At Hammonasset Beach State Park, five acres of wetlands that had been filled with dredged materials during the 1950s were restored to open marsh habitat in a project completed on June 15, 2000. The work restored salt marsh grasses and proper ground elevations for tidal flow and created open ponds and tidal mud flats. The restored wetlands now provide habitat for various species of fish, shorebirds, waterfowl, and marsh birds such as egrets. The marsh restoration project was completed by the Wetlands Habitat and Mosquito Management Program of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Wildlife Division. Specialized equipment was used to work in the soft, muddy soils without leaving tracks or causing damage, with wide tracks producing a ground pressure under 2 pounds per square inch, while a person walking on the marsh has a ground pressure of about 4 pounds per square inch and will sink to their knees in the soft mud. A yellow excavator used a four-foot-wide bucket to remove fill and place it into a dump truck, and a yellow bulldozer regraded the marsh surface to the proper elevations. Two years after the project was completed, marsh grasses had started to regrow.