Breton National Wildlife Refuge

Breton National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of the United States
Location	St. Bernard / Plaquemines parishes, Louisiana, United States
Nearest city	New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates	29°50′06″N 88°49′50″W / 29.8349239°N 88.8305806°W / 29.8349239; -88.8305806Coordinates: 29°50′06″N 88°49′50″W / 29.8349239°N 88.8305806°W / 29.8349239; -88.8305806
Area	13,000 acres (53 km2)
Established	1904
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Breton National Wildlife Refuge

Breton National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Louisiana in the offshore Breton Islands and Chandeleur Islands. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico and is accessible only by boat. The refuge was established in 1904 through executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt and is the second-oldest refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

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. Fishermen, 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.