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Round Island
Round Island is a small barrier island located off the coast of Pascagoula in the Mississippi Sound, roughly midway between the eastern end of Horn Island and the entrance to the Pascagoula River. The island received its name on account of its dome-like silhouette, created by its native stand of Slash Pine rather than by its form. In the past, the island has served as an outpost for blockade runners, a Yellow Fever quarantine area and during the Civil War it was known for smuggling cotton. In 1849, filibusters for the Cuban revolution first gathered on Round Island to await provisions and transport to Cuba. However after being blockaded by the U.S. Navy for several weeks, the filibusters driven by boredom, lack of food and the searing Gulf sun accepted defeat and left the island. This event, although not successful, was the first attempt for a revolution to free Cuba. Hurricane George in 1998 destroyed much of the island including the island’s precious piece of history, a 139-year-old lighthouse. Plans are currently underway to renovate the lighthouse. The area has been designated as a Mississippi Coastal Preserve. Ospreys and great blue herons are common birds that can be found on the island. The island’s beaches offer opportunities for fishing, camping, sunbathing, hiking, surfing and excellent bird watching. 
Nearest Largest City: Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA Community Structure: The ecological community on Round Island is made up of mostly a slash pine forest with a marshy interior. The island provides excellent feeding, resting and wintering habitat for numerous types of migratory bird species, such as the brown pelican, white pelican and cormorants. References: Chaffin, T. 1996. Fatal Glory, Narciso Lopez and the First Clandestine U.S. War against Cuba. University Press of Virginia, VA, USA, p. 64-71. Gulf Ecological Management Site. URL: http://www.dmr.state.ms.us/Coastal%20Ecology/Gems/Round%20Island.htm Harbour lights. URL: http://www.harbourlights.com/catalog/2000/hl_round_island.htm Lighthousefriends.com. URL: http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=339 The Lighthouse People. URL: http://www.thelighthousepeople.com/Gallery/Mississippi/Round_Island_Mississippi.html Additional Information: Harbour lights - Round Island, Mississippi Gulf Ecological Management Site - Round Island Lighthousefriends.com - Round Island Keywords: Osprey, Great blue heron, Pelican, Cormorant, Pine, Marsh |
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GulfBase is a project of the
Harte
Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
To give proper credit to the original authors, please cite information taken from GulfBase by the original source as displayed. 
To cite GulfBase, use:
M. Nipper, J.A. Sánchez Chávez,
and J.W. Tunnell, Jr., Editors. 2010.
GulfBase: Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research.
World Wide
Web electronic publication. http://www.gulfbase.org, 29 July 2010. |
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