On March 21, 2017, Lousiana Governor John Bel Edwards and other state and local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Caminada Headland Restoration Project on Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge.
The work started over three years ago and cost more than $200 million. It was paid for by state tax money and payments from BP resulting from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.
The restoration was designed in part to help protect Port Fourchon, a nearby oilfield hub, as well as people’s homes and businesses from storm surge. The project restored over 800 acres of shoreline and beach.
Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge, owned and maintained by the state of Louisiana, is a 230-acre tract of barrier beachfront located on the southwestern tip of Jefferson Parish. It is located directly across Caminada Pass from Grand Isle, LA.
The property, historically known as Goat Island and referred to as Elmer’s Island since the 1970s.
It’s well known for the excellent fishing opportunities it has provided over the years for many popular species such as speckled and white trout, flounder, redfish, channel mullet, black drum, croaker, Spanish mackerel and many other species that frequent the State’s coastal beaches and passes.
It also provides non-consumptive outdoor opportunities to observe wading, shore and seabirds as well as coastal marine life.
Management is provided by LDWF Marine Fisheries Division biologists and technicians stationed on Grand Isle. Additionally, the LDWF Enforcement Division patrols the property to ensure compliance with refuge regulations.