Ben Lilly Conservation Area

LDWF purchased Ben Lilly Conservation Area from the Nature Conservancy in the spring of 2013. The area was named in honor of Benjamin Vernon “Ben” Lilly, a noted outdoorsman who spent some of his early years in Morehouse Parish and guided President Theodore Roosevelt on a hunting expedition in northeast Louisiana in the early 1900s.

The northern boundary of Ben Lilly Conservation Area is contiguous with a portion of the southern boundary of Chemin-A-Haut State Park. The area consists of mainly fallow pastureland with a corridor of mature hardwood tree species bordering Bayou Bartholomew.

For more information,
contact Mitch McGee at
mmcgee@wlf.la.gov or
318-343-4044.

Prior to LDWF’s acquisition of the property, the Nature Conservancy reforested approximately 140 acres of the fallow land with hardwood tree species indigenous to the area. Trees include nuttall, water, willow, and overcup oak; American elm; sweetgum; bitter pecan; honey locust; sugarberry; black willow; American sycamore; persimmon; red maple; river birch; cottonwood; and cypress. Understory species include rattan, Rubus sp., Vitis sp., deciduous holly, elderberry, Smilax sp., baccharis, poison ivy, and many herbaceous species.

All visitors must have a WMA Access Permit and comply with self-clearing permit guidelines.

Conservation Area Details

Acreage

247 acres

Parish

Morehouse Parish

Owner/Manager

LDWF

Ben Lilly Conservation Area Map (PDF)

Activities and Amenities

Boating

LDWF constructed an improved boat launch, with parking lot and access road, on the property in 2015.

No public hunting

Birding and Wildlife Viewing

Common species include white-tailed deer, waterfowl, squirrels, rabbits, and doves. Black bears also frequent this area; reported sightings have been increasing.

Other

Hiking, horseback riding.

Directions

Ben Lilly Conservation Area is located approximately 10 miles north of Bastrop. The major access route to the area is U.S. Highway 425. Access to the area is walk-in only.