Cedar Island Enviro - Homeport

Tidal wetlands are "those areas which border on or lie beneath tidal waters, such as, but not limited to banks, bogs, salt marshes, swamps, meadows, flats, or other low lands subject to tidal action, including those areas now or formerly connected to tidal waters, and whose surface is at or below an elevation of one foot above local extreme high water; and upon which may grow or be capable of growing some, but not necessarily all, specific plant species. Tidal wetlands form in "low energy" environments protected from direct wave action. Low marsh areas are flooded by tidal waters twice a day, while high marsh areas are flooded a few times a month. All tidal wetlands support a diverse ecosystem of vegetation and wildlife.

Tidal wetlands are areas of high nutrient and biological productivity that provide detritus, decaying organic matter, that forms the base of the food chain in tidal wetlands. Next to tropical rainforests, tidal wetlands are the most biologically productive resource in the world. Tidal wetlands provide habitat, nesting, feeding, and refuge areas for shorebirds; serve as a nursery ground for larval and juvenile forms of many of the organisms of Long Island Sound and of many estuarine-dependent oceanic species; and provide significant habitat for shellfish.