Federal, state grants help Suffolk restore three critical wetlands

County officials Monday announced the start of a multimillion dollar state and federal grant project that aims to restore wetlands at Scully Marsh, Islip Preserve and Cupsogue Beach Marsh.

"This project serves to harden our coast by restoring the area to its natural conditions, protecting neighboring communities and safeguarding the area from erosion," said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, in announcing the grants Monday.

According to county officials, Suffolk received a grant totaling $1.29 million for phase one of the program through a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant administered by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Phase two funding, for $2.75 million, will come from the federal government. The entire project will cost $4.3 million.

The three marshlands are each listed as "high priority wetland sites" in Suffolk's coastal resiliency plan. Scully Marsh is 25 acres, East Islip Preserve is 35 acres and Cupsogue Beach Marsh is 80 acres.

"Past human interventions and weather have disrupted the area’s natural hydrology, decreasing the marsh’s natural ability to act as a buffer from flooding, " the county said in a release.

Enrico Nardone, executive director of the Seatuck Environmental Association, which operates the Scully Estate, said that Long Island marshes have been mistreated for centuries, contributing to habitat loss and impact after extreme weather.

"We used to think that it's just a waste," he said. "Now we recognize how important they are to the health of the bay."

After the 1930s, ditches were built into many marshes on Long Island, on the theory that draining water could eliminate mosquitoes. This "misguided science" not only failed to decrease the mosquito population but damaged the health of marshes, he said.

The ditches created a "waffle and syrup effect," Nardone said, appearing like lines surrounded by water.

"Water comes in and lays in between them, that's like the syrup on the waffle," he said. "The way that the water itself compresses the marsh and turns into these mud flats, it’s just not healthy any more."

Marshes act as a sponge to water and are a first line of defense against sea level rises and storm surges, Nardone said. They are also home to crustaceans, birds and many other animals.

Many Long Island hamlets are built directly on or near marshes, as many were also filled in and built on. "If you look at the impacts of Hurricane Sandy," Nardone said, "it was places like Lindenhurst and Babylon that are built right on the bay. On top of all the marshes, those communities were really hard."