Beneficial Uses
Federal Activities -- Service biologists working with the Corps of Engineers and resource agencies serve as technical experts to assist in designing and constructing intertidal marshes, colonial waterbird nesting islands, oyster reefs, and other important habitats. Many of these projects involve the "beneficial use" of dredged material from coastal navigation projects. |
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Tiki Breakwater (Photo by Phil Glass) |
Tiki Island breakwater is a small (1,000 ft) nearshore breakwater designed to stop loss of shoreline marshes by erosion and create highly productive, protected, marsh and seagrass habitat. FWS biologists have helped generate support and funding for numerous habitat projects in bays along the upper Texas coast, including Galveston Bay. |
West Bay Mooring Site Marsh is a 64-acre predominantly intertidal marsh site built from dredged material adjacent to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. It provides excellent nursery habitat for marine fishes such as speckled trout, Southern flounder, and brown shrimp, and is used by least terns for nesting and by several heron and egret species for feeding. |
West Bay Mooring Site Marsh (Photo by Phil Glass) |
Evia Island (Photo by Phil Glass) Evia Island, a 6-acre island built from Houston Ship Channel dredged material in 1999, has become home to over 2,000 nesting pairs of 6 waterbird species. Over 1,800 endangered brown pelicans use the island and will likely begin nesting in 2005. |
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