GEMS– Horn Island

GEMS

Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Coastal Preserves Program
1141 Bayview Avenue
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228) 374-5000

Narrative Description of the Site:

The primary boundary of this 2,763-acre preserve is one mile North and South of the island and is bounded on the East and West by the Alabama state line the the Gulfport Mississippi shipping channel.  This large barrier island is made up of subtidal estuarine habitat near shore, barrier island marsh/pond/lagoon complex with pine-oak maritime woodland inland, and sea grass beds and mollusk reef off shore.

This unique location provides excellent feeding, resting, and wintering habitat for numerous types of neotropical migrants and wintering waterfowl species, such as the Brown Pelican, White Pelican, and cormorants.  This area is also known to be rookery for the least tern, black skimmer, bald eagle, and osprey.

Lands within this Coastal Preserve are federally owned. The island is part of the Gulf Island National Seashore and managed by the National Park Service.

Date When Information Last Updated:  March, 1998

Location:  Jackson County, N30 14’30" W088 41’21"

Area of Influence:  Barrier Island

Habitat type:

A large barrier island with the following ecological communities are expected or known to occur on the island: marine subtidal 1) Gulf of Mexico shallow sandy bottom (near shore); marine intertidal 1) sand shore; estuarine subtidal 1) Mississippi Sound-sand bottom (nearshore) 2) barrier island pond/lagoon complex 3) tidal pass 4) barrier island sea grass bed 5) mollusk reef; estuarine intertidal 1) oligohaline or mesohaline marsh 2) barrier island high marsh.

Rare/Endangered Species:

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos American White Pelican
P. occidentalis Brown Pelican
Phalacrocorax auritus Double-Crested Cormorant
Egretta rufescens Reddish Egret
Nycticorax nycticorax Black-Crowned Night-Heron
Panion haliaetus Osprey
Halilaeetus leucocephalus Bald Eagle
Circus cyaneus Northern Harrier
Falco sparverius American Kestrel
F. peregrinus Peregrine Falcon
Latrerallus jamaicensis Black Rail
Charadrius alexandrinus Snowy Plover
Sterna nilotica Gull-Billed Tern
S. maxima Royal Tern
S. antillerum Least Tern
Tyto alba Common Barn-Owl
Tyrannus dominicensis Gray Kingbird
Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike
Myotis lucifugus Little Brown Bat
Caretta caretta Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys Kempi Atlantic Ridley Turtle
Caretta caretta Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas Green Turtle
Pseudemys sp.1 Mississippi Redbelly Turtle
Alligator mississippiensis American Alligator
Nerodia clarkii clarkii Gulf Salt Marsh Snake
Lilaeopsis carolinensis Carolina Lilaeopsis
Helenium drummondii Drummond’s Sneezeweed
Paronychia erecta Gulf Rockrose
Helianthemum arenicola Gulf Rockrose
Ipomoea pes-caprae Railroad Vine
Polanisia tenifolia Slender-Leaved Clammy-Weed
Conradina canescens Seaside Balm
Andropogon capillipes A Bluestem Grass
Aristida spiciformis Pine Barren Three-Awned Grass
Xyris flabelliformis Fan-Shaped Yellow-Eyed Grass

Breeding/Nursery Area:

Least Tern Rookery
Royal Tern Rookery
Sandwich Tern Rookery
Black Skimmer Rookery
Bald Eagle Rookery
Osprey Rookery
Great Blue Heron Rookery
Atlantic Loggerhead Turtle Nesting

Migratory Species: This unique location provides excellent feeding, resting, and wintering habitat for numerous types of migratory bird species, such as the Brown Pelican, White Pelican, and cormorants.

Land Ownership:  The island is part of the Gulf Island National Seashore, owned and managed by the National Park Service.

Existing Designations:  Designated as a Wilderness Area (Gulf Islands Wilderness Area) and a Mississippi Coastal Preserve

Management Status:  This preserve is managed by the Gulf Island National Seashore.

Existing Monitoring Activities:  This preserve is monitored by the Gulf Island National Seashore.

5- Sources of Information:  Boyd, J. L., et. al., 1995. An inventory of pond fauna of the Gulf Islands National Seashore with parasitological and trophic observations. Unpublished Report to the National Parks Service.

6- Comments and/or Additional Information on the Horn Island Preserve:

Superintendent
Gulf Islands National Seashore
3500 Park Road
Ocean Springs MS  39564

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