Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve

Louisiana

Small pine saplings emerge from a grassy meadow. — Talisheek Preserve Longleaf pine savanna habitat can be found at The Nature Conservancy's Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve in Louisiana. © The Nature Conservancy/Will deGravelles

Phone: 225-338-1040
Email: lafo@tnc.org
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TNC is stewarding key habitats to protect and welcome back rare plants and animals.

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Overview

Description

Located within the flatwoods region of the East Gulf Coastal Plain, The Nature Conservancy's Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve harbors important and unique native communities and rare plant and animal species. Once common throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana, the native longleaf pine flatwood savanna habitat found here now only occurs in relatively small, highly fragmented areas of the region.

TNC's Talisheek Preserve provides hope, though, as it has key elements that have the potential for this preserve to serve as a long-term refugia.. That is why the preserve, which is closed to the public, serves as a demonstration site for restoring and managing native longleaf pine flatwood savanna habitat to resemble what once occured across the region.

TNC's Vision for Talisheek

The conservation vision for this property is to restore the historic structure, composition, functional processes and geographic extent of all associated natural communities, with an emphasis on longleaf pine flatwood savanna. TNC is pursuing this through aggressive restoration practices that include timbering and herbicide treatments to remove off-site trees and brush, frequent prescribed fire, planting longleaf pines and controlling non-native invasive species.

TNC has also undertaken an ambitious project (the “McCulla Field” project) to restore a former agricultural field back to longleaf pine savanna through a step-wise process of controlling undesirable field weeds, reintroducing native savanna herbaceous species, planting longleaf pines, applying prescribed fire and remediating altered hydrology to restore wetland characteristics.

On a broader scale, TNC is collaborating with conservation-minded private landowners who are restoring acreage to native habitats with a goal of collectively protecting at least 10,000 acres in this landscape to ensure long-term viability of the savanna habitat and the many associated species it supports. The Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve is also one of three units in TNC’s Southeast Louisiana Pine Wetland Mitigation Bank, which includes Lake Ramsay and Abita Creek preserves. Wetland mitigation has been a valuable tool to enable TNC to acquire, restore and manage significant natural areas in St. Tammany Parish.

Access

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

Location

About 10 miles NE of Abita Springs, LA

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Size

3,013 acres

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Talisheek's Biodiversity

The Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve supports a variety of high quality and unique wildlife, including one of the largest tracts of intact pine flatwood wetlands in southeast Louisiana and plant species that are only known in our state. Additional inventories taking place at this exceptional site preserve, which is closed to the public, will undoubtedly uncover more surprises.

This preserve supports high quality examples of longleaf pine flatwood savanna. This habitat is comprised of wet grassland communities with scattered trees and shrubs, maintained by frequent fire. The typically dense, herbaceous groundcover is dominated by grasses, sedges and a wide variety of forbs (“wildflowers”), varying in composition from place to place, primarily as a result of differences in soils, hydrologic factors, fire and other land management history.

Longleaf pine savannas are among the most diverse and most threatened habitats in North America, with only 1 to 5% of the original acreage estimated to remain. Although relatively large areas of West Gulf Coastal Plain upland longleaf pine forests have been protected, mainly on federal lands, there are virtually no flatwood sites in public ownership or under conservation management, other than those currently in wetland mitigation banks. Because continued loss of longleaf pine habitat is greatest in the flatwoods region, conservation efforts are most needed in that area.

Longleaf pine flatwood savannas continue to decline at an alarming rate and are highly vulnerable if current trends continue. Threats include conversion to pastures and other agricultural endeavors, conversion to off-site loblolly or slash pine plantations, clearing for commercial and residential development, alteration of the natural fire regime and drainage, among others.

Longleaf pine savannas and other associated wetland communities are considered important for floodwater retention, groundwater recharge, water quality, habitat for a myriad of wildlife species and several rare plant and animal species, and other ecological and human benefits.
Rare animals known to be present include the federally threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), state-rare mud salamander (Pseudotriton montanus), and the rare grassland birds Bachman’s sparrow (Aimophila aestivalis) and Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii).

In 2025, TNC launched an effort to restore shallow ponds in the landscape needed for the survival of the federally endangered dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus), which once occurred throughout the region but only survives at a handful of locations in south Mississippi.
Talisheek hosts 23 state-tracked rare plant species, including pink bog button (Sclerolepis uniflora), which is found nowhere else in Louisiana and bog flameflower (Macranthera flammea) and Flax-leaf false foxglove (Agalinis linifolia), for which Talisheek hosts as the only protected populations in the state.
- The plight of the tiny, endangered frogs made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, "when the federal government, fearing that extreme weather or an infectious disease could wipe out the species, came up with a backup plan to designate private land in Louisiana as 'critical habitat for the frogs’ survival,' according to a New York Times article from 2018. However, the frogs did not live on the property, so the landowners sued. Writing the opinion for the court, Chief Justice Roberts said the case turned on the meaning of the term “critical habitat,” and ruled for the landowners.
- The frog is known as “dusky” because of its brown coloring and “gopher” because it lives partially underground, according to Chief Justice Roberts, who artfully describes the frog in the ruling. “Warts dot its back, and dark spots cover its entire body,” he wrote. “It is noted for covering its eyes with its front legs when it feels threatened, peeking out periodically until danger passes. Less endearingly, it also secretes a bitter, milky substance to deter would-be diners.”

Dusky Gopher Frog The Nature Conservancy is working to welcome the federally endangered dusky gopher frog back to Louisiana, at its Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve. © John Tupy

October 24, 2025

TNC begins habitat restoration to bring back the endangered dusky gopher frog.

The deep, bellowing call of a federally endangered, three-inch-long frog may one day be heard in TNC’s Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve in St. Tammany Parish thanks to a major habitat restoration project that kicked off this month. The work will restore shallow ponds in the landscape needed for the survival of the imperiled dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus).

Native to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the dusky gopher frog today only survives at a handful of locations in south Mississippi. The species’ decline is primarily due to the loss of longleaf pine habitat, a fire-dependent ecosystem that has gradually disappeared throughout the southeastern United States.

Long before the first shovel of dirt was turned on the Talisheek project, TNC’s staff met with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Forest Service to learn how to prepare a site for these fragile amphibians.

"Dusky gopher frogs spend most of their time in higher areas of open longleaf pine savannas that feature some tree canopy and ground cover vegetation," says Will deGravelles, TNC director of land protection in Louisiana. The frogs live in moist or wet stump holes, under big logs or in other low and hidden areas. When it rains, the ponds fill up, and the frogs breed there, laying their eggs on vegetation sticking out of the water. “Ideally, ponds stay flooded through the winter, spring and early summer, but dry out in late summer and fall for an extended period,” deGravelles adds. It’s important that the ponds dry out seasonally in most years so small fish don’t inhabit them and prey on the tadpoles.

To recreate an ideal dusky gopher frog home, TNC is clearing some trees and brush from flatwoods depression ponds that are within a larger area of fire-maintained longleaf pine savanna. “These ponds are really just three- to five-acre slight depressions on the landscape,” deGravelles says. “With lack of fire in the landscape over many years prior to TNC’s ownership of the preserve, these areas grew into forested wetlands with fire-sensitive, but flood-tolerant trees, like swamp tupelo, sweetbay, pond cypress and other species. But historically, these depressions are believed to have been open, with few to no trees or shrubs and mostly sedges and grasses dominating.”

A major focus of this project is on the ponds’ hydrology. “We will conduct monitoring for many months to determine whether the ponds are performing well,” he said. “If they are too dry, we may need to dig them a little deeper, or if they are holding too much water for too long, we’d need to fill them a little.”

Given the careful adjustments that could be needed for this work, it might take a year or longer before the habitat is ready to receive the endangered frogs. If all goes well, TNC could work with partners at the Audubon Nature Institute to reintroduce the bellowing amphibians, whose call has been described as someone snoring. “One of our key partners is Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, which helps to raise frogs from eggs,” deGravelles says. The zoos have gotten very good at breeding and rearing frogs, and so they could be ready as soon as we feel the habitat is ready. The Memphis Zoo has also been a pioneer in raising frogs for restoration sites in Mississippi.”

Habitat Restoration A group of land managers explores a restored pond at the DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi. © The Nature Conservancy

March 6, 2025

The future of the dusky gopher frog hinges on regaining lost habitat.

Staff from The Nature Conservancy recently convened with peers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the U.S. Forest Service to learn about how to prepare a site to support the federally endangered and globally imperiled dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus). The meeting took place at the De Soto National Forest in Mississippi, near a site where remaining populations of the frog survive.

TNC is exploring the prospect of preparing a portion of its Talisheek Pine Wetlands Preserve in St. Tammany Parish to potentially welcoming these fragile amphibians back to Louisiana.

“We are involved because TNC is one of the only private landowners in the state who manage property harboring potentially ideal habitat—longleaf pine woodlands interspersed with seasonal wetlands—for this species,” says Seth Blitch, TNC’s director of conservation in Louisiana.

Native to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the dusky gopher frog now only survives at a handful of locations in south Mississippi. This decline is primarily due to the loss of longleaf pine habitat, a fire-dependent ecosystem that has gradually disappeared throughout the southeastern United States. According to Blitch, TNC delivers periodic controlled burning to mimic this historic natural disturbance to improve the health and resilience of longleaf pine woodlands at its preserves. The frog also needs shallow, seasonally flooded depression ponds embedded within these woodlands in order to breed.

While formal arrangements for bringing the frogs back to Louisiana are not yet secured, TNC plans to restore a portion of the Talisheek Preserve identified as having conditions key to supporting dusky gopher frogs.

“It’s an involved process, from using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology for siting ponds to studying the area’s hydrology and soils,” explains Blitch. “It’s exciting to be involved with recovering an endangered species. This would be our first time reintroducing a vertebrate on a TNC property in Louisiana. We look forward to reporting back as the project unfolds.”