lake martin

BATON ROUGE – Lake Martin will continue to be a public access area after an agreement was reached between the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Chauffe-Hebert family. 

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry issued a statement regarding the opening today. 

“Today, the Chauffe-Hebert Family has come to an agreement with LDWF to keep access to Lake Martin open,” Landry said in the statement.

“I would like to thank the family first and foremost. Their intent all along was to give the public access, but they had legitimate concerns about safety and maintenance of the boat launch and parking lot. LDWF has committed to addressing these concerns. I look forward to working with LDWF to make sensible rules and regulations for Lake Martin that protect access to hunting, fishing, and all other outdoor recreational activities.”

The dispute stemmed from a lawsuit that the LDWF filed in late November in St. Martinville that sought to gain access to the state-built boat launch at the lake as well as create a public right-of-way that would allow recreation seekers access to the lake.

The issue of access to Lake Martin came to a head this spring, when local landowners closed off access to the state’s boat launch, claiming fear of liability issues from traffic over their property. Eleven landowners, members of a family trust which controls the property, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.