Case Study

With support from the Nature Conservancy and Sustainable CT, East Haddam organized a Community Resilience Building process and workshop, the results of which were compiled into this summary. The team engaged with community members to determine the present hazards and vulnerabilities and identify resilient solutions.

Friends of the Bay installed two raingardens at the Western Waterfront, which was done in October 2021 with the help of volunteers.

The purpose of this project was to mitigate 450 ft of coastal erosion on the Long Island Sound. A part of Crab Creek was moved further inland, thus allowing for beach and dune migration over time. New rock sills, plants, and sand sills were also positioned along the shore.

This Avalonia and Sea Grant effort in Stonington, CT restored the preserve using native, well-researched plant species that would thrive in the forest and offer biodiversity. First, the area was cut down precisely to allow for new, ground-level growth. Then the preserve was seeded with plants chosen by the field team.

This public greenspace was suffering from mosquito overpopulation, invasion from Phragmites, and poor tidal/stormwater drainage. The Wetland’s Habitat and Mosquito Management Program (WHAMM) created a new drainage area and tunnels, while also eliminating invasive plants. Then organizations and volunteers banded together to remove and replace invasive plant species with native plants.

The City of New Haven has installed 286 right-of-way bioswales throughout the city as part of a multifaceted approach to reducing flooding in the downtown area. Right-of-way bioswales are engineered planted areas that are located on sidewalks. They are designed to capture and infiltrate stormwater into the ground that would otherwise directly enter a storm drain. These bioswales were installed as the result of various partnerships and funding opportunities related to flood prevention, localized drainage solutions, combined sewer overflow mitigation, research, and traffic calming projects.

Project Lead

City of New Haven, Dept of Engineering

Project Partners

Urban Resources Initiative, EMERGE Inc., Save the Sound, Yale School of the Environment, and Quinnipiac University, among others.

Dana Dam (aka Strong Pond Dam) at Merwin Meadows Park in Wilton, CT was the first barrier to upstream fish migration from Long Island Sound on the Norwalk River. A series of dams along the Norwalk River (historically, and presently) prevented fish from reaching their historic spawning grounds, have posed safety risks, and disconnected the river from its natural floodplain. On September 11, 2023, demolition of this dam began! In addition to restoring habitat and allowing fish passage, the removal restored natural floodplain connectivity, realigned 200 feet of river channel away from an active railroad embankment, and removed a known safety hazard.

Partners

• Save the Sound, CT DEEP, Trout Unlimited, Town of Wilton

This project consists of 750 feet of shoreline in Stratford, CT. The goal of the project was to protect the beach from coastal erosion and to help combat sea level rise. The steps consisted of adding a smooth cordgrass marsh, artificial shellfish reefs (reef balls), high marsh, and a coastal dune area. The site was awarded the “Best Restored Shore Area” from the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association. To adaptively manage the site, a second restoration project is being developed to extend the marsh seaward by 0.35 acres over an additional 250 feet of shore using a combination of bagged slipper shell and small, modular oyster castles near the marsh edge, along with additional cordgrass plantings in the intertidal zone.

Project Lead:

Sacred Heart University

This project restored 46 acres of the Great Meadows Marsh in Connecticut that was degraded from dredge material that was dumped on site, poor drainage, and sea level rise. The marsh was also overrun with invasive plants and mosquitoes. A controlled fire was started to kill the invasive reeds growing in the marsh. Then a construction crew removed invasive plants and the dumped dredge material. Lastly, channels were carefully dug for tidal flushing which will allow the marsh to keep pace with sea level rise. Soil hummocks were constructed for Salt Marsh Sparrow habitat. Now the area continues to be monitored, assessed for resiliency, and provides a field for innovative solutions to be tested in.

Partners

Trustees: USFWS, NOAA, State of Connecticut; Project Partners: Audubon Connecticut, Town of Stratford

In 2019, the City of Norwalk secured a LIS Future Fund grant to install green infrastructure in the Webster Street Parking to reduce the impacts of stormwater on the Norwalk River and Harbor and mitigate local flooding of surrounding businesses through the installation of four different types of infiltration and bio-retention structures:
1) Underground infiltration systems.
2) Retention basins and curb inlet planters in eight different areas.
3) Porous pavement with storage in two areas.
4) Infiltration gutters and tree filters in two other areas.

Otter Creek Preserve is located along a three-mile stretch of coastline on Long Island Sound in Mamaroneck, NY. It contains 90% of the remaining productive salt marshes in Westchester County, and is an important site for migratory birds, marine life, and other wildlife. The 35-acre preserve is the largest privately-owned tidal wetland designated and protected as a nature sanctuary in Westchester County.

Following improvements made to the coastal forest and tidal marsh in 2015 and 2016 with support from the Westchester Community Foundation, in 2017 Westchester Land Trust (WLT) received NFWF LISFF funding to continue removing non-native trees, shrubs, and vines, replant with native species, and conduct expanded outreach and educational programming at the preserve.

In partnership with Sands Point Preserve Conservancy, an innovative cliff face stabilization system, engineered by Long Island based company Coastal Technologies Corp (CTC), was deployed as a pilot on Oct. 30th, 2022 at a steep & loose coastal moraine bluff located at The Sands Point Preserve, NY. The pilot project was designed to test the efficacy of this system to secure and stabilize sediment under constant erosive pressure preventing vegetation from taking hold. This bluff was selected due to its very high rate of stormwater & aeolian erosion. American beach grass, bayberry, beach plum & rose plugs, all protected from erosive forces, have thrived. Slope erosion was prevented by the devices, and all plants were successfully held against the slope, exactly as designed.

The Nassau County Museum of Art restored coastal grassland and use the restored grassland to educate visitors about the environment at the William Cullen Bryant Preserve, Roslyn Harbor, New York. The project will restore an important coastal habitat of Long Island Sound. The whole area was seeded mid-October 2023 and the meadow growth began in the spring of 2024, although it will take 2-3 years to resemble a meadow.

The Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee and Village of Sea Cliff completed subwatershed improvements at Scudders Pond to address stormwater drainage problems impacting the water quality of the pond and Hempstead Harbor, highlighted as a priority in the 1998 Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Improvement Plan. The improvements included dredging the pond, installing a hydrodynamic separator to intercept sediment, removing invasive Phragmites australis and replacing with native plants, realigning the stream to reduce erosion, redirecting the stormwater from residences to the bioswale, creation of a biofilter wetland area, replacement of the weir between the upper and lower ponds and weir at Shore Road.

In 2023, Long Island Sound Study, New York Sea Grant and Warren Pinnacle, in partnership with committed municipalities and marsh-conservation groups/organizations, developed a Plan to understand the benefits, threats and recommended conservation actions at seven focal areas across the harbors. The goal of the Plan is to inform local municipalities and marsh-conservation groups as to where they might focus their conservation efforts to maximize the conservation of marsh ecosystem services under sea-level rise conditions. Seven focal areas across Oyster Bay & Cold Spring Harbor: Frost Creek, Mill Neck Creek, West Shore Road, Bayville Bridge to Centre Island, Centre Island, Shore Road, and Lower Cold Spring Harbor.

In 2023, Long Island Sound Study and Warren Pinnacle, in partnership with committed municipalities and conservation groups/organizations, developed a Plan to understand the benefits, threats, and recommended conservation actions for the Stony Brook Harbor and West Meadow Creek marsh ecosystem. The goal of the Plan is to help inform conservation and restoration efforts to maximize marsh ecosystem services under rising sea levels.

This comprehensive study and plan, funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Long Island Sound Futures Fund, identifies initial strategies to maintain and enhance the local watershed resources of Crab Meadow. It is meant to be a land management tool to guide the implementation of best practices. The plan was developed in consultation with many partners and stakeholders.

The Maidstone Landing Association, situated between Town of Riverhead Iron Pier Beach and Hallock State Park, wanted to take action to mitigate erosion of their bluff. First they worked with Town of Riverhead to put up signage and fencing to stop beachgoers from climbing and driving on or near the bluff, which was causing significant destruction. Next they opted for a small-scale, nature-based approach to help stabilize the bluff. They purchased snow fencing from Home Depot and native beachgrass from Long Island Natives. They engaged Riverhead Charter High School to help with putting up the snow fencing and the plantings. The Maidstone Landing Association is using their bluff as an “outdoor classroom” to teach students and the public about the importance of conserving our coastal habitats and best practices.

Increased development and the historic construction of a dam on Sunken Meadow Creek in the 1950’s led to reduced tidal exchange, increased water levels in the creek, poor water quality, and the proliferation of invasive species. In 2008 a number of partners (NYS OPRHP, NOAA, NYSDEC, LISS, TNC, Save the Sound, USFWS, LI Botanical Society) came together to work to restore the degraded marsh habitat around Sunken Meadow Creek, increase tidal flow, improve aquatic organism passage, limit invasives, and improve water quality. A restoration feasibility study was completed in 2010. In 2012 Superstorm Sandy blew out the dam on Sunken Meadow Creek, naturally kick-starting restoration. Following Superstorm Sandy, the project partners were able to quickly capitalize on available funding and grants, due to their prior planning efforts. A bridge was built across the Creek where the dam blew out, salt marsh habitat was restored at three locations, green infrastructure was installed in one of the parking areas to capture and treat stormwater runoff, fish passage feasibility on the creek was investigated, and education and outreach was conducted to thousands of people. These projects were completed in 2019. Now, with funding through Long Island Sound Futures Fund, Audubon NY is leading a large-scale marsh restoration project at Sunken Meadow Creek to restore important high-marsh habitat for at risk species, like the Saltmarsh Sparrow, and to increase the resilience of the marsh in the face of rising sea levels. Audubon will be working to finalize the designs and secure permits over the next two years, with on-the-ground restoration expected in 2026.

In 2023, Long Island Sound Study and Warren Pinnacle, in partnership with Westchester County and conservation groups/organizations, have developed a Plan to understand the benefits of, threats to, and recommended conservation actions for marsh ecosystems on Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, NY. The goal of the Plan is to help inform conservation and restoration efforts to maximize marsh ecosystem services under rising sea levels.