More than 160 bay islands sit in the state’s estuaries, functioning not only as habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, but as mitigation to reduce storm impact on developed coastal areas such as Long Beach Island. The N.J. Bay Islands Initiative, established to protect and restore these small but significant swaths of land, is currently assessing five bay islands off LBI in preparation for restoration – work that is funded by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation community resiliency…