Gulf Refuge Created by Teddy Roosevelt Threatened by Oil Spill. By Douglas Brinkley, YaleEnviro360, May 6, 2010. "At the heart of the region now threatened by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a chain of islands containing tens of thousands of seabirds. Thin ribbons of sand rising no higher than 19 feet out of the gulf, these islands -- part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge -- currently hold at least 2,000 nesting pairs of brown pelicans, 5,000 pairs of royal terns, 5,000 pairs of Caspian terns, and 5,000 pairs of various seagulls and shorebirds. Earlier this week, strong winds and barrier-like booms kept the oil slick from washing ashore on Breton Island, the Chandeleur Islands, and other links in the refuge. But the National Audubon Society reported May 5 that oil had reached the beaches of the Chandeleurs, putting the abundant birdlife there in peril...
"More than a century ago, these islands held an even richer assemblage of bird species. Breton Island alone was home to 33 species of wintering waterfowl, wading birds, secretive marsh birds, and various shorebirds. When the birds were in full plumage, Breton Island was quite a sight... But plume hunters in Mississippi and Louisiana... regularly made 'hits' on the islands' nesting wading birds and seabirds. The birds' feathers were worth a fortune for milliners because the delicate plumage was needed to adorn ladies hats -- the fashion rage of the Gilded Age and beyond... To stop the carnage, Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order on October 4, 1904 creating the Breton Island Federal Bird Reservation off the southeast coast of Louisiana. The reservation was the second unit -- after Pelican Island, Florida -- of what would eventually become the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System."
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