Goals

Goal: Strong Partnerships
Goal: Resilient Communities
Goal: Clean Waters
Goal: Healthy Ecosystem

Goal 4: Healthy ecosystem
Objective H
8
Actions
43
Projects

Progress of Actions
Progress of Projects

Completed   Ongoing   In-Progress   Unexecuted
Updated since: 07/24/2026

Objective H: Restore and protect key habitats and species diversity in the Peconic Estuary and its watershed

  • Meetings with all relevant partners to disseminate and discuss Critical Lands Protection Strategy
  • Develop a target for the number of protected acres agreed on and incorporated into PEP CCMP Tracking System

    • 2023 Successful Application for Coastal Watershed Grant

    QAPP approved: July 2023

    2023 Airborne thermal infrared survey: in documenting regions along open bay shorelines and semi-enclosed embayments where the cooling influence of groundwater discharge could be documented. Field teams completed radon surveys and subtidal sampling to guide eelgrass planting siting.

    Eelgrass pilot sites chosen

    Outreach Coordination with local SWMS Chapter

    Increase in eelgrass shoot density and extent in existing beds

    Overall net increase in extent of Peconic eelgrass beds

    Restore 250 acres of tidal wetland habitat

    Net increase in native high marsh habitat and total native marsh habitat from 2005 level

    Net decrease in acres of invasive Phragmites from 2005 level

    No net increase in hardened shorelines (includes breakwaters, bulkheads/seawalls, groins, jetties, piers, and revetments) from next measurement

    Restore 242 acres of diadromous fish habitat on the Peconic River

    Restore an additional 60 acres of diadromous fish habitat within other areas of the Peconic watershed

    Increase in the alewife population in the Peconic River from current level

    Land Protection Targets Acres of protected land (specific target to be determined based on updated CLPS and partner input)

  • Assistance provided to municipalities in land use planning and conversion of high-priority developed areas back to a natural state

    • CLPS 2020

    CLPS 2025

    CLPS 2030

  • Assistance to PEP partners in identifying and applying for land protection grants

    • Woodhull Dam Little River Fish Pass

    Forge Road Peconic River Fish Pass

    Upper Mill Peconic Fish Pass - Engineering Design and Permitting

    Upper Mill Peconic Fish Pass - Land Use Agreement

    Funding secure

    Upper Mill Peconic Fish Pass - Construction

    Survey Site at Grangebel Park (TAC)

    Survey Site at Woodhul Dam Fish Pass

    Peconic-wide collation of data and results

    River Herring and Eel survey (TAC)

    Town of Southampton culvert replacement

    Alewife Creek-Noyack Rd - Engineering Design and Permitting

    Funding secure

    Culvert replacemnet and storm drainage discussions

    Alewife Creek-North Sea Rd - Engineering Design and Permitting

    Funding secure

    Permitting

    Engineering Design

    Funding secure

    Construction

    TNC Culvert Prioritization Project (TAC)

    Identification of high priority culverts in Peconic Estuary watershed

    Grangebel Nature Like Fish Passage (TAC)

    Edwards Ave Fish Passage (TAC)

    Byron Young Fish Passage (TAC)

    Forge Rd Fish Passage (TAC)

    Upper Mills Fish Passage (TAC)

    Connecticut Ave Fish Passage (TAC)

    Bio-Optical Model for SAV Restoration Site Suitability

    Groundwaer Refugia Mapping for SAV Restoration

    Pilot Restoration based on Model and Mapping

    Coecles Harbor Eelgrass Revegetation (Program Office/TAC)

    Bio-optical model (TAC)

    Potential Temperature Refugia mapping (Program Office/TAC)

    Napeague Harbor Hydrodynamic and Water Circulation Study (Program Office/TAC)

    PEP 2014 Eelgrass Aerial Survey QAPP (Program Office/TAC)

    2014 Peconic Estuary Aerial Eelgrass Survey (Program Office/TAC)

    Peconic Estuary Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Aerial Survey Ground-Truthing Report (Program Office/TAC)

    PEP 2024 Eelgrass Aerial Survey QAPP (Program Office/TAC)

    2008 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2010 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2011 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2013 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2014 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2015 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2016 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2017 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2018 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2019 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2021 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2022 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Report (Program Office/TAC)

    2025 Peconic Estuary Aerial Eelgrass Survey (Program Office/TAC)

    2025 Peconic Estuary Aerial Eelgrass Report (Program Office/TAC)

    Annual SeagrassNET Monitoring in the Peconic Estuary (Program Office/TAC)

    Annual Citizen Science Seagrass Monitoring (Program Office/TAC/LGC/CAC)

    Conservation moorings

    Regional Seagrass task force to determine managent acitons

    Seagrass Workgroup

    Annual EPA funding

  • Complete construction of priority wetland restoration project at Indian Island (Program Office)

    • Design Funds secured

    Design complete

    Permits obtained

    Wetland restoration construction

    Funding secure

    Design plans

    Funding secure

    Contractor secure

    Old Main Rd Culvert Engineering Design

    Old Main Rd Culvert Permit Review

    Funding secure

    Contractor secure

    Designs complete

    Acquire Funding

    Construction Complete

    Shelter Island Wetland Assessment & Concept Plan (Program Office)

    Project 3

    Project 4

    Project 5

    Participate in stakeholder group to coordiante Narrow River Plans & Construction

    Narrow River Construction (Program Office/TAC)

    Program Office (Program Office/TAC)

    Finalize Paul Stoutenburg Wetland Restoration Engineering Plans

    Obtain Paul Stoutenburg Wetland Restoration Plan Permits

    Secure funding for implementaiton of Paul Stoutenburg Wetland Restoration

    Complete Paul Stoutenburg Wetland Restoration

    Meetinghouse Creek Construction (Program Office/TAC)

  • Completion of design and implementation of at least three priority projects identified through the Short-term Performance Measures under Action 31 (Program Office/TAC)

  • Meetings of PEP staff and municipalities to develop draft model policies (Program Office/Shorelien Adadptation Inititative)

    • Suffolk County Marine Environmental Learning Center Living Shoreline Project (Program Office)

    Additional Monitoring

    Widow's Hole Preserve Living Shoreline Project

  • Identification of additional sites to carry out living shoreline projects

    • PEP Shoreline Adaptation Initiative partnerships (Program Office/Shorelien Adadptation Inititative)

    Funding Secure

    NYSG partner needs assessment within peconic estuary (PEP Shoreline Adaptation Initiative)

    River Otter Survey 2023-2024

    Educational Sign about River Oter in the Peconics

    PEP Fellow research on priority Horseshoe Crab habitat

    Squires Pond Horseshow Crab monitoring site (Program Office)

    Predicting spawning horseshoe crab habitat use in relation to natural and hardened shorelines (TAC)

    Horseshoe crabs and diamondback terrapins satellite telemetry  in the Peconic Estuary

    Funding Secure

    Peconic Estuary Program 2015 Ecosystem Status Report (Program Office)

    Peconic Estuary Partnership 2023 State of the Estuary Report (Program Office)

    Peconic Otter Surveys (Program Office)

    Funding Secure

    Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Otter Survey

    Horseshoe Crab strategy facilitation (Program Office)

    Horseshoe Strategy Funding Secure

    Horseshoe Strategy Funding

    Diamondback Terrapin Isotope/Telemetry Study (Program Office/TAC)

    Funding secure

    New York Peconic Estuary Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) Saltmarsh Sparrow Restoration (Program Office)

    Member of Suffolk County 10 year Aquaculture Lease Board

    Peconic Bay Scallop Annual Survey

    Initiation of the Peconic Bay Scallop Technical Committee

    Initiation of the Peconic Bay Shellfish Restoration Workgroup

    Clam Monitoring Assessment in the Town of East Hampton

  • Designation of shellfish spawning sanctuaries