Breton National Wildlife Refuge - History

History

In 1904, President Roosevelt heard about the destruction of birds and their eggs on Chandeleur and Breton Islands and soon afterward created Breton NWR. He visited the Island in June 1915; this is the only refuge Roosevelt ever visited. The island has been the site of a lighthouse station (eventually destroyed by Hurricane Katrina) a quarantine station, a small fishing village and even an oil production facility. Ultimately all these man-made structures will be destroyed by nature and only the birds will remain. Fisherman, birdwatchers and even artists such as Walter Inglis Anderson visit the island to enjoy its bounties.

Breton NWR includes Breton Island in Plaquemines Parish and all of the Chandeleur Islands in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The barrier islands that make up Breton NWR are remnants of the Mississippi River's former St. Bernard Delta, which was active about 2,000 years ago. These barrier islands are dynamic; their sizes and shapes constantly are altered by tropical storms, wind, and tidal action. The area above mean high tide is approximately 6,923 acres (28.02 km2). Elevations on Breton NWR range from sea level to 19 ft (5.8 m) above mean sea level. Early literature on Breton and the Chandeleur Islands mentions trees and a generally higher elevation than exists today. In 1915, several families and a school were located on Breton Island. Prior to the hurricane of that year, the island was evacuated. The hurricane destroyed the settlement, and it was never rebuilt.

All of the federally-owned lands, except for North Breton Island, in Breton NWR became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System on January 3, 1975 (Public Law 93-632). North Breton was excluded because an oil facility, owned by Kerr-McGee, Inc., was located on that island. The Breton Wilderness, according to the Clean Air Act, is listed as a Class I Prevention of Significant Deterioration Area. Recently, the only visible improvement within the wilderness was the Chandeleur Lighthouse on the north end of the islands; the lighthouse was constructed before the turn of the century.