West Pond shares in the challenges of Jamaica Bay – sediment starvation, marsh accretion outpaced by sea level rise, vegetation compromised by nutrient loading, and increasing storm severity. Constructed in 1953 by New York City Department of Parks to improve habitat diversity, West Pond became a beloved community asset and critical freshwater source for migratory birds along the Atlantic-Flyway. During Superstorm Sandy a narrow barrier was breached, mixing the pond’s fresh water with the bay’s saltwater. In response, the West Pond Living Shoreline project considered the complex interplay of a shifting estuarine ecosystem and the National Park Service’s programmatic and accessibility goals. It leverages Jamaica Bay’s dynamic natural systems to reestablish, protect and sustain West Pond’s critical marsh habitat.