Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut, spans 297 acres on Long Island Sound, with beach, dunes, restored salt marsh, woods, open land, and Charles Island just offshore. Known for swimming, trails, boardwalks, and bird-watching, it also reflects a striking transformation. Parts of the site served as dumping ground and landfill from the 1920s to 1977, and Hurricane Diane destroyed 75 homes there before state acquisition began in 1955 and the park was established in 1960. Restoration and renovation followed in the late 20th century. Today it is both a major bird habitat, including nesting areas on Charles Island, and a popular public shoreline landscape.