Mobile County Commission Accepted $13 Million in Grants for Little Dauphin Island Restoration
Posted on: Jul 29th, 2026 | AnnouncementsFeatured NewsPress Releases
MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. – The Mobile County Commission accepted $13 million in National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grants at its meeting on July 28 to restore Little Dauphin Island using dredged material from the Mobile Harbor Ship Channel Operation and Maintenance Project.
The Little Dauphin Island Restoration Project will restore approximately 130 acres of degraded beach and dune habitat using about 1.1 million cubic yards of material dredged during routine maintenance of the recently deepened Mobile Ship Channel. Rather than placing dredged material offshore, it will rebuild the barrier island, restore wildlife habitat, and strengthen its ability to protect the waters and shorelines behind it from erosion and storms.
The Commission accepted a $10 million grant through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which is a Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement fund, and a $3 million grant through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund, which was established by Congress in 2018 in response to storms like Hurricane Michael. The grants require no local match.
The restoration project is a partnership among the Mobile County Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Town of Dauphin Island.
"Little Dauphin Island is much more than a barrier island. It protects critical habitat and preserves an important navigation channel for commercial, charter, and recreational boaters, supporting the local economy by providing more direct access to the Gulf," said Mobile County Commissioner Randall Dueitt, who represents District 3. “This project demonstrates how environmental restoration and economic development can work hand in hand through strong partnerships and beneficial use of dredged material.”
Located just north of the east end of Dauphin Island, Little Dauphin Island provides a mosaic of habitats, including beaches, low dunes, intertidal flats, marshes, submerged aquatic vegetation and nearby oyster reef systems. Together, these habitats support migratory birds, shorebirds, fish and other coastal wildlife, including the federally protected piping plover, and a portion of the island is protected within the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The island helps protect more than 800 acres of adjacent estuarine habitats, buffers Dauphin Island Bay from wave energy and erosion, and contributes to the resilience of the broader estuarine system.
In addition, it safeguards nearby infrastructure, including the Billy Goat Hole boat ramps and adjacent navigation channel, which is a key route for commercial and recreational boating as well as the Dauphin Island-Fort Morgan Ferry.
“Healthy barrier islands are a first line of defense for Alabama’s coast, and Little Dauphin Island plays an important role in protecting Alabama’s coastal ecosystems while supporting boating, fisheries and recreation,” said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “ADCNR has been advocating with NFWF, Mobile County and the Corps of Engineers on this project for several years. When state, federal and local partners work together to achieve a shared goal, large-scale projects like this that no one entity can accomplish alone are possible,” he added.
"Little Dauphin Island is part of what makes this community so special. Restoring it helps protect the place we call home while preserving our coast for future generations," said Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier."
The project continues the Mobile County Commission's partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to beneficially use dredged material from federal navigation projects to restore Alabama's coastline, building on successful efforts such as the Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline Restoration Project.