Suffolk County’s coastal marshes are important and valuable ecosystems. They provide a variety of ecosystem services, including nitrogen removal, buffering coastal communities from the impacts of storms, and increasing community resilience to sea-level rise, and they contain critical habitat for species of environmental and commercial importance. The sustainability and resiliency of Long Island tidal marshes, particularly those on our South Shore, are threatened by nitrogen pollution, tidal restrictions, waterlogging, extensive mudflat and panne formation, and invasive plants. A comprehensive wetlands management program was recommended by the Vector Control and Wetlands Management Long-Term Plan, under Resolution 285-2007, to manage such threats to these important ecosystems.

Marsh at Smith Point County Park, Shirley

Wetlands Restoration Projects

In response to the impacts of Superstorm Sandy on Long Island in October 2012, Suffolk County has worked to strengthen the resilience of its 980 miles of coastline. Since 2014, the County has been awarded over $2.7 million in Federal and State grant funding to implement wetland restoration projects along the County’s South Shore.

The County continues to work in coordination with Federal, State, and local entities on coastal resilience efforts to protect our communities from the impacts of sea level rise and climate change scenarios.

Suffolk County Coastal Resilience Memorandum, July 2024

Click here for complete Memorandum