Bayou Sauvage NWR was established in 1990. The Refuge provides habitat for an abundance of waterfowl, raptors, wading birds, shorebirds, and alligators.  The Refuge joined the Gulf Coast Phenology Trail in 2017 and includes the popular Ridge Trail.  Gulf Coast Phenology Trail plants include red maple, Chinese tallow, black willow, common hackberry, American elm, bald cypress, live oak, sweet gum, and eastern baccharis. Observers also watch for American Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and monarch and Gulf fritillary butterflies.  Citizen scientists, who include refuge volunteers, retirees and students, use Nature's Notebook for phenology observation, giving them the opportunity to be outdoors.