Crab Meadow Marsh To Receive $429K For Restoration: 'Bright' Future

FORT SALONGA, NY — The Crab Meadow marsh complex is set to receive a $429K award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund, according to a news release.

Crab Meadow, the focal point of the Town of Huntington’s waterfront and home to the 250-acre Jerome A. Ambro Memorial Wetland Preserve, is gearing up for an "exciting refresh," according to the release.

Over the last few decades, Crab Meadow’s large wetland preserve has lost a "significant" amount of wildlife habitat because of sea level rise, development, pollution, nutrient runoff, and invasive species, according to the release.

Because of the grant, the Town of Huntington, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Audubon’s Connecticut and New York office is set to complete a comprehensive, permit-ready design plan to improve the marsh.

The $429K award is part of an announced $12M in grants to improve the environment of the Long Island Sound, provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

In 2011, the Town of Huntington and its partners received funding from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund to develop a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Crab Meadow Watershed. The Final Draft Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology Study and Stewardship Plan, associated research, and community feedback have "provided an incredible head-start to restoration planning at the Crab Meadow marsh," according to Audubon.

Research has been ongoing at the site in the meantime. Data shows that water flow is slightly restricted at the main channel, and that the composition of plants growing at the site is changing significantly due to sea level rise.

"An astonishing 62 percent of high marsh habitat was lost between 1974 and 2005 and today just an estimated 3 percent of the entire marsh is true high marsh habitat," Audubon stated. "This ultimately impacts the fish, shellfish, and birds of the marsh, as well."

Only one female saltmarsh sparrow was identified over 18 hours of surveying at the site, indicating "very limited breeding" is taking place there, according to the news release.

This species is facing "rapid population declines because of increased nest flooding and habitat loss and could benefit greatly from high marsh restoration," Audubon stated.

"The future of Crab Meadow’s marsh is looking bright, and we foresee that the next few years of restoration planning and implementation will have a decades-long positive impact on the local community and the wildlife we cherish," Audubon wrote.

In the first project phase, Audubon will hire an environmental consulting firm to assess and analyze the site. It will then develop comprehensive, permit-ready design plans for the 250-acre complex. A Project Advisory Committee composed of regional and local tidal marsh experts will provide advice on proposals and design options. Members of the community can engage through public meetings, tabling events at Crab Meadow Beach, and print and digital media. People can sign up here to stay updated on the project.

"Habitat loss, exacerbated by climate change, is driving bird declines across the hemisphere," said Victoria O'Neill, director of coastal resilience for Audubon Connecticut and New York. "Fueled by science, and in collaboration with local communities and partners, Audubon is working to reverse this crisis on Long Island by focusing on coastal restoration and resilience. Crab Meadow is a high priority site for the rapidly declining saltmarsh sparrow, and we look forward to making the habitat healthier and safer in ways that benefit both our birds and the local community."

Edmund Smyth, supervisor of the Town of Huntington, said the township is "very grateful and excited" to be awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant for the study and preservation of the Crab Meadow Watershed and salt marsh.

"Special thanks to our partners at the National Audubon Society's Connecticut and New York office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their ongoing efforts and contributions that helped make this award possible," Smyth said. "The Crab Meadow watershed is an important economic, ecological and recreational resource for the Town of Huntington. This grant will play a huge role in helping to keep the marsh viable and healthy for years to come."