Gaillard Island facts for kids
Gaillard Island is a special island in Mobile Bay, near Mobile, Alabama. It's not a natural island; people built it! The United States Army Corps of Engineers created it using sand and mud dug up from the Mobile Bay ship channel. This island is super important for many kinds of seabirds and shore birds that nest there. It's even the only place in Alabama where brown pelicans have nested. The first brown pelican nests were found there in 1983.
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Building Gaillard Island
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Gaillard Island is shaped like a triangle and covers about 1,300 acres (5.3 square kilometers). It's located about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Theodore Industrial Park. It's also about 11 to 12 miles (18 to 19 km) southeast of downtown Mobile, Alabama.
To build the island, workers used a huge amount of material – 31 million cubic yards of sand and mud! This material came from the bottom of the bay and nearby land. It was mostly hard red clay, silty sand, and some small shells and gravel.
How the Island Was Made Strong
The sand and mud were brought by barges and pumped into place to form the island's edges, called dikes. Engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did tests to make sure the island would stay put and not wash away. They designed it in a triangular shape. They also used special floating barriers made of old tires to protect the island from strong waves.
To make the island even stronger, they planted marsh plants. These plants grew deep roots that helped hold the island's soil together. This was a very new and smart way to build islands back then. Now, this method is used in many places across the country.
History of Gaillard Island
Gaillard Island was created in 1979. It was built to hold the extra sand and mud dug out when a new ship channel was made. This channel connected Mobile Bay to the Theodore Industrial Park, where a navy port was being built. The channel was about 5.2 miles (8.4 km) long, 300 feet (91 m) wide, and 40 feet (12 m) deep.
At first, some people worried about the project. Engineers wondered if the island would last in the open bay. Environmentalists were concerned about how it might affect the bay's nature. But the island turned out to be a big success! It has become a wonderful home for thousands of birds, especially brown pelicans.
Who Is the Island Named After?
The island is named after Dr. M. Wilson Gaillard. He was a dentist from Mobile and also an environmentalist. He dreamed that the island would become a safe place for shore and seabirds to nest. Because so many pelicans live there, local people often call it "Pelican Island."
The Alabama State Docks owns the island. It is managed by several groups: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Island Ecosystem and Wildlife
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By the time Gaillard Island was finished in 1981, many different birds were already living there. In 1983, a biologist found four brown pelicans nesting on the island. This was a very exciting discovery! It was the first time brown pelicans had been seen nesting in Alabama since the early 1900s. Back then, people hunted pelicans for their feathers, which were used for women's hats.
Later, in the 1940s, the use of a pesticide called DDT caused pelican numbers to drop even more. Because of this, brown pelicans were put on both Alabama's and the federal government's endangered species lists. Thanks partly to the increased nesting on Gaillard Island, the brown pelican was removed from Alabama's endangered list in 1995. Then, in 2009, it was taken off the federal endangered species list too!
Bird Life on the Island
Today, Gaillard Island is a vital home for thousands of birds. You can find many species there, including skimmers, stilts, terns, pelicans, egrets, herons, and ibis. It's also the only place in Alabama where Caspian terns, Sandwich terns, royal terns, and laughing gulls nest. The first time herring gulls were recorded nesting in Alabama was on Gaillard Island in 1986.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has been watching the nesting birds closely. They do surveys every year since 1998. During their first survey, they estimated there were 10,000 nests on the island!
Plant Life on the Island
The island also has many different plants. You can find saltmeadow cordgrass, saltmarsh bulrush, salt marsh cattail, and American threesquare. These plants grew naturally behind the island's protective edges. Originally, only smooth cordgrass was planted there.
A report in 2011 showed that the number of pelicans on the island grew a lot from 2010. The report also said that the pelicans on the island seemed fine after the 2010 BP oil spill. Environmental officials had worried about their food source, but the pelicans were still finding enough to eat.
Threats to the Island
People are not a threat to Gaillard Island. Boaters and jet skiers can visit the sand beach, but they are not allowed to walk on the island. This rule helps protect the nesting birds and the island's natural environment.
However, three hurricanes have damaged the island: Hurricanes Danny, Georges, and Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, a huge tidal surge washed away parts of the island's protective system. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved $8.6 million to help fix Gaillard Island after the damage.
Fun Activities Near the Island
Bird watching is a very popular activity around Gaillard Island. The Mobile Bay Audubon Society even offers tours for people who love birds and nature. The best time to see the birds nesting is during the spring months.
As a bonus, there's a lot of marine life around the island. This makes it a favorite spot for fishermen! They often catch speckled trout, flounder, and mullet there. Shrimp are also harvested in the area.
