$541,195 Earmarked For Branford Land Trust's Jarvis Creek Preserve Marsh Restoration/Migration Project: DEEP

BRANFORD, CT — More than $7.8 million has been awarded to 18 Connecticut municipalities and non-profits focused on improving water quality, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and improving fish passage by the newly created Long Island Sound Ecosystems Grant Program, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced.

Among them is Branford.

The Branford Land Trust's Jarvis Creek Preserve Marsh Restoration and Migration Project will receive $541,195 for habitat restoration and construction, DEEP noted in a news release.

As nearly all of Connecticut is within the Long Island Sound watershed, the projects will "protect and restore valuable coastal marsh habitat, remove impediments to migratory fish passage, and advance innovative green stormwater infrastructure," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes was quoted as saying.

She said the projects advance "our shared goal of protecting and improving the health of the Sound that provides ecosystem, recreation, and economic benefits to the citizens of Connecticut."

According to DEEP, the projects advance the goals of the Long Island Sound Partnership (LISP) Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP), ensuring consistency with regional restoration and water quality objectives.

"Collectively, they will advance the state’s restoration project pipeline by supporting a combination of planning, engineering, design, and construction funding needs," a DEEP news release reads. "They also leverage both in-kind and funding contributions from a variety of sources, amplifying the impact of the Long Island Sound Ecosystems Grant investment."

The projects funded in this round are listed below. More information on each of these projects will be available on DEEP’s Ecosystems Grant webpage.

Dykes offered thanks to "federal partners at EPA and NOAA for their support in making this impactful program possible."