Conservation
East Baton Rouge Parish residents care about protecting local habitats and biodiversity and so does BREC! BREC's Conservation Department is dedicated to completing its mission through the Natural Resource Management Plan to better the lives of East Baton Rouge Parish residents.
BREC'S Conservation aims to promote recreation and education activities focusing on the appreciation of the natural environment; protect unique and historically representative habitats within the East Baton Rouge Parish; and reduce species loss.
Conservation Areas
Conservation Areas are areas that are sometimes stand alone, but are sometimes an area within a park that is managed for conservation and often has nature trails or primitive hiking trails. Refer to each park’s page for specific information about each park. Rules and Regulations vary from park to park.
Nature Center
BREC’s premier Conservation Area is Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center. It is a 103-acre staffed facility dedicated to conservation, education, recreation and tourism. The Nature Center includes live animal exhibits, natural artifact displays, a waterfowl decoy collection and boardwalk and nature trails. $3 adults, $2 children and $2.50 seniors entrance fee.
Nature Reserves
These areas are completely undeveloped and are set aside for the protection of habitat and wildlife. There are no developed trails and should not be visited unless permission is received through the conservation department. Areas like these are important for local ecosystems and provide habitat corridors for the connection of greenways, native plant growth and wildlife breeding.
- Cohn Nature Preserve
- Jones Creek Nature Reserve
- South Harrell's Ferry Nature Reserve
- Burbank Nature Reserve
- Quarterhorse Nature Reserve
- Kinchloe Lloyd Baker Nature Reserve
- Jacob Kornmeyer Nature Reserve
- Wray Nature Reserve
Looking for more information on our Annual Rainbow Trout stocking and fishing programs in Baton Rouge? Visit the Rainbow Trout Stocking Page.
Recycling
With the help of BREC’s Geaux Green Committee, the Conservation Department is working hard to bring recycling to BREC parks. Since 2014 BREC has expanded current recycling efforts to include a single stream recycling program at BREC’s administrative offices and received 2 grants to begin its first-ever public recycling programs at Burbank Soccer Complex, City-Brooks Community Park and Wampold Beach. These pilot programs were so successful that BREC is dedicated to providing recycling at all Community Parks and Sports Facilities by 2020. Currently, BREC offers public recycling at 8 parks and facilities and strives to provide recycling at all major special events. These efforts combined allow BREC as an organization to divert Over 350,000 lbs of trash from local landfills annually. Additionally, BREC now offers Monofilament/Fishing Line Recycling Receptacles at the following fishing ponds. By recycling your fishing line you prevent it from entangling wildlife and degrading local habitat. To see a full list of BREC’s sustainability goals and a list of our Green Achievements visit our Geaux Green with BREC page.
Parks that Currently Offer Public Recycling
- Burbank Soccer Complex
- City-Brooks Community Park
- Oak Villa Sports Complex
- Highland Rd. Community Park
- Highland Rd. Observatory
- Perkins Rd. Community Park
- Central Sports Park
- Independence Community Park
- N Sherwood Forest Community Park
- Milford Wampold Memorial Park and Beach at LSU lakes
- Milton J. Womack Park and Administrative Offices
Volunteering
Conservation Park Management through Volunteer Efforts
BREC's Conservation Department relies heavily on volunteers to accomplish its management goals. With the help of volunteers, BREC conducts trash clean-ups, invasive species removals, trail clearings and native species plantings. We have several volunteer opportunities depending on your interests and time commitment.
Group Volunteer Projects
Group activities consist of litter reduction and trail clean-up. Our parish has many waterways so our parks are often flooded. This is great for water retention and decreases flooding downstream but we often find litter and debris deposited within our forests and on our trails after high rain events. This means our woods constantly need clean-up! We need help from scouts, churches, sororities, fraternities, etc to help us keep these areas free of trash and looking beautiful!
If you are a member of a group or organization that would like to volunteer in a BREC Conservation Area please contact the BREC Volunteer Coordinator at 225-272-9200 ext 1446 or at volunteer@brec.org and indicate your preference in conservation-related projects.
Green Force
If you think you can give 20 hours or more of service within a year and are interested in being trained in conservation management practices so you can conduct work independently of BREC staff, then the Green Force is calling your name! Every year we hold a mandatory day-long training course to teach you what you need to know to help maintain our trails, remove invasive species and assist a crew leader for various projects. We also have several ways that you can assist with programs and events. Visit our Green Force Page for more information about the program!
Research in BREC Parks
Baton Rouge Recreation & Park Commission (BREC) encourages the use of public parks for research, service learning and environmental education on subjects such as ecology, wildlife studies, and invasive species. Such research is vital to helping us protect, manage and interpret these resources to the Baton Rouge community.
Research Permit Policy
All research taking place on property owned or managed by BREC requires a permit. No fee is required but permits must be submitted to the Conservation Department and approved before any work begins. Applications can be submitted anytime but are encouraged to be submitted at least two weeks in advance of scheduled fieldwork.
Annual progress reports are required for all work extending beyond the calendar year before December 1st. Where impacts to park resources or visitor experience are anticipated, these impacts must be minimized and the clear research benefits articulated. Any impacts to the park as a result of research must be repaired or mitigated under the discretion of BREC Staff within a reasonable time following research completion. Permits may be denied or revoked if damage is deemed excessive or unnecessary.
To benefit from park research, BREC requires copies of reports and publications; published or unpublished data must be made available upon request and is encouraged to be submitted along with any summarizing reports. Data must also be submitted upon request.
NOTE: Collection or handling of wildlife may require additional state and/or federal permits and licenses, depending on the nature of the research. See list of contacts at the bottom of this application for more information.
Permit Process
The permit review process should take two weeks or less. Submission of an application for use of a BREC park does not necessarily guarantee that parkland will be made available for requested research. Please fill out the following form and submit to BREC Conservation by email at Conservation@brec.org or by mail at:
BREC Conservation Department
6201 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Programming
The Conservation Department staff includes a Naturalist who works to educate the public in Baton Rouge and help visitors experience BREC's Satellite Conservation Parks through programming like guided hikes. BREC hosts a variety of walks throughout the East Baton Rouge Parish. Check out the upcoming BREC Conservation offerings below!
