Restoration of Louisiana Coastal Islands Results in Extra Brown Pelican Colonies

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Restoration efforts on three closely eroded coastal Louisiana islands are rebuilding habitat for Louisiana’s state fowl, the brown pelican, a wanted increase as brown pelican colonies have been on the decline.

The Occasions-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that the coastal fowl habitat has been diminished by coastal erosion, pushed by subsidence, sea-level rise fueled by local weather change, the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and quite a few hurricanes.

Louisiana brown pelican colonies have been in deep decline in recent times, Todd Baker, a biologist overseeing barrier island restoration tasks for the state’s Coastal Safety and Restoration Authority, informed the newspaper.

“In 2002, we had 30 brown pelican colonies in Louisiana. By 2010, we had been all the way down to 22, and as we stand right here immediately, there’s solely 9 left in Louisiana,” Baker informed the CPRA board of administrators on Wednesday. “And of these 9, three have been just lately restored and three are below design (for restoration.)”

Baker stated pelicans and different nesting birds make the islands residence throughout spring and summer time months.

The islands are usually freed from pure predators like coyotes due to their isolation.

Rabbit Island off the southwest coast and North Breton and Queen Bess islands off the southeast coast are the websites of the restoration tasks.

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