Wildlife and people win at CT’s Long Beach West

Where are we today?

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A fire burned down the bridge connecting Long Beach West to the mainland in 1996. Shortly after, people abandoned the buildings and vandalism set in.

People had pretty much deserted the once bustling summer community, but the remnants of development on one of Connecticut’s longest stretches of barrier beach prevented it from being ideal for its other residents—wildlife, particularly migratory birds like the federally threatened piping plover.

Check out other stories of endangered plant and animal conservation in the Northeast – We’re sharing them throughout the year!

Thirteen years after the destructive fire took the bridge to Long Beach West, the story takes a happy turn. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to work with many partners to restore the island. …Read the rest of the story!

A sign describing the restoration at Long Beach West. Credit: USFWS

Demolition of the abandoned cottages. Credit: Patrick Comins.

Work inside one of the abandoned cottages. Credit: USFWS

The salt marsh side of Long Beach in Stratford, Connecticut. This body of water is known as Lewis Gut and is adjacent to the Great Meadows Unit of McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman, EcoPhotography

Least tern chicks. Credit: Kate O’Brien/USFWS

A piping plover. Credit: William Majoros.

Video about habitat restoration project: