"In addition to facilitating recovery of Gulf wildlife from the oil spill, this project will also make great strides to supplement the deficit in the coastal sand budget for this portion of the Louisiana coast," said BOEM Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Mike Celata. "This project will directly restore the function of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Islands and West Belle Barrier Headland, increasing their resiliency against damage from future storms."

 

Nearly seven miles of shoreline and 1,400 acres of beach, dune, supratidal, and marsh habitats will be restored using sand from the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) on Trinity-East Island, Timbalier Island, and West Belle Barrier Headland. In addition, the project will create a 68-acre feeder beach for West Belle Barrier Headland. The restoration effort will provide and improve habitats for marine and estuarine fisheries resources and their forage species, sea turtle nesting as well as a wide variety of avian communities including shorebirds, wading birds, colonial nesting birds, and migratory songbirds.

 

"BOEM has been a great partner in supplying CPRA with material to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal perimeter," said CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase. "Using sediment mined from federal waters like BOEM's Ship Shoal-along with other sources-CPRA has restored and nourished more than 60 miles of barrier islands, berms and shorelines using approximately 57 million cubic yards of dredged material. BOEM's contribution to our efforts has been invaluable."

 

The overall project is one of several that the State of Louisiana's CPRA is developing to address the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and work toward the long-term recovery of the coast. This restoration effort is funded through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which is administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

 

For more information on the barrier island projects, check out CPRA's Interactive Project Map.