> St. Tammany Parish

St. Tammany, the parish which hugs the north shore tip of the giant Louisiana estuary called Lake Pontchartrain, has seen its population nearly double since Hurricane Katrina,. Places like Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge protect native habitat in this quickly developing region.

St. Tammany Parish, with its small towns, sprawling estates, crawfish boils, live oaks draped in Spanish moss, is a beautiful slice of the south. But its protected areas, some of which were created specifically to protect the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, are stunning.

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