Deer Island from Point Cadet (4631009194)

Deer Island is an island off the coast of

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

that was once part of the mainland and is not a barrier island.Deer Island, A geological and Historical Study, DEQ, State of MS It is the closest island to the

Mississippi Gulf Coast The Mississippi Gulf Coast, also known as Mississippi Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Coastal Mississippi, and The Coast, is the area of Mississippi along the Mississippi Sound at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography At th ...

, and consists of approximately . In 2011, TITANTubes, sometimes referred to as

geotube A geotextile tube (also known as a titan tube or geotube) is a large, tube-shaped bag made of porous, weather-resistant geotextile and filled with a sand slurry, to form an artificial coastal structure such as a breakwaters, dune or levee. ...

s, were utilized as low profile dune cores to protect the island.

Debate

For several years, local

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

s tried to develop the island. However, the majority of the island was acquired by the State of Mississippi on May 24, 2002, which intends to preserve its current undeveloped state.

Wildlife

Deer island is home to 10 endangered species of plants and animals.

Debate

Wildlife

References

Further reading