Long Island, NY - December 22, 2014 - A planned effort to restore 567 acres of salt marsh in Suffolk and Nassau Counties damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 will help buffer Long Island communities from future storms and sea-level rise.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $7.2 million contract for the project to restore the coastal marshes at three units of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Perini Management Services of Framingham, Massachusetts is expected to begin construction in fall 2015 under the contract.
These investments are part of $102 million in federal emergency funding for projects to restore and strengthen coastal marshes, wetlands and shoreline, create open connections to rivers and streams for fish passage and reduce the risk of flooding from future storms.
The project will restore estuarine-salt marsh habitat in currently degraded salt marsh at Seatuck and Wertheim National Wildlife Refuges, and the Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area. The work will help protect the nearby communities of Islip, Shirley and Lido Beach in Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Additionally, there will be repairs to an access boardwalk at Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area which has been used by a local school for environmental education.
Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex comprises 6,500 acres and includes nine National Wildlife Refuge Units and one Wildlife Management Area.
To read more about the coastal restoration project, click here. To view photos of Hurricane Sandy damages to the complex, click here. To learn more about other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hurricane Sandy recovery and resilience projects, visit the Hurricane Sandy Recovery website.
