Long Island Sound Study Signs Agreement With U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Establish A Salt Marsh Monitoring Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Anya Grondalski, Science Communicator

agrondalski@longislandsoundstudy.net      

[STAMFORD, CT] ­— On August 26, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a 3-year $1,172,800 interagency agreement titled: Building a Salt Marsh Monitoring and Analysis Network to Support Restoration and Climate Change Sentinel Monitoring in Long Island. This project will create a collaborative of scientists and managers to provide comparable data on the impact of climate change on Long Island Sound salt marshes, which will help municipalities, NGOs, and other organizations with planning for restoration projects.

Building a salt marsh monitoring network is a long-standing priority of the Long Island Sound Study. This project builds on other successful collaborative monitoring efforts like the Unified Water Study (launched in 2017 by Save the Sound) and the Pathogen Monitoring Network (pilot led by the Interstate Environmental Commission in 2023). The team began design and implementation of the monitoring network on October 1, 2024.

Salt marshes are vital for resilient communities, offering storm protection, supporting cleaner waters, and habitat for many species. However, inconsistent data on marsh health and climate impacts in Long Island Sound can hinder restoration efforts. This project brings together scientists and managers to gather data for better informed management practices.

Project partners include The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut National Estuary Research Reserve, University of Connecticut, The Nature Conservancy chapters in Connecticut and New York, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Audubon Connecticut, the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The Long Island Sound Study is a partnership of federal and state agencies working with local governments, communities, universities and industry to protect and care for the Sound’s health.