CHAUVIN, La. (AP) — Raccoon Island, a barrier isle an hour’s boat ride off the coast of Louisiana, is one of the few remaining breeding refuges for the iconic brown pelicans.

A dozen years ago, there were 15 low-lying islands with nesting colonies of Louisiana’s state bird.

  • Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, is seen form the leeward side in this aerial photo in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. A dozen years ago, there were 15 low-lying islands with nesting colonies of Louisiana’s state bird. But today, just six islands in the state harbor brown pelican nests — the rest have disappeared under water. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Marine biologist Bonnie Slaton check a field camera with research assistant Tyler Bowen on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. It’s still a decent breeding habitat, as long as the soil holds and plants remain above water. “In five or 10 years, it may or may not be here. It’s that rapid,” says Slaton. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Nesting pelicans are seen from the air on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. The vanishing islands threaten one of the last century’s most celebrated conservation success stories — the decades-long effort to bring the pelicans back from the edge of extinction. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Brown pelicans loaf on revetments along the shore of Raccoon Island, while menhaden boats fish nearby, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Young brown pelicans play in their nest on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • A baby egret sits in a nest next to baby brown pelicans on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Young brown pelicans sit in their nest as terns fly overhead on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Marine biologist Bonnie Slaton check a field camera on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. “Louisiana is rapidly losing land,” said Slaton, a researcher at the University of Lafayette. “Subsidence and sea level rise are a double-whammy.” (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Young brown pelicans sit in their nest on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Marine biologist Bonnie Slaton documents a dead baby brown pelican, while others nest nearby on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Nesting pelicans are seen from the air on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Local artist Patrick Henry greets a visitor near some of his paintings of pelicans for sale at the Bayou Boogaloo festival in New Orleans, Saturday, May 21, 2022. The large coastal birds were among the first species declared endangered in the U.S. in 1970. But a long-running effort to bring them back led to one of the country’s most inspiring comeback stories. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Brown pelicans fly along the shore of Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • A brown pelican sits on pilings with seagulls in marshland in Chauvin, La., Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Local artist Patrick Henry shows some of his paintings of pelicans for sale at the Bayou Boogaloo festival in New Orleans, Saturday, May 21, 2022. The large coastal birds were among the first species declared endangered in the U.S. in 1970. Like bald eagles, their populations had been decimated by widespread DDT pesticide use, which thinned eggshells and prevented healthy chicks from hatching. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Nesting pelicans are seen from the air on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Brown pelicans congregate on rock revetment along Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for brown pelicans, terns, seagulls and other birds, in Chauvin, La., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Vanishing islands threaten one of the last century’s most celebrated conservation success stories — the decades-long effort to bring the pelicans back from the edge of extinction. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
  • Trees that died from salt water intrusion related to land loss are seen in marshland in Chauvin, La., Friday, May 20, 2022. The same forces swallowing up coastal islands are also causing southern Louisiana’s saltwater marshes to disappear faster than anywhere else in the country. Scientists estimate Louisiana loses one football field worth of ground every 60 to 90 minutes. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

But today, just six islands in the state harbor brown pelican nests — the rest have disappeared underwater from subsidence and rising seas from climate change.

The vanishing islands threaten one of the last century’s most celebrated conservation success stories — the decades-long effort to bring the pelicans back from the edge of extinction driven by the pesticide