Donovan Garcia, front right, leads one of the first hikes through the Palmetto Trail in the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge shortly after the trail’s construction. Located south of Franklin, the trail is about 2.5 miles long and was a project of the Friends of the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge group which has just launched its own Facebook page. Plans are in the works to add informative signs and duck boxes to further enhance the hike experience.
Visitors to the site can access photos of the refuge, the latest news and be among the first to learn about free guided tours, hiking and paddle events, fundraisers and more.
“The Friends group is striving to inform the public about the trails and events on the refuge,” said Delores Stewart, Friends president. “Newspapers and magazines have given tremendous support to our organization. But sometimes our volunteers have unexpected time off and can lead a tour on the refuge. When this happens, we do not have the time to adequately inform the public through the news media. Placing information on Facebook is just another way that we can inform the public.”
Citizens can find the Friends of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge community page by logging onto Facebook and searching for it. This page will display the Friends official black and white logo.
“To learn about the latest events of the refuge, you simply need to Like our Friends community page to receive all of our current posts, or to visit our wall,” Stewart said.
The Friends of Bayou Teche Refuge Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to community stewardship of the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge and by extension the entire National Wildlife Refuge System through preservation and restoration of the natural environment as well as increased public awareness, appreciation, education and responsible recreational use.
Among the projects of the Friends was the development of the Palmetto Trail, a hiking trail about 2.5 miles in length located on Janet E. Road just off of U.S. 90 near Franklin. The placement of new informative signs and duck boxes in the future will further enhance the trail. The Friends group also offers guided canoe tours on the refuge.
To learn more about the Friends group, visit their new Facebook page or e-mail the group at btrfriends@yahoo.com.
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