Queen Bess Island Restoration Project (BA-202)

• Client

  Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

• Division

  Environmental, Engineering, Survey & Mapping

• Scope

  Topographic, Bathymetric and Magnetometer Surveys, Geotechnical Investigations, Environmental & Cultural Investigations, Permitting, Land Rights Support

• Completion

  Ongoing

The restoration of Queen Bess Island was a collaboration of government and private enterprise to save the sinking island: an essential habitat for many bird species and other forms of wildlife. Most notable of these creatures is the Louisiana Brown Pelican, whose favorite nesting ground had subsided from 36 to a mere 5 acres.

Fenstermaker was responsible for project management, data collection, and engineering & design activities necessary to complete the permitting process and provide construction plans and specifications for the restoration of Queen Bess Island. This multi-disciplinary project goal was to increase pelican and shorebird habitat on the island to it’s original state. Design of the project called for the transport and installation of dredged material from strategic borrow areas. The completed project will provide habitat for up to 20,000 nesting pairs of birds.

Fenstermaker coordinated with various state and federal agencies to develop a design to provide an optimum habitat for decades to come. The project team utilized construction management expertise to ensure that the design was constructible with maximum value at a minimum cost. Services provided include: project initiation and planning; compilation, review, and analysis of existing data; data collection, topographic, bathymetric and magnetometer surveys, geotechnical investigations, environmental and cultural resource investigations, numerical modeling, water quality analyses, permit development, land rights support, engineering and design, bid document development, bid phase support, and technical assistance.