Breton National Wildlife Refuge

Breton National Wildlife Refuge is comprised of a sixty-mile long crescent of barrier islands, including Breton Island and the Chandeleur Islands, in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Gulfport, Mississippi and east of New Orleans.  The exposed barrier islands of Breton National Wildlife Refuge are composed of open sand, shell beaches and overwash (areas washed over by high tides and exposed at other times), with black mangrove, wax myrtle, marsh, dune grasses, and other shrubby vegetation. Access is by boat only and, due to shallow water, visitors usually must anchor offshore and wade onto the island.