Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alabama
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Dauphin Island is a strategically significant barrier island along the northern Gulf of Mexico, serving as the only barrier island providing protection to much of the state of Alabama’s coastal natural resources. The island has sustained impacts from both storms and the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, warranting evaluation of restoration options. This work will identify the most beneficial and effective restoration activities for Dauphin Island that, if implemented, would ensure long-term sustainability and resiliency of the state of Alabama’s only barrier island, its habitats, the living coastal and marine resources it supports, as well as estuarine conditions in Mississippi Sound and the extensive coastal wetlands to the north. The project integrates multiple models to determine long-term impacts of storms and sea level rise on restoration activities and consequent effects on conservation value of the island. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources engaged multiple USGS and ACOE scientists to develop the decision support system that will inform restoration decisions. The project was implemented in Phases I-IV and this Phase (III) developed the prototype decision tool for determination of conservation value associated with restoration decisions.