News Release

Restoration of Ship Island’s North Shore to Begin Next Week

Date: June 12, 2020
Contact: Brent Everitt, 850-934-2600

Ocean Springs, Miss. – Gulf Islands National Seashore, in coordination with the Mobile District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, will place approximately 300,000 cubic yards of sand along the northern shoreline of Ship Island, near Fort Massachusetts. Erosion along the shoreline has reduced the area between the fort and the sound to only a few feet in places. This restoration project will help protect the fort, a significant cultural resource and popular attraction for park visitors.

Work is expected to begin on Monday, June 15, and is projected to last one month. Heavy machinery will be used to shape and direct the flow of sediment from the pipeline. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC has been awarded the restoration contract. The project funding and coordination is being provided by the Mobile District of the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) and is one of several phases of Ship Island restoration work. Learn more about the MsCIP program by visiting https://www.nps.gov/guis/learn/nature/mscip.htm

Ship Island remains closed to all visitor access following damage to park facilities caused by Tropical Storm Cristobal. The park is working to complete repairs as quickly as possible, but a reopening timeline is not available at this time. Visitors can learn about the island virtually by visiting http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/ship-island.htm.

About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat. Visit us at www.nps.gov/GulfIslands, on Facebook www.facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/GulfIslandsNPS.

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice and Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice.

-NPS-