Louisiana Coastal Restoration Project Protects Waterbird Habitat

QUEEN BESS ISLAND, LA — After the completion of an $18.7 million coastal restoration project, Queen Bess Island in Louisiana's Barataria Basin has officially been reopened for nesting to waterbirds. 

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) oversaw the engineering, design, and construction of the restoration project, which was funded with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damages settlement administered by Louisiana’s Trustee Implementation Group.

The island provides vital nesting habitat to Louisana's state bird, the Brown Pelican, in addition to at least eight other species of nesting colonial waterbirds, including Great Egrets, Royal Terns, Roseate Spoonbills, and Tri-Colored Herons. This project will enable these species, who were among those most impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, to continue nesting here well into the future.

The restoration of Queen Bess Island involved enhancing an existing rock ring around the island to serve as containment and protection for the sand fill material placed to increase the island’s elevation. On the southwestern side of the island, a set of rock breakwaters just offshore create a lagoon-style nursery feature for the young birds to learn how to swim, preen, and feed.

The island is now highest on its southwestern side, approximately four feet above sea level, gently sloping toward the northeast where intertidal marsh elevations and an enhanced tidal exchange gap will support the growth of black mangroves and other fish and wildlife habitat. A nearby breakwater will reduce wave-driven erosion through the gap. 

In the middle elevations, scrub-shrub vegetation will be planted to support Brown Pelican and colonial wading bird nesting. The southwestern third of the island is designed as habitat for birds that prefer nesting on the ground. For such birds, including terns and skimmers, six inches of small limestone are being placed on top of the sand fill to inhibit vegetation growth. 

Once the material in the lower elevation portion of the island has settled, it will be planted with black mangrove. The scrub-shrub vegetation planted in the middle elevations may need to be supplemented in future years. Small limestone serving as bird ramps will be placed around the island to provide flightless juvenile birds with safe and easy access to the water.

Queen Bess Island is the fourth-largest Brown Pelican rookery in Louisiana, supporting 15 to 20% of the state’s total pelican nesting activity. The Brown Pelican disappeared from Louisana's coastal wetlands by the mid-1960s, primarily due to the now-banned pesticide DDT. In 1968, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) began restocking Brown Pelicans to coastal Louisiana and Queen Bess Island was chosen as the first reintroduction location. In 1971, 11 nests were documented on the island, marking the first sign of the species’ successful recovery in the state.

“The island was already slowly deteriorating, but the effects of the oil spill were catastrophic to the site,” said CPRA Board Chairman Chip Kline. “The images of oiled birds and miles of marsh along our coast are difficult memories. But [the] restoration announcement is a testament to what can be achieved through partnerships, dedication, and hard work.”

Governor John Bel Edwards declared the island officially reopened to nesting on January 3, 2020. 

“I think they’ll like what we’ve done with the place,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards, touring newly-rebuilt land on Queen Bess Island, a major rookery for Brown Pelicans and other birds. “Before we started this restoration last August, only five of the island’s 36 acres were usable for nesting. Now all 36 acres are available, and we have plans to keep it that way for years to come.” 

The traditional nesting season for pelicans and other colonial waterbirds begins in mid-to-late February. 

For more information and images of Queen Bess Island, visit www.coastal.la.gov/news/queen-bess/.