Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center is a 103-acre protected urban preserve in Baton Rouge that opened in 1997 as BREC’s first park centered on nature conservation. It preserves swamp and forest habitat while serving education, recreation, and research. Its exhibit building features live animals, exhibits on local ecology and art, and the largest public display of vintage Louisiana duck decoys, while trails and boardwalks pass through baldcypress-tupelo swamp and surrounding forests. The site supports wildlife viewing and has also been an important bird research station, with banding and studies carried out there since 2010. Regular programs and seasonal events keep it an active public resource.