Posted on August 25, 2025
After years of erosion and storm damage, we are restoring Robinson and Walker Islands to protect fish and bird habitat and strengthen natural defenses along the coast.
In the coastal waters near Orange Beach, Alabama, the Lower Perdido Islands have long been a coastal refuge for birds and marine life. Boaters also flock to the area’s crystal clear waters and white sand beaches. But, after years of storm damage, erosion caused by boat wakes, and impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the islands were rapidly diminishing.
This year, however, the shrinking islands got a chance to be rejuvenated. The Nature Conservancy, City of Orange Beach, and other partners used local sediment to restore 30 acres of subtidal, marsh, dune, and upland habitat on Walker and Robinson Islands. NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation and the Deepwater Horizon Alabama Trustee Implementation Group funded the project.
Now the islands will be better able to support wildlife, withstand storms, and welcome new generations of visitors.
“These islands are really important to the community of Orange Beach, with their pristine scenery and abundant marine life,” said NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist Stella Wilson. “Our goal is to increase the longevity and resilience of these habitats into the future.”
A brown pelican with her chicks.
The Islands’ Ecological Value
Robinson and Walker islands are small in size, but ecologically rich. Osprey, herons, pelicans, and migratory shorebirds nest on the islands and hunt for prey. Seagrass beds and other submerged vegetation offshore provide nursery grounds for fish such as speckled sea trout, redfish, and Atlantic croaker. They’re also home to shrimp and blue crabs.
The islands also protect the mainland from waves and storm surge. “The islands act as speed bumps,” said Katie Baltzer, coastal project manager for The Nature Conservancy. “They slow the wave energy down and provide some protection against storm surge to the surrounding community. If those islands weren’t there, everything would be moving a little bit faster.”
Robinson Island pre-construction and during construction. Note the expanded footprint of the island.
Rebuilding the Islands and Promoting Stewardship
On Robinson Island and Walker Islands, construction teams created and restored:
- 6 acres of subtidal habitat
- 4 acres of marsh habitat
- 13 acres of shrub habitat
- 3 acres of dunes
- 4 acres of upland habitat
They also reinforced a breakwater on Robinson Island and planted native sea oats and marsh grasses. As they grow, the plants will stabilize the newly placed sediment and provide habitat for fish, blue crabs, and other wildlife.
By expanding the islands and creating new habitat, this project is helping to repair damage to the land and wildlife caused by erosion and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Protecting the seagrass beds around the islands during construction posed a unique challenge. Seagrass beds support a vast diversity of marine species but are in decline worldwide. Remarkably, seagrass beds thrive in the Lower Perdido Islands. To avoid damaging the beds, the team carefully removed and transplanted the seagrass that lay in the project footprint. The engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol created extremely detailed specifications for how construction was performed to minimize impacts.
Seagrass sods in the construction zone were removed and transplanted to new beds.
“It was a huge undertaking,” said Baltzer. “But we wanted to make sure the seagrass beds could keep expanding, not shrink. It’s a core part of the ecosystem here.”
As the new habitats take root, project partners are stepping up stewardship and education. They are installing signage, rope barriers, and conducting outreach to encourage respectful use of the islands.
“With upwards of 8 million tourists annually, the island system is at risk of being loved to death,” said Baltzer.
Walker Island will remain off limits to visitors, and the project partners worked to establish a no-wake zone for boaters in the area.
“We want to highlight how important and sensitive these areas are,” Erin Plitsch, Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment restoration delivery team lead for the U.S. Department of the Interior. “We’re making more room for wildlife to feel at home, and visitors can help by giving them a little space too—it’s a simple way to be part of something really meaningful.”
Seabirds gather as Walker Island West emerges from the water.
The Power of Partnerships
The Nature Conservancy worked with the City of Orange Beach and the Islands of Perdido Foundation for more than a decade to plan this restoration project. Funding through NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation helped make it a reality.
“This project wouldn’t have happened without NOAA funding,” Baltzer said. “Not at this scale anyway.”
“I’m just really excited,” said Baltzer. “I’ve been working on this project since I started with The Nature Conservancy. Seeing something go from an idea to actually putting it in the ground is incredibly rewarding. I look forward to the next few years when the vegetation fills in and we can see how things settle out.”
In addition to restoring habitat, the project supported the local economy. Seven local and two regional subcontractors, along with more than 130 local workers—including engineers, scientists, and construction crews—contributed to the effort.
Great Egret.
“We know the state of our natural resources is very much correlated to the economy,” says Kate Dawson, coastal engineer with Moffatt & Nichol. “When we have these healthy thriving systems, they welcome all of the recreation, fishing, and tourism that Orange Beach is known for.”
With ongoing support from NOAA, The Nature Conservancy and its partners plan to build a series of living shorelines in the area. This will include a demonstration project at the City of Orange Beach Waterfront Park. Living shorelines use natural elements like marsh grass, stones, sand, and other organic material to defuse wave energy.
“The partners are also developing a Living Shoreline Suitability Model and geospatial viewer,” says NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist Jessica Black. “These tools, coupled with a private landowner cost-share program, will equip homeowners with the resources and assistance needed to successfully implement living shoreline projects that protect their own properties and create valuable shoreline habitat.”
Additional project partners include:
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Alabama Marine Resources Division
- Alabama Trustee Implementation Group
- Alabama Audubon
- Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab
- Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
- Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
