CAT ISLAND, La. (AP) - Plaquemines Parish plans to restore tiny Cat Island so it doesn't disappear.

Parish President Bill Nungesser says the island will not survive should a major storm move through the Gulf this year. He said Monday that the parish has to act now if "we are going to save this island."

The parish blames BP's catastrophic 2010 oil spill for the island's demise. Since the spill, officials say the island has lost about three acres of land and many mangroves. Nungesser says pelicans forced to nest on the ground have lost their chicks.

He says the parish has $1.4 million set aside to build a barrier around 40 acres of the island and plant mangroves on it. The parish plans to ask BP to pay for the restoration.