There is no permanent pool at this flood control dam. However, Bossier Parish maintains Ivan Lake on 520 acres of reservoir lands. A major waterfowl and upland game management and hunting area is open to the public.
The project encompasses 595, 000 acres of the largest contiguous tract of bottomland hardwoods in the United States. The Atchafalaya Basin is a scenic semi-wilderness area of hardwood forests, cypress stands, marshes and bayous.
Located in the piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern Louisiana parishes, the Kisatchie National Forest is the only national forest in the Pelican State.