Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is a vast protected marshland in southwestern Louisiana between Sabine Lake and Calcasieu Lake, and the largest coastal marsh refuge on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Its mix of open water and marsh habitat supports more than 200 bird species, along with alligators, blue crabs, shrimp, muskrats, river otters, and turtles. Trails, overlooks, and walkways have long brought visitors into this wetland landscape. The refuge has also faced petroleum activity, an oil spill in 2002–2003, and severe destruction from Hurricane Rita in 2005, yet it remains a major part of Louisiana’s coastal conservation and public recreation.