Breeding Saltmarsh Sparrow, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren could benefit from this restoration project, along with migratory birds. GUILFORD, Conn. — More than half of Connecticut’s salt marshes have been lost after hundreds of years of human intervention, but there is a growing movement to restore these habitats for the future. The National Audubon Society in Connecticut is prioritizing this work across the Long Island Sound and has just received a $460,917 grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to develop a restoration design plan for the Guilford Salt Meadows Audubon Sanctuary. The Guilford Sanctuary is a vital segment of the East River Marsh, a brackish and salt tidal marsh currently found to have ~40% of its previously vegetated marsh area stressed, degraded, or lost. The restoration design plan will focus on restoring native vegetation and creating limited high marsh habitat to strengthen the marsh’s resiliency to sea level rise.…