Westchester County, NY – Save the Sound has been awarded $2.38 million to support the restoration of an eroding coastline in Queens, NY through the National Coastal Resiliency Fund administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The funds will support the construction of a living shoreline in Douglas Manor, Queens known as the Big Rock Wetland Restoration Project. This multi-year project aims to restore the coast by replacing invasive Phragmites australis with native marsh grasses and installing concrete structures known as “oyster castles” that facilitate oyster reefs. The transformation, using nature-based solutions, will allow the coastal shoreline to adapt to rising sea levels and dissipate storm wave energy to reduce erosion.
“Save the Sound is thrilled to receive this nationally-competitive award that will allow us to move a critical living shoreline project into implementation,” says Katie Friedman, New York ecological restoration program manager. “Thanks to the Douglas Manor Environmental Association who spearheaded the design, this coastal community in Queens will soon benefit from restored wetland and shellfish habitat that will protect their shoreline and upland infrastructure from further erosion.”
The National Coastal Resiliency Fund–comprised of a $93.7 million contribution from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; federal funding from NOAA, NFWF, and the Department of Defense; and funding from private sector partners Shell USA, TransRe, Oxy, and the Bezos Earth Fund–dedicates over $136 million to projects that restore our nation’s coastlines. It was established in 2018 and this year it provided a record amount of funding to 88 grants across 29 states.
As one of the 2022 grantees, Save the Sound’s living shoreline project in Queens will retore 3 acres of salt marsh and 0.14 acres of oyster reef habitat., The project will help build the resiliency of the community the built environment while simultaneously providing critical habitat for local wildlife and supporting biodiversity in New York City and the Long Island Sound region.
“In the face of climate change, coastal ecosystems are amongst the most highly impacted environments,” says Laura Wildman, regional director of ecological restoration. “Funds such as this are critical to plant the seeds of restoration and allow organizations with the technical expertise, such as ours, to implement these essential restoration projects. In densely built environments like New York City and Long Island, it is especially important to enhance coastal resiliency. Our team’s close relationships with local partners, understanding of the Long Island Sound ecosystem, and experience using nature-based solutions are key in restoring the Big Rock Wetland. We are grateful and excited to be working on this project with support from the NCRF.”
The Big Rock Wetland restoration is a collaborative effort with our partners at the Douglas Manor Association, Douglas Manor Environmental Association, Udalls Cove Preservation Committee, Hofstra University, New York City Audubon, and Billion Oyster Project.