The Texas Rookery Islands Project was approved in the 2015 Phase IV Early Restoration Plan to restore and protect four rookery islands, three in Galveston Bay and one in East Matagorda Bay. The islands identified for bird habitat restoration are Dickinson Bay Island II, Dressing Point Island, Rollover Bay Island, and Smith Point Island.
Construction of the Dickinson Bay Island II component was completed in May 2022 and is in the first year of a five-year monitoring effort. So far, the number of breeding pairs observed during this nesting season has exceeded the Trustees’ expectations.
Since the project in the Phase IV Restoration Plan was originally approved, many changes, both environmental (ongoing erosion) and economic (increased inflation rates), have led the Trustees to adjust the project. The Trustees have made design changes to the Dressing Point Island and the Rollover Bay Island to address these changing conditions. Both the Dressing Point and the Rollover components are in the final stage of design and engineering, and the Trustees expect to move these into the implementation phase in 2024.
Upon recent review of the feasibility of implementing the Smith Point Island, the Trustees determined that there were overlapping management authorities at the Smith Point Island location between the State of Texas, the Navigation District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These overlapping authorities associated with Smith Point Island created uncertainties whether the Trustees would be able to successfully implement this component of the Project. Therefore, the Trustees decided not to implement the restoration of Smith Point Island. Funds originally allocated to Smith Point Island will be used to complete construction and monitoring of Dressing Point Island and Rollover Bay Island.
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