Restoring Nesting Habitat for Louisiana's State Bird

Calcasieu Lake in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, is well known in the Gulf Coast region for its abundant fishing and recreational opportunities. Located in the lake’s west cove, Rabbit Island boasts a significant nesting area for hundreds of pairs of brown pelicans, Louisiana’s state bird. Like much of the brown pelican’s habitat, Rabbit Island is disappearing.

Calcasieu Lake is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by a five-mile section of the Calcasieu River Ship Channel. Wind-generated waves in the shallow estuary, coupled with periodic high tides that are amplified by the ship channel, have slowly worn down Rabbit Island. The erosion was expedited by storm surges from Hurricanes Rita and Ike. Significant land loss left much of the island at or below sea level, with its highest points reaching just two to three feet above sea level. Brown pelicans prefer to build their nests in higher elevations safe from flooding. On Rabbit Island, pelicans are forced to nest on the ground where periodic high tides drown their nests, resulting in failed breeding attempts.

With funding from the federal Coastal Impact and Assistance Program (CIAP)*, Calcasieu Parish targeted the Rabbit Island Restoration with the aim of building up the amount of nesting land available for the brown pelican. Tetra Tech is the prime contractor for the Rabbit Island West Cove Calcasieu Lake Beneficial Use/Marsh Restoration Project.

Tetra Tech’s plan calls for restoring lost land and marsh habitat by building up the island’s elevation with sediment from the Calcasieu River Ship Channel. When the restoration is complete, Rabbit Island will be the western-most rookery for the brown pelican in the state of Louisiana, providing significant additional habitat for the pelican and other colonial birds on the 220 acre island. The south and east areas of the island are also rich oyster habitats, which will be maintained during the restoration.

Critical avian habitat on Rabbit Island and other coastal islands is becoming open water.

With many barrier island nesting grounds under attack due to coastal erosion, the Rabbit Island rookery will be even more important. Distant from human disturbance and potential predators, the island will provide a quiet respite for the once-endangered birds.
 

“We would like this to be a world-class rookery for colonial birds and the brown pelican,” says Benjamin Richard, a Tetra Tech environmental scientist in Baton Rouge, who grew up just 10 miles from Rabbit Island. “This habitat will add an important dimension to the resources of the lake, and will help to broaden the range of nesting areas for the brown pelican. It is an excellent example of the beneficial use of dredged material.”
 

Tetra Tech is managing administration, field reconnaissance, topographic and boundary surveys, design, engineering, permitting and project construction for the Rabbit Island Restoration.