A project to help protect a 250-acre North Shore ecosystem is set to get underway.

The Town of Huntington says it will begin restoration at the Crab Meadow salt marsh in Northport, one of the few remaining undeveloped salt marsh ecosystems on the North Shore along the Long Island Sound. Officials say the effort will improve water quality, reduce flooding impacts and restore the wildlife habitat.

During heavy rainfall, bacteria can wash into the Sound, often forcing the beach to close to swimmers.

The town says that once complete, the project will restore critical ecosystem services, including flood protection, water filtration, and carbon storage, while creating a healthier habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife.

It will also create Saltmarsh Sparrow nesting grounds, to help the rebound of the declining bird species.

According to Audubon, since the 1970s, the marsh has lost approximately 62% of its high marsh habitat.

A factor in this decline is a network of drainage ditches originally dug in the 1930s for mosquito control. Over time, Audubon says these ditches have widened and altered the flow of water across the marsh.

The ecosystem has also been stressed by decades of development, nutrient pollution, rising sea levels, and the spread of invasive plants such as Phragmites australis.