Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge is a vast coastal marsh in Cameron and Vermilion parishes of Louisiana, created in the early 20th century to protect wetlands and migratory birds. Originating with Edward Avery McIlhenny’s 1913 purchase and transferred through the Rockefeller Foundation to the state, it developed as a working conservation landscape where revenue from managed natural resources supported protection and research. Its marshes, impoundments, levees, and sluice gates sustain varied salinity and habitat conditions for abundant fish, waterfowl, alligators, and other wildlife. Known especially for pioneering alligator management and broader ecological research, it remains a major conservation area, field study center, and public destination.