ABSTRACT
A signifi cant amount of the coastal wetlands along the Long Island Sound in the northeastern United States has been lost over the past century due to development, fi lling and dredging, or damaged due to human disturbance and modifi cation. Global sea level rise is also likely to have a signifi cant impact on the condition and health of coastal wetlands, particularly if the wetlands have no place to which to migrate. Beyond the physical loss of marshes, the species composition of marsh communities is changing. Spartina alternifl ora (Loisel.) (salt cordgrass) and Spartina patens [(Aiton) Muhl.] (salt marsh hay), once the dominant species of New England salt marshes, are being replaced by monocultures of the nonnative genotype of Phragmites australis [(Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.] (common reed) in Connecticut marshes [1]. With the mounting pressures on coastal wetland areas, it is becoming increasingly important to identify and inventory the current extent and condition of coastal marshes located on the Long Island Sound estuary, implement a costeffective way by which to track changes in wetlands over time, and monitor the effects of habitat restoration and management.
