Salt marshes are a very important habitat type along the atlantic coast of the united states which provide protection from storms, resist shoreline erosion, serve as a critical habitat for many…

Salt marshes are a very important habitat type along the atlantic coast of the united states which provide protection from storms, resist shoreline erosion, serve as a critical habitat for many species, and act as a natural filter that supports cleaner waters. As such, salt marshes are a critical component of resilient communities in the face of climate change. However, there is a lot that we dont yet understand about salt marshes and how to best protect them due to a lack of data. Through this proposal, we are seeking to form a new collaboration of scientists and managers that will provide the data needed for effective management of these critical habitats as they face the impacts of climate change. The project will establish a collaborative group with expertise in salt marsh health, assess existing salt marsh resources, needs, and gaps, determine the necessary data to collect in the field and the best ways to collect those data, build a resource list of available information about salt marshes, and make a list of recommended locations where salt marshes should be studied. Following that, the project will coordinate and implement new data collection activities to fill the identified gaps and determine when salt marsh sites are showing signs of poor health and are in need of action. This project will deliver a new monitoring program that can be continued and expanded in future years (with associated plans, reports, publications, and outreach materials). This project will lead to an advancement of regional knowledge of our salt marsh resources, improved management of our natural resources, and increased resilience of our salt marshes through improved management and providing the necessary information for restoration and management actions. The data collected will support decision-making by local, state, and federal managers and practitioners, but the primary beneficiaries will be local people living and working in coastal communities that will benefit from improved management of these habitats and the ecosystem services provided (e.g., storm protection, erosion control). Protecting salt marshes also benefits a vast network of species and processes including carbon sequestration and nutrient retention. Locally, this will lead to better implementation of individual habitat restoration and stewardship projects. Regionally, this project will result in significantly improved data collected in a coordinated, comprehensive fashion, so that critical coastal habitats will be restored more efficiently and effectively, therefore benefitting coastal resilience and the long island sound ecosystem in general. All proposed work within this project will be CO-led by uconn and the maritime aquarium at norwalk in close collaboration with the USFWS.