winter wren
Carolina chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Yellow-rumped warblers
Wood duck
Great egrets
Great blue herons
Little blue herons
Snowy egrets
Tricolored herons
Yellow-crowned night herons
Anhingas
Duck
Tree swallow
Eastern gray squirrel
Raccoon
Feral pig
Pig frog
Mink
Redeared turtle

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The highly diverse Pearl River basin consist of cypress-tupelo swamp integrated with fresh marsh, surrounded by a ridge that supports a lush stand of loblolly pine-hardwood forest and a major rookery. This unique habitat has been protected thanks to ChevronTexaco.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
We've protected the area in the form of a preserve and are currently developing strategies to take an active role in the conservation of the Pearl River basin. This area is one of fifteen sites of future focus for the Louisiana chapter.