On June 11, Save the Sound brought together volunteers of all ages to restore marshland at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park on the North Shore of Long Island. The volunteers, many of them residents of nearby towns, along with New York State Parks staff, planted 2000 shoots of Spartina marsh grass that will take root to hold soils in place, provide wildlife habitat, and improve the park’s resilience to future storms. The effort is part of a $2.5 million-dollar project funded by the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program and administered by Save the Sound with a team of governmental and non-profit partners.
The Sunken Meadow Comprehensive Restoration and Resiliency Plan is funded by federal grant dollars from the Department of Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Other project partners include the Long Island Sound Study, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York Sea Grant.
You can see more photos of the volunteer restoration event on Save the Sound’s Facebook page.