WGNO

Queen Bess Island restoration is for the birds, and Louisiana’s coastline

GRAND ISLE – One of America’s great comeback stories is unfolding two-and-a-half miles North of Grand Isle.

Over the years, Queen Bess Island has been ravaged by time, hurricanes, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. But now, the island is getting a new lease on life.


And that’s great news for the 4,000 Brown Pelicans who nest on Queen Bess Island every spring.

The restoration of the island, a first of its kind project, is almost done. The island will grow from five acres to 36 acres, providing an essential bird habitat for the pelicans and dozens of other bird species that are expected to start returning to the area in two weeks.

The project was funded by oil spill money, and the total cost comes in at about $19 million.