Restoring Mastic Beach: A Coastal Resilience Project

We are very excited to talk about an upcoming project in which we have the opportunity to partner with Audubon New York (as lead organization) and other groups in a coastal restoration project to restore Mastic Beach (Audubon NY, Town of Brookhaven, NY). Funding for this project is coming from National Fish & Wildlife’s National Coastal Resilience Fund.

In early 2020, Audubon NY began coordinating with the Town of Brookhaven to restore 1.75 acres of salt marsh in Mastic Beach. The Town of Brookhaven plans to remove 3 sections of Riviera Drive, and Audubon will plant native marsh vegetation to help enhance the adjacent marshes, increase coastal resilience, and provide potential nesting habitat for Saltmarsh Sparrows.  Ben Maher, New York Audubon’s Coastal Resilience Associate spearheading this project says, “Pre- and post-restoration monitoring of vegetation and bird populations will also be included in this project.  This project is a smaller portion of a larger 147-acre restoration led by the Town of Brookhaven that includes an extensive buy-out program for homes in high-risk flood areas and multi-stage restoration designs. Currently, The Town of Brookhaven is developing 100% design plans for the larger 147-acre area, and Audubon is coordinating the road removal and planting alongside the larger project.”

This is not the only coastal resilience project happening in Suffolk County. 

Long Island Sound Area Assessment (Audubon NY, Audubon CT)

Funding: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: LI Sound Futures Fund

In the Spring and Summer of 2020, Audubon NY and Audubon CT began assessing priority sites along the Long Island Sound.  Sites in NY included Sunken Meadow State Park, Caumsett State Park, Crab Meadow Wetlands, and Stony Brook Harbor.  Each site went through a desktop analysis using ArcGIS and various online tools and then an onsite assessment using the MarshRAM (Rapid Assessment Method) to evaluate wetland disturbances, surrounding land use, marsh community composition, and migration potential.  Analyses from this project are near completion and potential restoration projects will be identified.

Sunken Meadow State Park Restoration Design (Audubon NY, Save the Sound, NY State Parks, Restoration and Historic Preservation, NY Natural Heritage Program) • Funding: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Long Island Sound Futures Fund.

In the Fall of 2020, Audubon NY was awarded funding to develop 50-60% restoration design plans for a priority site at Sunken Meadow State Park.  NY State Parks and Save the Sound have been involved in ongoing restoration (stormwater management, low marsh restoration) at this site due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  Audubon is currently coordinating with project partners to select a consulting/engineering firm to develop restoration design plans with a focus on high marsh habitat and the nesting needs of Saltmarsh Sparrows.  The 50-60% restoration design plans will be completed by the end of 2021. At the writing of this article, we don’t have full details because the informational meeting is set 4 days after the article due date. But by the time you read this, we will know more. Please consider volunteering to help with the project when the time comes. 

Our home is an island. Let’s help protect it.