Effort under way to restore Cat Island; parish
searches for funding
The months have not been kind to Cat Island, two
small spits of land in Plaquemines Parish that have served for years as bird
nesting destinations.
Cat Island is the name for two separate islands
that have been eroding for years. In the past four months, the two islands have
gotten smaller with much of their vegetation dying or dead.
Cat Island west was 360 acres in 1930, 40 acres
in 1998 and 4 acres in 2010 before the Deepwater Horizon/BP explosion and
subsequent heavy oiling.
Although in July the island could boast areas of
thick black mangroves that were being used by brown pelicans, by Nov. 16, the
mangroves were dead and the island had been split into two pieces.
Cat Island east was about 5 acres before the
leak in 2010. In July, it was just a sand spit with some vegetation that may be
100 yards long and 30 yards wide. By November, it also was smaller and without
vegetation.
However, there is an effort under way to restore
the islands — if the money to do the work can be found. Plans for restoring the
islands include breakwaters made of a structure that will have holes in it to
allow water flow, a fish habitat and to serve as oyster foundations.
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