Robinson Island expansion could accommodate wildlife & boaters

Robinson Island expansion could accommodate wildlife & boaters

The City of Orange Beach is working with the non-profit Nature Conservancy to make sure the islands (Robinson, Walker, Gilchrist & Bird) under the Perdido Pass bridge can remain a gathering place for boaters while preserving their integrity as a nesting place for herons, egrets, white ibis and brown pelicans. The seagrass beds around the islands are also important as nurseries for coastal finfish and shellfish. All of the islands were damaged by storm surge during September’s Hurricane Sally.
The Nature Conservancy and Orange Beach are looking into funding sources that will make sure the islands, which have always been extremely popular among boaters, will remain open to the public. The Nature Conservancy posted a conceptual restoration plan that creates a new Island next to Walker Island. In the plan, Bird Island and Robinson Island would be expanded with dredge sand to create additional areas for boaters to beach. Other parts of those islands would be expanded to create wildlife and nesting seabird habitat and be off-limits to boat and foot traffic.
Engineering firms Moffat and Nichol in Pensacola and Olsen Associates in Jacksonville have been hired to develop plans for what’s possible with the islands. The Nature Conservancy has posted a survey on its website to garner ideas from people who frequent the islands. For more info, or to participate in the survey, visit Nature.org (Lower Perdido Islands).