Caddo Lake Institute

09/11/2026

🧠Did you know: Nothing in state or federal law requires that Caddo Lake keep receiving the water it needs? The flow guardrails that protect this lake are held in place by decades of monitoring, advocacy, and agency relationships. That's been our work for more than three decades: monitoring, advocacy, and a seat at the table when upstream decisions get made.

09/07/2026

🦋We hope you're spending Labor Day outside! If a trip to Caddo Lake is on the agenda, you're in for a treat, cypress trees rising straight out of still water, Spanish moss drifting in the breeze, and quiet you can't get many other places in Texas. This lake exists the way it does because of decades of work to keep its water flowing naturally. Enjoy it today, and thank you to everyone who helps keep it this way!

09/04/2026

🐾It's National Wildlife Day! Caddo Lake is home to an incredible mix of life: great blue herons stalking the shallows, ospreys diving for fish, alligators sunning on cypress logs, and paddlefish moving through water. It's Texas's sole wetland of international importance and the incredible wildlife here is proof!

What's your favorite wildlife sighting at Caddo Lake? Tell us below👇

09/01/2026

Watch now - Live!

08/28/2026

Caddo Lake protects itself with the help of people who show up for it — and that's where you come in. 💧 CLI relies on donors to fund the science-based monitoring, advocacy, and stewardship that keep this wetland healthy for the long term. Every gift, big or small, goes directly toward protecting a place found almost nowhere else in Texas or Louisiana.

🌿Ready to help? Donate today! https://caddolakeinstitute.org/make-a-donation/
Your support keeps Caddo Lake's story going!

08/24/2026

💙Caddo Lake is one of the most ecologically significant places on the Texas-Louisiana border, and it didn't earn that status by accident.
But a designation isn't the same as protection — it takes ongoing work to keep it that way. Caddo Lake isn't just scenery — it's a functioning wetland ecosystem that filters water, buffers flooding, and supports species found almost nowhere else in Texas or Louisiana. One lake worth fighting for!

Caddo Lake Institute (CLI) is a non-profit scientific & educational organization with the mission of protecting & conserving the ecological, cultural, & economic integrity of Caddo Lake & it's surrounding wetlands.
https://linktr.ee/caddolakeinstitute

08/20/2026

Patient, precise, and built for this habitat — the little blue heron hunts by stalking slowly through shallow wetland margins like this one. 🩶 Watch long enough and you'll see the whole strategy: eyes locked on the water and then a strike almost too fast to catch. It's a hunting style built for wetlands exactly like Caddo Lake, where lily pads and shallow margins create the perfect cover for stalking prey.

But that strategy only works if the water underneath is doing its job. Every species on Caddo Lake, from the smallest invertebrate to this heron, depends on the same thing: clean, well-managed water and flows. Healthy margins like these don't happen by accident — they're the result of ongoing science-based management and monitoring. That's the work.

08/16/2026

Did you know that Great Egrets were nearly wiped out a century ago for the plume trade — today, they're one of Caddo Lake's most recognizable residents. 🕊️

Their presence at Caddo is a direct indicator of water quality and habitat health. Where you find egrets thriving, you find an ecosystem doing its job!

08/14/2026

Dams and reservoirs upstream can flatten the natural flow patterns Caddo Lake's ecosystem relies on. 📉 No more high-water pulses in spring. No more low-water periods that let cypress seedlings establish. The result: a slow decline in habitat quality that's easy to miss year to year. CLI works with partners on flow management that restores these natural rhythms — because a healthy Caddo Lake isn't just about water quantity, it's about timing. ⏳🐟

08/12/2026

🪷Meet the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea): one of Caddo Lake's most striking native bloomers. Its seed pods aren't just beautiful; they're a fantastic food source for waterfowl and a sign of a healthy, functioning wetland.

Native plant communities like this one are exactly what CLI works to protect. Join us by donating today: https://caddolakeinstitute.org/make-a-donation/