Unbreaking Barriers: Restoring the Chandeleur Islands

In the Gulf of Mexico at the easternmost tip of Louisiana, sits the historic Chandeleur Islands, a thin chain of barrier islands formed over 2,000 years ago. The islands have lost nearly 90% of their landmass over the past 200 years due to intense weather events, including Hurricanes Georges (1998) and Katrina (2005). The islands were also heavily oiled during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, impacting many birds, plants, seagrasses, and aquatic species that inhabited them. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is currently in the engineering and design phase of a large-scale project restore 13 miles of the barrier island chain. Once complete, the restoration will increase the overall, long-term resiliency and sustainability of these landmasses, preserving the habitats of the precious array of wildlife the islands hosts and the communities these islands protect.
Learn more at coastal.la.gov/chandeleur-isl...