Researchers at UMaine are studying the impact of Hurricane Sandy on plant and bird communities along the East Coast. They want to know how much damage last fall’s storm did to marshes. The study covers 10 states, from Maine to Virginia. Researchers have gathered data from 1,700 sites, before and after the storm.The goal is to better understand how severe weather affects birds and plants in coastal marshes and what makes marshes more vunerable.The information could also determine how to spend federal money to restore the areas and what kind of species are at risk of endangerment. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, along with the University of Connecticut and University of Delaware are also working on the study.