Gulf Islands National Seashore

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Gulf Islands National Seashore
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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Gulf Islands National Seashore, near Pensacola
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Gulf Islands National Seashore
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Gulf Islands National Seashore (the United States)
Location Escambia / Santa Rosa / Okaloosa counties, Florida; and Jackson / Harrison counties, Mississippi; USA
Nearest city Pensacola, FL (Fort Barrancas)
Navarre, FL (Santa Rosa Island area)
Gulf Breeze, FL (Naval Live Oaks area)
Destin, FL (Okaloosa Island area)
Pascagoula, MS (Mississippi area)
Coordinates 30°21′52″N86°58′3″W / 30.36444°N 86.96750°W / 30.36444; -86.96750
Area135,457.89 acres (548.1786 km2)
99,083.64 acres (40,097.73 ha) federal
EstablishedJanuary 8, 1971
Visitors5,685,155(in 2022) [1]
Governing bodyU.S. National Park Service
Website Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore map Gulf Islands National Seashore map.jpg
Gulf Islands National Seashore map

Gulf Islands National Seashore is an American National seashore that offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. In 2022, it was the eighth-most visited unit of the National Park Service.

Contents

The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of seven islands. Some islands along the Alabama coast were originally considered for inclusion, but none are part of the National Seashore.

The color of the sand in the region is exceptionally white, as seen in this 1957 photo at Pensacola Beach, Florida, adjacent to the protected area designated in 1971. Pensacola Beach 1957 White Sand.jpg
The color of the sand in the region is exceptionally white, as seen in this 1957 photo at Pensacola Beach, Florida, adjacent to the protected area designated in 1971.

The Florida District of the seashore features offshore barrier islands with sparkling white quartz sand beaches (along miles of undeveloped land), historic fortifications, and nature trails. The Perdido Key Historic District preserves shore batteries active in World War I and World War II. Mainland features near Pensacola, Florida, include the Naval Live Oaks Reservation, beaches, and military forts. All Florida areas are accessible by automobile.

The Mississippi District of the seashore features natural beaches, historic sites, wildlife sanctuaries, islands accessible only by boat, bayous, nature trails, picnic areas, and campgrounds. The Davis Bayou Area is the only portion of the National Seashore in Mississippi that is accessible by automobile. Petit Bois, Horn, East Ship, West Ship, and Cat islands are accessible only by boat. The 4,080 acres (16.5 km2)Gulf Islands Wilderness offers special protection within the seashore to parts of Petit Bois Island and Horn Island, Mississippi.

Considerable damage to public infrastructure occurred as a result of storms during the 2004 and 2005 Atlantic hurricane seasons. In subsequent years, infrastructure was fully repaired. All roadways, parking areas, campgrounds, and visitor centers have been repaired and are fully operational. A few trails and associated boardwalks and dune crossovers were still under repair as of late 2010, especially near the Fort Pickens campground.

Hurricane Sally hit the area in September 2020 causing massive damage to the Gulf Islands Seashores. Perdido Key was hit with flooding waters that flattened out some of the dunes along Perdido Key. Johnson Beach National Seashore, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore at the east end of the island, was hit particularly hard. Many of the dunes were flattened and the end of the island was gorged forming 3 small isolated islands off the tip. [2] Restoration projects bring in sand and vegetation to restore storm damage, though it can be a long process with subsequent storms and strong winds.

Entrance fees are charged at the entrance to the Fort Pickens area at Pensacola Beach, as well as the Johnson Beach Area at Perdido Key in Florida. The typical automobile entrance fee is US$25, good for seven days. Annual passes can be purchased for US$45.

Islands

Horn Island (in Mississippi). 1HornIS.JPG
Horn Island (in Mississippi).

Principal islands in the seashore (from east to west):

History

The national seashore was authorized on January 8, 1971, and is administered by the National Park Service. The wilderness area was designated on November 10, 1978. Santa Rosa Island had been previously protected as a national monument from 1939 to 1946.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, beginning on April 20, 2010, released masses of oil and tar which began washing ashore, in varying amounts, along the Gulf Islands National Seashore on June 1, 2010. On June 23, 2010, wave after wave of oil pools and globs began covering the beaches on Santa Rosa Island, [3] resulting in a fishing and swimming ban. The oil-spill disaster affected every large island in the group.

Day Use Areas

There are 6 distinct areas of the seashore in Florida for visitors: [4]

Visitor centers

Four visitor centers, staffed by National Park personnel, are located within Gulf Islands National Seashore. Two are located in Florida, and one is located in Mississippi.

Florida Visitor Centers

Mississippi Visitor Centers

Camping

Two developed campgrounds are located in the National Seashore. Primitive camping is also permitted in designated areas.

In Florida, the Pickens Campground is a developed one and provides water and electrical hookups for recreational vehicles and tents. Roads are paved throughout the campground, as well as each campsite. The environment is characterized by sand scrub oaks, small brackish ponds, and a remnant pine forest on a barrier island between Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Central restrooms and showers are available. A campground store reopened in late 2010 (after being closed following storm damage from Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis in 2004 and 2005, respectively). There are no sewer hookups at the campsites; however, a dump station is available. The campground is located approximately 1.5 miles (2 km) from Fort Pickens itself.

In Mississippi, the Davis Bayou Campground is developed, providing water and electrical hookups for recreational vehicles and tents. Roads are paved throughout the campground, as well as each campsite. The environment is characterized by an oak and pine forest adjacent to a brackish bayou connected to Mississippi Sound. Central restrooms and showers are available. There are no sewer hookups at the campsites; however, a dump station is available. The campground is located at the end of roadway leading through the Davis Bayou Area.

Primitive camping is permitted on several of the barrier islands. Boating or hiking in is required. Such camping is allowed on Perdido Key, Florida (east of Johnson Beach), and on government-owned properties on Petit Bois, Horn, East Ship, and Cat islands in Mississippi.

Geology

Gulf Islands National Seashore geologic cross section Gulf Islands National Seashore geologic cross section.jpg
Gulf Islands National Seashore geologic cross section

The barrier islands started forming 4500-5400 years ago. On the north side of the islands, the beaches are broad, while on the south side, the beaches include 2 metres (6.6 ft) high dunes on average, but with some reaching 6 metres (20 ft). The white quartz sands originated from the Appalachian Mountains. The surface geology consists mainly of Holocene marine, beach and dune sands. On Santa Rosa Island, these lie unconformably on Pleistocene formations deposited during the Sangamonian Marine Isotope Stage 5, when the sea level was 3-6 meters (10-20 feet) above the present level. This includes the Gulfport Formation, a barrier complex with shallow nearshore, beach and dune sands, the Prairie Formation, deposited in nearshore marine and estuarine-lagoonal brackish environments, and the Biloxi Formation, consisting of floodplain alluvial deposits. Below these formations are the Pliocene Pensacola Clay, the Oligocene Tampa Member of the Arcadia Formation, and the Oligocene Chickasawhay Limestone. On Horn Island, the Holocene deposits overlay Miocene formations that includes the Pascagoula Formation, consisting of fluvial, estuarine, and nearshore marine (undifferentiated) deposits, the Hattiesburg Formation, consisting of fluvial, estuarine, and nearshore marine (undifferentiated) deposits, and the Catahoula Formation. [5]

Climate

Gulf Islands National Seashore
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Source: [6]
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See also

Davis Bayou Area Visitor Center Gulf Islands National Seashore-Visitor Center.jpg
Davis Bayou Area Visitor Center

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore</span> Protected area

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Pickens</span> Historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola, Florida

Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and was one of the few forts in the South that remained in Union hands throughout the American Civil War. It remained in use until 1947. Fort Pickens is included within the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as such, is administered by the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort McRee</span> Former fort near Pensacola, Florida

Fort McRee was a historic military fort constructed by the United States on the eastern tip of Perdido Key to defend Pensacola and its important natural harbor. In the defense of Pensacola Bay, Fort McRee was accompanied by Fort Pickens, located across Pensacola Pass on Santa Rosa Island, and Fort Barrancas, located across Pensacola Bay on the grounds of what is now Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola. Fort Pickens was the largest of these. Very little remains of Fort McRee today.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa Island (Florida)</span> Island of Pensacola in Florida, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdido Key State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horn Island (Mississippi)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assateague Island National Seashore</span> Barrier island operated by the National Park Service of the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Barrancas</span> United States historic place

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Sound</span> Wide body of water, connecting two larger bodies of water along Mississippi and Alabama, US

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Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Florida, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdido Pass</span>

Perdido Pass, separating Alabama Point from Florida Point, is the mouth of the Perdido River. Perdido Pass forms a water passage that connects Perdido Bay with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, in the U.S. state of Alabama, 2 miles (3 km) west of the Alabama/Florida state line. A bridge spans Perdido Pass, connecting Alabama Point with Florida Point in Alabama. At the entrance into the Gulf, the 2 rock barriers, extending from the white beaches, are the west jetty & east jetty. The surrounding area is heavily developed, with high-rise condominiums. However, there are nearby beach-front parks, with Gulf State Park on the eastern side of Perdido Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdido Bay</span>

Perdido Bay is a bay at the mouth of and draining the Perdido River, a designated Outstanding Florida Waters river, in Baldwin County, Alabama and Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is essentially a coastal lagoon enclosed by barrier islands, with an inlet, Perdido Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Pass</span> Inlet on the Florida panhandle coast

Pensacola Pass is an inlet between Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key at the western end of the Florida Panhandle. It connects the Gulf of Mexico to Pensacola Bay. The mainland around Pensacola Bay is heavily developed, with high-rise condominiums. Santa Rosa Island and the eastern part of Perdido Key adjacent to Pensacola Pass are units of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and remain largely undeveloped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands</span> Islands in the Gulf of Mexico

The Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands are a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama enclosing the Mississippi Sound. The major islands are Cat Island, Ship Island, Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, and Dauphin Island; in the early 20th century the chain also included the Isle of Caprice, which has since been submerged. The islands are separated by wide inlets, several of which have been channelized to form the shipping channels for Gulf coast ports. The shapes and sizes of the islands have changed significantly since the 1800s, with the islands generally shrinking and shifting westward, especially after major tropical cyclones. Most of the islands are uninhabited. Much of the Mississippi portion of the chain is included in the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Perdido Key is a 24 kilometres (15 mi) long barrier island on the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The island extends from Pensacola Pass on the east to Perdido Pass on the west. Most of the island is in Florida, with the western end of the island in Alabama. Santa Rosa Island is to the east of the island, and Alabama Point is to the west. Perdido Key was attached to the mainland until the 1940s when a canal separated it from the mainland. The eastern part of the island forms part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which includes the Perdido Key Historic District, the site of three shore batteries that once defended Pensacola Bay. The rest of the island, with the exception of the Perdido Key State Park, has been developed as a resort and residential community. As a barrier island, Perdidio Key is subject to changes due to wave action and longshore currents, particularly from hurricanes. The endangered Perdido Key beach mouse is endemic to the island.

References

  1. "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2022". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  2. Robinson, Kevin. "Perdido Keys?! Hurricane Sally cuts eastern tip of barrier island into three sections". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  3. "Pools of oil wash ashore on Pensacola Beach", Tampa Bay Online (TBO), 23 June 2010, webpage: TBO-30.
  4. "Gulf Islands National Seashore | Florida Smart". www.floridasmart.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  5. Schupp, Courtney (2019). "Gulf Islands National Seashore Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2019/1986". U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved 30 January 2016.

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