Yes, but wildlife data suggests Long Island Sound’s coastal habitats still need improvement. Tracking plants that form coastal habitats and animals that rely on healthy coastal habitats can serve as an indication of coastal habitat health. Trends for tracked plants and animals indicate Long Island Sound’s coastal habitats could be further protected and enhanced. For example, while recent increases in the population of piping plovers have been observed, the same population trends have not been seen for other species, like horseshoe crabs, least terns, and saltmarsh sparrows. Fluctuating and decreasing plant and animal population trends recorded for Long Island Sound species may be a sign that Long Island Sound’s coastal habitats systems are poor or deteriorating. Therefore, the Partnership sees the loss of healthy coastal habitats as a priority issue.
*The Objective’s Measure of Success define reasonable outcomes and ensure that progress towards the Objective can be clearly and precisely tracked over time.
Based on the Measure of Success and Indicators, the overall status of this Objective is:
Since 1998, 2,377 acres of coastal habitat around Long Island Sound have been restored. In 2024, 55 acres were restored. The Partnership’s goal is to restore an additional 1,000 acres of coastal habitat by 2035. To achieve this, the Partnership must restore 100 acres of coastal habitats a year (on average).Â
These indicators provide supporting data and insight into the progress made towards the Objective.
Acres by 
habitat type
Secchi disk depth and light attenuation coefficient
Counts
The primary measures of success is to restore 1,000 acres of coastal habitat in the coastal boundary of Long Island Sound. Of the 1,000 acres to be restored, 40 percent will be in areas lacking in natural habitat to ensure that benefits of restoration can be enjoyed by more communities. While these restoration efforts include the 12 coastal habitat types, this objective aims to restore at least 10 acres of seagrass and 250 acres of tidal wetlands.
Since 1998, 2,377 acres of coastal habitat around Long Island Sound have been restored. The Partnership’s goal is to restore an additional 1,000 acres of coastal habitat by 2035. To achieve this, the Partnership must restore 100 acres of coastal habitats a year (on average). Check back in soon to see the 2025 restoration progress!Â
The Long Island Sound Partnership’s Habitat Restoration Initiative has identified 12 important coastal habitats (see ArcGIS storymap) to restore. The 12 coastal habitats are tidal wetlands, eelgrass, estuarine embayments, coastal grasslands, coastal and island forests, freshwater wetlands, intertidal flats, rocky intertidal zones, submerged aquatic vegetation, shellfish reefs, beaches and dunes, and riverine migratory corridors. In the 2025 CCMP, there is a special emphasis on the restoration and protection of eelgrass and tidal wetlands.Â
From 2017 to 2024, eelgrass extent increased by 473 acres. This signals that the Partnership is well positioned to achieve the goal of restoring at least 10 additional acres of seagrass by 2035.Â
The Partnership restored 19 acres of tidal wetlands per year from 2020-2024 (on average). This rate of restoration signals the Partnership must prioritize investments in tidal wetlands restoration to achieve the goal of restoring 250 additional acres of tidal wetlands by 2035.Â
Costs required to restore coastal habitats are a major challenge. Habitat restoration projects around Long Island Sound can be very expensive. Funding for restoration is limited and competitive. Â
Another challenge to habitat restoration is that additional effort and funding are often needed for maintenance and adaptive management of previously completed habitat restoration projects. Sometimes the Partnership needs to do additional work to ensure the habitat continues to thrive. Maintenance and adaptive management are necessary, and can be expensive, but do not contribute any new restored acres to the Partnership’s running total of coastal habitat acres restored.Â
To continue habitat restoration and protection despite these challenges, the Partnership employs multiple strategies. Research, monitoring, and modeling activities identify priority areas for restoration. Innovative techniques and tools are explored to combat unique stressors. Existing restored and protected areas are enhanced through stewardship and management. The Partnership promotes regional collaboration and prioritizes habitat restoration and protection efforts that are broadly shared across communities. Â
The Partnership will adapt to any changes and challenges to ensure this objective, and its supporting actions, are met.Â
By restoring and protecting coastal habitat, this objective and its actions aim to preserve the longevity of the critical ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats. These services include, but are not limited to, Â
In addition to restoration, this objective also includes coastal habitat extent where the Partnership is prioritizing the protection and enhancement of coastal habitat, thereby providing resiliency to extreme weather events.Â
Harry Yamalis, CT DEEP, harry.yamalis@ct.gov
Actions are the broad, strategic activities to be taken in the next five years (2025-2029)
 to help achieve this objective.
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Tidal Wetlands are a type of habitat that is frequently or continually inundated with water, influenced by the motion of the tides and characterized by emergent soft-stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions.
The processes by which the environment produces resources that support human well-being such as clean water, timber, habitat for fisheries, flood management, natural spaces for recreation, and pollination of native and agricultural plants.