Round Island (Mississippi)

Round Island (Mississippi)

Round Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Mississippi Sound, 6.5 kilometers (4 mi) south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.A. The 0.26-km² (65 acre) island is a coastal preserve, situated in Jackson County and managed by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The relatively isolated terrain—consisting of slash pine forest, interior marsh, and sandy beach—provides feeding, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including the brown pelican, white pelican, and cormorants. A number of rare or endangered species, including the American alligator, are found there.

The island had a lighthouse as early as 1833. The original wooden structure was replaced in 1859 with a brick lighthouse at 30°17′31″N 88°35′12″W / 30.2919°N 88.5867°W / 30.2919; -88.5867 at the southern tip of the island. The lighthouse was destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 damaged Round Island, cutting channels partly or completely through from east to west. A $7.5 billion, ten-year Gulf Coast environmental restoration initiative announced in December 2005 includes plans to restore Round Island.