New Orleans is one of the most unique cities in the United States. For 300 years, this port city has absorbed the influence of dozens of cultures settling and trading in the area, from native Houma and Choctaw to Acadian exiles and Italian immigrants looking for a fresh start. Its ecology is also a defining feature of New Orleans, sitting as it does near the mouth of the Mississippi River and surrounded by open water and wetlands, land that was vitally important for food, transportation, and trade for much of the city’s history. Some of that area has been preserved for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike: The 23,000-acre Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, the largest urban refuge in the United States.