Queen Bess Island

Louisiana's state bird went extinct here by 1961. DDT stopped brown pelicans from nesting on Queen Bess Island and extirpated them from the entire state. In 1968, young birds from Florida were brought in and released. The island was one of three rookery sites chosen for reintroduction. Repeated storms had damaged the island severely — only five of the 36 acres could support nesting. The island sits in Barataria Bay, 3 miles northeast of Grand Isle State Park. In 2019, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission designated it a state refuge. Deepwater Horizon settlement funds paid for restoration, completed in February 2020 in time for nesting season. The refuge is now the fourth largest brown pelican colony in Louisiana, producing 15-20% of the state's brown pelican nesting activity. Roughly 10 species of colonial nesting waterbirds use the island: American white pelicans, great egrets, laughing gulls, Sandwich terns, least terns, American oystercatchers, reddish egrets, roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, tri-colored herons, and diamondback terrapins. Landing is not permitted. Boats from Grand Isle pass close enough to see the nesting colonies.