Efforts are underway in Cameron Parish to restore Rabbit Island to assist population growth for the Brown Pelican in southwest Louisiana. Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Project Manager Todd Baker says they are building up the island by using sediment from the Calcasieu Ship Channel.
“We are targeting elevations for these birds so that they can have nests, lay eggs that won’t go underwater on a routine basis, and thus increase their nesting success each year,” said Baker.
Located in Cameron Parish, Baker said Rabbit Island is the only Brown Pelican habitat in Southwest Louisiana, and restoring the area not only assists the state bird.
“Now this island doesn’t only benefit brown pelicans but a large number of other birds as well, but the brown pelican is kind of like one of those focal species,” said Baker.
Despite set back from two hurricanes last year, the project to restore the coastal Island is on track which Baker said has decreased in size over the last seven decades.
“So, we’ve lost a little over 80-acres since the 1950s on Rabbit Island like most of coastal Louisiana we’re losing it pretty quickly. A lot of it is shoreline erosion but there’s also some subsidence that’s taken a toll on the island as well,” said Baker.
The entire $16.4 million project is funded with settlement money from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and is expected to be completed before nesting begins this year.
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