Randall’s Island Salt Marsh Restoration

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation was required to perform a mitigation project in order to offset the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian path in Riverside Park, Manhattan. This project called for the addition of salt marsh to the north end of Randall’s Island. Located between Manhattan and Queens in the East River, the island is the subject of a 1999 Management, Restoration & Development Plan, which includes the construction of multiple sports complexes and a proposed waterpark, as well as numerous ecological restoration projects.

GEE scientists and ecological designers conducted planning site studies and completed design documents and a monitoring plan for the salt marsh restoration on the north end of the island. Fed by the Bronx Kill and protected by a series of berms, the marsh is planted with a palette of low and high marsh vegetation, as well as upland species. Construction, overseen by GEE staff, began in 2007 and planting occurred the following summer.