FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Julie Morgan, 504-862-2201

September 15, 2000

Coastal America to honor

Breton Island restoration efforts

     NEW ORLEANS – The interagency team that restored Breton Island, home to the endangered and threatened least tern and brown pelican, will be honored by Coastal America on September 19 at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony at the Aquarium of the Americas. 

     Breton Island is part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge System, the second oldest refuge in the nation and a key component of the Chandeleur Barrier Island Chain located off the southeast coast of Louisiana. 

     Dr. Joseph Westphal, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works and chair of Coastal America, will present the Coastal America Partnership Award to the federal and state team members. 

     “Coastal wetlands provide a wealth of natural and economic resources for this country,” said Dr. Westphal.  “The collaborative effort successfully demonstrated by this multi-agency team embodies the very essence of the Coastal America Program.  Their prompt action resulted in the restoration of an important feature of this nation’s coastal landscape.”

     Members represent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District; National Marine Fisheries Service (Department of Commerce); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Refuges), and U.S. Geological Survey (Department of the Interior); and the Louisiana departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, and Wildlife and Fisheries. 

      Also attending the ceremony will be Sam Hamilton, regional director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Terry Ryder, deputy chief of staff, Office of the Governor; Jack Caldwell, secretary, state Department of Natural Resources; and Col. Thomas Julich, district engineer, New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

     Breton Island is one in a chain of islands that is home to thousands of resident and migratory seabirds and waterfowl.  The island provides wintering habitats for migratory birds and a resting and foraging habitat for Gulf migrants and seabirds. 

     Unfortunately, the islands are vulnerable to severe damage from tropical storms and hurricanes.  Prior to Hurricane Georges in 1998, Breton Island consisted of about 180 acres.  Only 125 acres remained in Georges’ wake.  

                        Breton Island before Hurricane Georges

    Most of the material washed away from the island by Hurricane Georges was deposited in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO).  This material impeded safe navigation of the MRGO, creating the need for emergency dredging.  

     The partnership of federal and state representatives devised a plan for dredging the channel and using the material in a beneficial manner – returning about 1.2 million cubic yards of the sediment back to Breton Island. 

     “The team took an aggressive approach to solve the problem,” said Col. Thomas Julich, New Orleans district engineer.  “We would have lost Breton Island within 10 years if action had not been taken. We are very proud of the results.”  

     The team worked to assure that beneficial placement of the material did not adversely impact the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, portions of which are designated wilderness areas.  The contractor placed material on the gulf side of the island to restore about 26 acres and protect another 620 acres of shallow waters that provide essential fish habitat. 

     “Thanks to this cooperative effort we’ve been able to restore a jewel of the Delta, the second oldest refuge in our National Wildlife Refuge System-Breton National Wildlife Refuge,” said Sam D. Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  “And the thousands of fine, feathered constituents that are using the island will be a living testament to the grandness of this effort.” 

 Project benefits included: 

n     continued protection of a vulnerable portion of the Louisiana mainland marsh corridor

n     restoration of barrier island habitat suitable for use by resident and migratory seabirds and waterfowl

n     provision of habitat for endangered or threatened species

n     provision of essential fish habitat – the shallow intertidal waters are now protected, enabling seagrass to revegetate the area providing further essential fish habitat for various species of sportfish and shellfish, and

n     provision of a recreational resource for visitors to the island. 

     The lessons learned from this initial effort have led to the scheduling of additional habitat restoration for other reaches of Breton Island.  

     Coastal America, established in 1992, is a partnership of national, regional and local teams that deal with critical coastal environmental problems nationwide.  The partnership includes the Executive Office of the President, 11 federal agencies, and state, local and private organizations.