BretonNational Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The mission of the U.S.Fish and WildlifeService is working withothers to conserve,protect, and enhancefish, wildlife, plants, andtheir habitat for thecontinuing benefit of theAmerican people.

This blue goose,designed byJ.N. “Ding” Darling,has become a symbolof the NationalWildlife RefugeSystem.

IntroductionBreton National Wildlife Refuge wasestablished on October 4, 1904 by anexecutive order of PresidentTheodore Roosevelt and is the secondoldest refuge of over 540 currently inthe National Wildlife Refuge System.The President took the action to setaside lands the day after receiving areport that market hunters andothers were seriously depleting theislands’ wildlife resources. It is the

only refugeknown to havebeen visited byPresidentRoosevelt, on afive-day voyagein 1915 withmembers of theNationalAudubon Societyand soon to beGovernor ofLouisiana JohnParker.

Breton NWR consists of a series ofbarrier islands located in the BretonSound off the southeast coast ofLouisiana. The island chain startssixteen miles northeast of Venice,Louisiana and extends northwardtoward the Mississippi Gulf Coast fora distance of seventy miles. TheFederally owned lands are theChandeleur Islands and the BretonIslands, but through an agreementwith the Louisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service also oversees themanagement of state-owned NorthIsland, Old Harbor, New Harbor,South Gosier, Grand Gosier,Freemason, and Curlew Islands.Many of these islands have beenwashed away in recent storms, if theyresurface they will continue to bemanaged by the U.S. Fish & WildlifeService. In January of 1975 allFederally owned islands of the refugeexcept North Breton Island becamepart of the National WildernessPreservation System.

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The refuge wasestablished toprovide sanctuaryfor nesting wadingbirds and sea birdsas well as winteringshore birds andwaterfowl, toprotect andpreserve thewildernesscharacter of theislands, and toprovide sand beachhabitat for a varietyof wildlife species.The islands are alsothe first line ofstorm defense foreastern Louisiana(including NewOrleans) andcoastal Mississippi.

Breton NationalWildlife Refuge iscomposed ofbarrier islandsformed from theremnants of theMississippi River’sSt. Bernard delta.The course of theMississippi Rivershifted westwardapproximately twothousand years ago,

leaving behind the sediment thatformed the islands.

Throughout history the islands havebeen continually reconfigured due totidal action, winds, and tropicalstorms. The Breton Islands wereonce home to a fishing communitythat included a school, until 1915when a hurricane forced residents toevacuate the settlement. Theunnamed hurricane destroyed thesettlement and it was never rebuilt.More recently, a serious of stormsstarting in the late 90’s have causeddevastating erosion to the islands.

ChandeleurIsland was hometo two brick lighttowers both ofwhich weretoppled bystorms. The lastlight, a metal“Skeleton” towerwas built in 1895and stood for 111years untilHurricaneKatrina causedits fall.

Each yearnumerousvolunteers andcommunitypartners assistU.S. Fish andWildlife Servicepersonnel withprojects torestore theislands andvarious wildlifespecies. Theseactivitiespromote publicawareness andsignificance ofthe refuge andpreservation ofthis type ofhabitat.

WildlifeThe refuge provides crucial habitatand nesting ground for twenty-threespecies of shore birds and sea birds.Common nesting species includeroyal, caspian, and sandwich terns,laughing gulls, brown pelicans, andblack skimmers. The refuge has alarge tern colony and a nestingpopulation of endangered brownpelicans. During the winter largenumbers of waterfowl such asredheads, canvasback, and scaupfrequent the numerous islands. Thesubmerged aquatic grasses in thenorthern islands make this area one ofthe top four most important winteringareas for redhead ducks in the U.S.Frigate birds are commonly observedflying over the refuge. Endangeredspecies that inhabit the refuge arebrown pelicans, piping plover andleast terns.

HabitatThe refuge provides a sandy barrierisland beach with vegetationcomprised of black mangrove,groundsel bush, and wax myrtle. Theshallow areas around the islandssupport beds of manatee, shoal,turtle, and widgeon grass. Thehabitat provided by the islands offerssignificant importance for nestingsea, shore, and wading birds.

Public UsePublic uses suchas wildlifeobservation,photography, andfishing areencouraged onthe refuge. Toavoid disturbanceto nesting seabirdcolonies, eachcolony is posted asa closed areaduring the nestingseason. Visitorsmay continue tovisit the refugeduring the nestingseason but maynot enter postedareas.

Travel to therefuge is limitedby its remotelocation. Boats

venturing to the islands should beable to travel across open waters &should be operated by someoneexperienced in such waters. Thereare no facilities of any kind on theislands. Charter boats are availablein Venice, LA and Gulfport andBiloxi, MS.

Refuge RegulationsAccess to and recreational use of therefuge resources are permitted indesignated areas and in accordancewith state and federal regulations,subject to the following conditions:

Recreational fishing and crabbing arepermitted on the refuge year roundand must be in accordance with allstate and federal regulations. Allfishing and crabbing equipment mustbe attended at all times. Anglers maynot use trotlines, slat traps, or nets.

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Federal owned landsState owned lands managed as Breton NWR

Firarms: carrying, possessing ordischarging firearms on the refuge isprohibited.

Refuge users should be aware of birdnesting colonies on the islands. Thecolonies are posted with “AreaClosed” signs around them, and theentering or disturbing of birdcolonies is strictly prohibited.

These provisions supplement theregulations which governrecreational uses on national wildliferefuges set forth in Title 50, Code ofFederal Regulations, Parts 25-32.6.

Photos: USFWS

Southeast Louisiana RefugesBreton National Wildlife Refuge61389 Highway 434Lacombe, LA 70445Phone: 985/882 2000Fax: 985/882 9133http://Breton.fws.govemail: breton@fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 800/344 WILD

August 2006