restoration

New York state offers $1.5m in grants to protect Long Island's South Shore Estuary

New York state offers $1.5m in grants to protect Long Island's South Shore Estuary

The New York Department of State has announced the availability of $1.5 million in grants to protect, preserve, and restore the South Shore Estuary Reserve on Long Island. The funding, timed to coincide with World Oceans Month, supports the implementation of the recently adopted $3.5 million SSER Strategic Investment Plan.

Targeted to municipalities, nonprofits and academic institutions, the grants aim to improve shoreline resiliency, enhance water quality, and expand public access to water-based recreation.

NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $1.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO PROTECT, PRESERVE AND RESTORE LONG ISLAND’S SOUTH SHORE ESTUARY RESERVE

NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $1.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO PROTECT, PRESERVE AND RESTORE LONG ISLAND’S SOUTH SHORE ESTUARY RESERVE

Funding Implements Strategies to Increase Shoreline Resiliency, Water Quality and Recreational Accessibility for Long Island Residents  

Funding Coincides With and Celebrates World Oceans Month

In celebration of World Oceans Month, the New York Department of State today announced the availability of $1.5 million in funding through the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Local Assistance Grants Program. The grants will help communities advance SSER priorities, including improved water quality, shoreline resiliency, habitat health, accessible water-based recreation and tourism, environmental education and economic development.  The Program is the first step in the implementation of the $3.5 million SSER Strategic Investment Plan to guide future funding opportunities.    

Environmental Roundtable Touched on Successes and Worries

Environmental Roundtable Touched on Successes and Worries

At a 2025 Environmental Roundtable hosted by State Senator Anthony Palumbo in Riverhead last Thursday, where elected officials from across the East End met with environmental interest groups, East Hampton Town Councilwoman Cate Rogers used her time to speak about one of the town’s biggest environmental issues, coastal resilience, and the fear that the some projects may no longer get the federal funding that small municipalities rely on. 

The delicate, slow task of restoring 3 Long Island wetlands

The delicate, slow task of restoring 3 Long Island wetlands

The securing of a federal grant last month to restore three coastal wetlands in Suffolk County is the start of a lengthy process to make sure the work doesn't do as much harm as good.

The selection of the sites — Cupsogue Beach Marsh, Scully Marsh and the East Islip Preserve — and securing of funding represent years of advance work, including collecting data on tidal flooding, risk assessments and a cost-benefit analysis. The cost of restoring Cupsogue, for example, is estimated at $2 million, with losses averted totaling $50.6 million.

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