Climate change, vanishing islands in Louisiana threaten brown pelicans

Young brown pelicans in their nest on Raccoon Island, a Gulf of Mexico barrier island that is a nesting ground for birds in Chauvin, La. Such barrier islands with nesting colonies of brown pelicans are vanishing, disappearing under water as a result of climate change. (Gerald Herbert / AP)

CHAUVIN, La. — Sliding off the side of her small boat, seabird biologist Bonnie Slaton wades through waist-high water as brown pelicans soar overhead until she reaches the shores of Raccoon Island.

During seabird breeding season, this place is a raucous symphony of noise and motion — and one of the few remaining refuges for pelicans, one of the most iconic birds found in the United States.