Living with the Bay is a group of projects in Hempstead Lake State Park, Smith Park, Lister Park, and nearby areas designed to increase the physical and social resilience of communities along the Mill River and South Shore’s bays. Construction was kicked off this fall on a Education and Resilience Center in Hempstead Lake State Park. The collection of projects include: Repair and replacement of dams, installation of floatables and sediment controls, removal of invasive species and replacement with native plants, adding floodwalls, raising the athletic field at East Rockaway High School, the creation of a living shoreline, bioretention basins and drainage improvements, the creation of a new greenway along the Mill River, and updates to the Long Beach Water Pollution Control Plant.

In addition, GOSR is collaborating with Hofstra University and Seatuck on a range of activities including educational programs, workforce development, and wildlife surveys as part of the social resiliency portion of Living with the Bay.

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery worked with Hofstra University and Seatuck to create several programs designed to educate the students and the public, provide workforce development, and increase social resilience. The programs include:

• Summer Science Research Program for High School Students
• K-12 Education Programs related to the Mill River 
• Sustainability Certificate Program for Local Leaders and Policy Makers
• Workforce Development and job training in collaboration with BOCES
• Educational Signage for the Greenway
• Fish and Avian surveys throughout the project area 

Budget: $125 million CDBG-DR through Rebuild by Design

Lead Agency: Governor’s Office of Storm Resilience

How you can get involved: You can view the project site here.

Press: Hochul opens Hempstead Lake State Park center with eye on climate change awareness, Newsday.