Avery Williams - Gold Level Louisiana Certified Habitat - Lake Charles

ANPP congratulates Avery Williams for a GOLD certified habitat in Lake Charles.

His home sits on 23 acres of prime wildlife real estate bordering Indian Bayou.

We had a quick tour of the property before the Saturday deluge opened up on us,

and we went scrambling up the hill seeking shelter from the storm.

The Williams bought this property in 2013, and began cleaning it up and

improving it right off the bat. By 2019, they had built a home on a bluff overlooking

the bottomlands that lead to Indian Bayou. In the past, this land functioned as a

kind of community hunting ground for local residents. Unfortunately, that also

brought a lot of trash and debris, which Avery immediately set to cleaning up as

he cut trails through the woods. The unmanaged hunting also led to drops in local

wildlife populations. Now, it is pristine habitat full of native plants and wildlife, and

devoid of litter. Avery said wildlife started coming back to the property in droves

as the cleaning up and management of the property progressed.

Before dropping into the river bottom, visitors are greeted by a meadow full of

local prairie/savanna plants like rosinweed, rattlesnake master, sensitive briar,

swamp sunflower, and various grasses that are bush hogged once a year for

maintenance. Dropping down into the river bottoms one is greeted by a

cacophony of native plants transitioning from an upland to a lowland habitat,

which forms an ecotone rich in wildlife diversity.

This is a wonderful property showcasing what well managed native habitat can

achieve, and Avery enjoys sharing it with classes, clubs, and others that

appreciate the flora and fauna of Louisiana.