Posted on June 17, 2025
BATON ROUGE, LA – The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) and Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group have released the Draft Joint Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #1 (draft plan) for public review and comment. The draft plan proposes using $247 million in Deepwater Horizon settlement funds to restore vital habitats and fisheries around the Chandeleur Islands.
The draft plan proposes ecosystem-scale restoration for the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana’s largest remaining barrier island chain, located within the Breton National Wildlife Refuge. These islands and their surrounding seagrass beds provide important habitat for fish, birds, sea turtles, and other species. The draft plan includes design alternatives to restore wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitats, fish and water column invertebrates, sea turtles, submerged aquatic vegetation, and birds—all of which were impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Chandeleur Islands project includes four design alternatives for island expansion, integrating restoration features such as beach and dune habitat, constructed marsh, sand reservoirs, pocket marshes, and feeder beaches. The preferred design alternative, Habitat Restoration Alternative 5, would deliver the most significant long-term ecological benefit and resilience.
“This plan represents a transformational opportunity to restore one of Louisiana’s most iconic and ecologically valuable barrier island chains,” said Todd Baker, CPRA Project Manager. “The preferred alternative not only provides the largest increase in beach, dune, and marsh habitat, but also does so in the most cost-effective and sustainable way.”
The restoration plan also proposes two alternatives focused on fish and water column invertebrates. The preferred alternative, FWCI Restoration Alternative 2, calls for developing and implementing a fisheries engagement and restoration plan, designed to equip local fishing communities with tools and knowledge to promote healthier fish populations and habitats.
This draft plan focuses on selecting refined project design alternatives and builds upon previous work funded under the Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group’s Restoration Plan #1, which supported engineering and design for habitat restoration along the Chandeleur Islands.
“The Chandeleur Islands are essential to the health of the Gulf ecosystem, particularly for birds, marine life, and the communities that rely on their first line defense protections,” said Amy L. Mathis, Ph.D., a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “This restoration plan is the result of extensive scientific collaboration and reflects our commitment to healing this landscape after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.”
The total estimated cost to implement the preferred restoration alternatives is approximately $360 million. Of this amount, the Trustee Implementation Groups (TIGs) propose allocating
$247 million from Deepwater Horizon NRDA settlement funds, $10 million for the Fisheries Engagement and Restoration Project, and $237 million for the implementation of Chandeleur Islands Habitat Restoration Alternative 5. The State of Louisiana is actively pursuing additional funding sources to cover the remaining costs.
To learn more about CPRA’s Chandeleur Islands Restoration project, visit: https://coastal.la.gov/
Public Comment Period and Engagement Opportunities
The draft plan and supporting documents are posted on the Deepwater Horizon Trustees website here: https://gulfspillrestoration.
Copies of the executive summary and fact sheets are also available for public review at local libraries during the comment period. Members of the public are encouraged to review the plan. Comments must be submitted no later than July 16, 2025.
Comments can be submitted via the following methods:
- Online: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/
LAOOTIGRP1 - U.S. Mail: Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, 150 Terrace Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (postmarked by July 16, 2025)
A public webinar will be held on June 26, 2025, at 11:00 AM CT. Project teams will present the plan during the webinar and accept verbal comments.
Webinar registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.
