In September 2025, restoration of the Lower Perdido Islands in Orange Beach, Alabama was completed, restoring approximately 27 acres of important coastal habitat. Twenty acres were restored at Walker Island (now split into two islands), as well as an additional seven acres at Robinson Island. Funding for the project was provided by the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group using Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment settlement funds, with co-funding from a NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant.
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. After years of storm damage, erosion caused by boat wakes, and impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the islands were substantially diminished.
The improved island configuration helps block wind and waves, which in turn mitigates erosion and protects surrounding seagrass beds. Prior to restoration, the west end of Walker Island completely disappeared under water, and the east end had eroded to only about three acres. Construction crews used dredging equipment to pump 170,000 cubic yards of sand onto the islands, creating Walker Island East and Walker Island West. Placing the sand at varying elevations/heights and planting appropriate vegetation resulted in a variety of restored habitats including four acres of 6-foot-high dune platform, 13 acres of 4-foot-high shrub platform, four acres of marsh habitat, and six acres of subtidal habitat (sand flats). Robinson Island was also reinforced by adding more riprap, or stabilizing rock, in order to protect the northeast end of the island from erosion.
The restored islands and nearby waters provide:
- Nesting and foraging habitat for osprey, herons, pelicans, and migratory shorebirds
- Nursery habitat in nearby seagrass beds for speckled sea trout, redfish, Atlantic croaker, shrimp, blue crab, and other species
- Maintained public access
Many project partners—including the City of Orange Beach and The Nature Conservancy—worked together to design and implement the restoration projects. The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group developed a Conservation Management Plan and initial restoration design plans during the first phase of the project. Trustees approved funding for the plans in Restoration Plan 2 and used them to guide construction. Funding for construction was approved in Restoration Plan 4.
The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program named the project its ‘2025 Project of the Year’ for improvements to:
- Water quality
- Habitat
- Community resilience
- Local watershed knowledge
- Equitable access to natural resources
Community Involvement
Community members played an important role in the project’s success. Volunteers planted 200,000 native plants to help stabilize the islands. More than 100 people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 27, 2025, to celebrate completion of the project.
The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group will monitor the islands for at least five years. The team will collect structural and biological data to track performance over time. All monitoring reports and data will be publicly available on the Gulf Spill Restoration website.