Living Shoreline at Indian Island Wins National Award
There’s a hidden treasure at the far tip of Indian Island County Park in Riverhead known now primarily to fishermen casting their lines at the mouth of Meetinghouse Creek.
This spot, where Native American remains and artifacts have been found, is on a bluff past a silent cove and a wooded picnic area. It had been experiencing “ongoing, catastrophic and irreversible bluff loss… resulting in a landward migration of the bluff” and threatening the collapse of a roadway, according to Suffolk County, which owns the park.
But this year, an ambitious $1.2 million project to shore up the point using an innovative method known as a “living shoreline” is now the winner of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s Best Restored Shoreline Award.
“Having represented this area for many years, I know firsthand how important this project is for the protection of our coastline and habitat,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who announced the award on Sept. 4. “This projected combined pressing ecological and hydrological needs with the cultural sensitives of the indigenous Native American population.”
The project was initiated by the county in 2020, under former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
According to the county’s project summary, the project, designed by D&B Engineers and Architects, includes two living segmented emergent rock sills, marsh habitat restoration and, if necessary, a “bluff stabilization consisting of an upland cantilevered PVC retaining wall covered with compatible fill and planted with beach grass.”
The “living segmented emergent rock sills” are seeded with encrusting shellfish, like oysters, providing habitat and restoring water quality (oysters naturally filter toxins out of the water).
The sills “provide increased protection to the shoreline and bluff of Indian Island against high frequency storm events containing moderate surge and wave heights,” according to the county. “Storm energy will be dissipated as waves impact the structures. Additionally, the sills are designed to increase sand retention landward… resulting in an increase in the elevation of the beach that will further dissipate wave energy.”
The marsh areas landward of the rock sills were filled with 1,500 cubic yards of sand and planted with beach grass.
The eastern shoreline of the point is a known sacred Native American site, according to the State Historic Preservation Office.
“In 2005, Indian artifacts and human remains were discovered at the site after a large storm,” according to the county project description. “The proposed project is necessary to protect further loss of sensitive archeological resources from erosion.”
The county says its contractors, Gavin Bros/Madhue Contracting, JV, and the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, built the project in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure the archeological site was protected.
“This project demonstrates how coastal resilience, habitat restoration, and heritage preservation can be successfully integrated into a replicable model, led by public agencies in collaboration with state and federal regulators, tribal representatives, and private partners,” according to the county. “With an established framework for long-term stewardship, ongoing monitoring, and future contingency planning, its achievements stem from thoughtful design, inclusive planning, and a dedicated commitment to adaptive management.
