Restoring Eelgrass in Long Island Sound

Save the Sound, a program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment, will join with staff from the Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) for an eelgrass restoration project at the Clinton Town Marina at 10 a.m., Friday, May 3.  

Save the Sound staff and local volunteers will weave eelgrass shoots together into biodegradable burlap planting discs. After the discs are assembled, CCE SCUBA divers will take the units for planting in Long Island Sound. These plantings will result in a new “marine meadow” that provides essential fish habitat, prevents erosion and helps keep the Sound clear of sediments. 

This event is part of CCE’s Marine Meadows Program, the purpose of which is to restore eelgrass, the dominant local seagrass found in the Sound. Eelgrass has decreased drastically over the past 75 years. 

The Marine Meadows Program was developed in spring of 2011 and gives participants the opportunity to learn about the biology and importance of eelgrass while participating in hands-on restoration efforts. This is Save the Sound’s third event engaging volunteers in restoring the Sound’s submerged aquatic vegetation.