Park, recreation area serves as an attraction
The original plans to build Cypress Black Bayou began in 1958 when the state legislators approved a board made up of the city of Bossier, town of Benton, Bossier Levy Board, Bossier Parish Police Jury and the Bossier Parish Schools Board to oversee the lakes and its recreational area.
The official name is the Cypress Black Bayou Recreation and Water Conservation District. It was 1971 before overseeing the two lakes become a reality, and in 1976, a local media article reported Cypress Bayou had 15 feet of standing water.
The Shreveport-Bossier City community was extremely excited and still is today about the addition of the two artificial bodies of waters. While it met with some adversity from hunters, it didn’t take long to realize the excellent fishing opportunities would outweigh the loss of the hunting habitat as the lakes matured and with the stocking of game fish.
Cypress Lake encompasses more than 3,000 acres while Black Bayou has about 700 acres of water along its shorelines. The lakes were created by constructing a dam in the middle of Cypress and Black Bayou. The raw land that surrounded its shorelines in the mid 1970s now offers its lakeside residents some of the most valuable real estate and home values in Louisiana.
The Cypress Park Recreational area has grown its park offerings over the years and has continued to maintain its original offerings and is getting ready to update and expand what is has to offer residents and visitors alike over the next six months.
With the millage renewal passed by Bossier Parish residents last fall and a recent bond approved, which will allow the park to spend more than $3 million in needed improvements and new projects, the park and lakes are going to continue to bring more residents and visitors to its shoreline.
Robert Berry, the executive director of Cypress Park, along with his board, are great visionaries in getting the park to where it is today and the strategic planning for its future growth. In addition to its numerous RV and campgrounds, beautiful sandy beaches and boat ramps available to the general public, its nature center and the popular Cypress Zoo, it has been attracting more and more major events to its grounds. Just this year, it has hosted the Region’s Archery 3-D tournament, the USA Wakeboard Collegiate Nationals, the North American Fly Board Championships and will host the River Cities Triathlon Aug. 2. These four events alone will bring in more than 10,000 visitors and residents to not only the park but the hotels, restaurants and other businesses in our area.
Improvements that will be completed by the end of 2015 include a 15-mile bike trail, renovation and updating of cottages and cabins, the addition of a boardwalk around the current marina, a 3-D public archery range and other improvements.
As Robert and his staff have said: “This is not our park. The park belongs to the community, and we invite all residents and visitors, along with groups like reunions, companies, churches and other civic groups to come out and utilize what our park and lakes offer. We will work with each one of you to provide you with a great experience in perhaps the most beautiful outdoor setting and facilities in the state of Louisiana.”
Go to www.cypressblackbayou.
com and www.shreveportbossier sports.com for upcoming events.
Kelly Wells is the vice president of sports and tourism for the Shreveport- Bossier Sports Commission. The Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission is a division of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau in partnership with the city of Shreveport, Caddo Parish Commission, Bossier Parish Police Jury and the city of Bossier. Visit our website: www. shreveportbossiersports.com or email Kelly Wells at kwells@sbctb.org.
