Queen Bess Island Wildlife Refuge in southern Barataria Bay, northeast of Grand Isle, is a crucial coastal bird nesting site and one of Louisiana’s most important places in the brown pelican’s recovery. Brown pelicans had vanished from the state by 1961 because of DDT, and after reintroduction efforts began in 1968, the island became one of three selected rookery sites. Severe storm erosion later reduced nesting habitat from 36 acres to just 5. After the entire island became a state wildlife refuge in 2019, restoration funded through the Deepwater Horizon settlement rebuilt it for the 2020 nesting season. The refuge now supports many bird species and is Louisiana’s fourth largest brown pelican colony.