Property Highlight: Cypress Knee Ranch

“Animals live in forests and they’re not making any more of that. I wanted to build a forest, so have taken farmland and reversed it. Seeing the animals flourish, that is the reward. In the autumn, I see beaver-almost unheard of. We have 12 alligator nesting areas, and I’ve spotted a cougar. Here, you see the balance of nature.”
            – Tim Bourgeois, Cypress Knee Ranch and
              Owner of PBC Services, Houma.

Cypress Knee Ranch – 800 acres located in Lafourche Parish

Bottomland hardwood and cypress forest, marsh and pond provide a home for perch and bass, many varieties of birds (including a resident bald eagle), deer, alligator “and coyote and bobcat galore.”

Landowner: Tim Bourgeois. “My family’s been in the area since the 1700s. We rafted down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers into St. James Parish to join the French colony of Louisiana following expulsion of the Cajuns from Canada.”

History: Purchased parcels of the current property starting in 1995 with the intention of preserving the land. “Then I found out about mitigation and was able to turn this cattle pasture back in to forest. I’ve planted 150,000 trees at a 95% success rate; the hardwoods planted 10 years ago are now 25- 30 feet tall.”

Why: “The impact of land conservation is very personal to me. I believe deeply in the words of the Desiderata: ‘Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.’ Here, I came to my Shangri-La, and I am able to share it with family and friends who see the point.”

LTL Connection: Tim is a past Board Member, particularly involved with stewardship activities on easement-protected properties. He and his wife have donated a 121—acre conservation easement with two more planned, and are working with LTL to secure Knobloch Foundation funding for baseline/survey work through Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation.

Recent Posts

Supporting Conservation Stories Across Louisiana

Mr. Ellis’s Story — Ruston, Louisiana “I’m doing it for my grandson.” Mr. Ellis has spent the entirety of his 80-some years on the property his grandfather bought in north Louisiana generations ago. A lover of this land, he has grown crops, raised chickens, fished the pond, and watched small saplings grow into giants. He

Read More »

Louisiana Outdoor Forever Grant to Help Conserve Live Oak Farm

Land Trust for Louisiana has received a grant through the newly minted Louisiana Outdoors Forever program within the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. This will allow us to finally close out the purchase of an easement on Live Oak Farm in southwest Louisiana, an 8-year-old project we now aim to complete in early 2024.

Read More »

Halloween Hike at Abita Creek’s “Missing Link”

Nature is providing the tricks this Halloween… flesh-eating pitcher plants in their fall colors, green lynx spiders lying in wait, and other wonders of the natural world, in a beautiful Autumn landscape. This year, our annual Fall Hike will be even more special! We have access to a premier spot at The Nature Conservancy’s Abita

Read More »