The Mad Island Marsh Preserve has experienced high erosion rates of 5 to 10 feet per year since the construction of the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway. The goal of the project is to install 2.3 miles of a nearshore breakwater to reduce persistent erosion at the Mad Island Marsh Preserve. Slowing shoreline loss is critical in maintaining the salinity gradient in this estuarine system and protecting marsh integrity within the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area, in order to benefit nursery habitat for many species. This project supports part of an larger ongoing effort to protect over 6,000 acres of coastal prairie and marsh habitat at Mad Island Marsh Preserve.