The restoration efforts of three heavily eroded islands along Louisiana’s coast are providing habitat for the state’s brown pelicans. Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Biologist Todd Baker says the islands serve as great nesting grounds.
“The success of these projects were never going to be the number of acres, it was going to be the number of nests. And that’s the real thing to point out in these projects. While we did increase acreage, the goal was to produce more birds.”
The restoration sites areRabbit Island off the southwest coast and North Breton and Queen Bess Islands off of Louisiana’s southeast coas. Funds from the BP Settlement were used to complete the island restoration projects.
Baker says the North Breton project produced nearly 150 acres of new land.
“It’s significantly taller and much more real estate then it use to be. A lot of bare sand, all the vegetation hadn’t quite taken yet but the results are pretty phenomenal already. The birds are responding to it very strongly.”
LDWF Project Manager Katie Freer says the goal is to make the habitat last for 20 years. She says the islands have withstood the 2020 and 2021 hurricanes.
“It wasn’t long after it was built that Zeta passed nearby. And then it also made it through Ida. It definitely took a hit and we saw some damages, but we’ve also seen the islands recover itself.”
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