Salt marsh restoration project to combat erosion near Bellport Bay
State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos is pictured during a December 2021 news conference.
Credit: Barry Sloan
State environmental conservation officials have announced a $1.7 million marsh restoration project at Fireplace Neck, a tidal wetland area near Bellport Bay in Brookhaven hamlet.
The project will replace plants wiped out by decades of coastal erosion and restore the 108-acre salt marsh's traditional functions, such as providing habitat for marine life, officials said last week.
The work is expected to be completed by April and Fireplace Neck will be closed to the public in the meantime.
“Restoring native habitats and improving the health and functionality of marine ecosystems is critical to support both the diverse marine life that rely on these areas for spawning, nursery and foraging grounds, and to help protect our shorelines from effects of climate change,” state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement.
Manhattan-based Henningson, Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering is developing a design plan focused on improving water flow, boosting the marsh's resiliency to storms and helping it adapt to sea level rise, officials said.
Fireplace Neck, like many other Long Island coastal areas, has suffered from a century of decline caused by severe storms and climate change, which have altered the natural flow of water and degraded the growth of natural tidal grasses, according to the state's environmental experts.
Those problems affected the marsh's ability to act as a natural filter that removes contaminants from salt water, Stony Brook University marine sciences professor Christopher Gobler told Newsday. Restoring the marsh should help provide natural habitat where wildlife can spawn and hide from predators, he said.
“Salt marshes are a delicate balance,” added Gobler, who is not involved in the state project. “The overreaching theme is to get that vegetation back."
Waterfowl and small game hunting and archery normally are allowed at Fireplace Neck, but will be suspended during construction, officials said. Waterfowl hunting along the coastline will be restricted to areas over Bellport Bay, they said.
Salt marches have "some very important functions" for both wildlife and humans, according to Gobler.
While Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 flooded many South Shore communities that lacked marshland, "the communities behind salt marshes were saved from severe flooding,” the professor said.
There are multiple ways to restore salt marshes, including by simply planting new vegetation, which helps to prevent root systems from decaying, according to the marine sciences expert. He said when the work is completed, Fireplace Neck should be able to weather future storms.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
