[Ray]

A chunk of money will be spent on studying how to restore Rabbit Island, an important nesting ground for pelicans in Calcasieu Lake. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says it has approved spending about $402,000 on the marsh island’s restoration. The money comes from a federal program that uses offshore drilling revenues to restore the coastlines of states that allow oil and natural gas drilling off their shores. On Rabbit Island, the funds will pay to come up with plans on how best to restore the island. In the future, officials say they plan to restore 200 acres of pelican nesting habitat and marsh on the island. Plans call for taking sediment from the Calcasieu Ship Channel to build new marsh land.