The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana is Constructing a Visitor Center at Lake Martin for Avid Migratory Bird Photographers

Early rising bird watching enthusiasts and professional nature photographers, who gather by the thousands throughout the winter and summer months to view Lake Martin's famous wading bird rookery, will soon have a new visitor's center complex to enjoy as a source of bird viewing and conservation education.

The Lake Martin Visitor's Center is being built by the world's leading conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy, whose mission is "to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people."

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is currently protecting more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers in 30 countries, plus they manage over 100 marine conservation projects around the world. In 2007, The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana celebrated its 20th anniversary of hard work that now protects over 300,000 acres of vital natural habitat in the pelican state. You can learn more about The Nature Conservancy at Nature.org.

The eco-friendly visitor center complex will feature an Acadian-style home as its central structure where birders, photographers and tourists can learn about the ecological importance of The Cypress Island Preserve which includes Lake Martin and its adjacent 200 acre wading bird rookery. The Cypress Island Preserve, located between Lafayette and Breaux Bridge, covers 9,500 acres of vitally significant cypress-tupelo swamp and bottomland hardwood forest habitat.

According to Kacy Kobrin, Cypress Island Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, planned exhibits inside the Acadian-style visitor center will include "a map of the Cypress Island Preserve area, information about wading bird migration and the importance of bottomland hardwood forest habitat."

The Nature Conservancy will use the center as the organization's home office. An original work of art by Robert Dafford, the American muralist and Lafayette native, will be painted on a wall inside the center to give the structure a one-of-a-kind aesthetic centerpiece for tourists to admire and photograph.