2022 Grants in New York

CLEAN WATERS AND HEALTHY WATERSHEDS

A Green Schoolyard at IS 145Q: Providing Community Green Space and Improving Water Quality (NY) (76709)

Grantee: The Trust for Public Land

Project Area: Public School 145Q, Bowery Bay, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York

LISFF Grant: $449,358
Grantee Matching Funds:
$1,300,000
Total Conservation Impact: 1,749,358

Construct green infrastructure on a playground at IS 145Q Joseph Pulitzer School in Jackson Heights, Queens. The project will enhance school and community outdoor recreational space and capture 980,000 gallons of polluted stormwater annually before it flows into Bowery Bay, the East River, and Long Island Sound.

The Trust for Public Land will replace an asphalt lot with green infrastructure at IS 145Q Joseph Pulitzer School, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.  New York City is confronting combined sewer overflows — when heavy rain or snow flushes pollution from roads, parking lots, and other hard surfaces into storm drains connecting directly to waterways.  IS 145Q is located in the largest East River sewer outfall discharging nitrogen, sewage, and carbon pollution to Bowery Bay, the East River and to the Sound.  Climate change will exacerbate the problems with NYC’s Extreme Stormwater Flood Map depicting IS 145Q’s northern boundary at risk of flooding.  The area is also an U.S. EPA – Environmental Justice Community affected by socioeconomic and environmental threats.  Green infrastructure modeled after nature will slow, and infiltrate 980,000 gallons of stormwater annually before it flows into waterways; and transform a barren lot into an outdoor classroom and community green space for 56,882 neighbors in a park poor area. Project activities: 1) Engage 1,100 students and volunteers in planning and delivering the project and teaching them about green infrastructure; and 2) Remove 7,500 sq. ft of asphalt and install 5,000 sq. ft. of green infrastructure such as permeable pavers, trees, raingardens, a green roof gazebo, and a turf area.  The playground will be open to the public after school and on weekends advancing public access and promoting a healthier Sound. 

Improving Water Quality by Retrofitting Parking Lots and Driveways with Permeable Alternatives (NY) (76483)

Grantee: Science Museum of Long Island

Project Area: Leeds Pond Preserve, Science Museum of Long Island, Manhasset

LISFF Grant: $78,771
Grantee Matching Funds:
$35,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$113,771

Produce plans to replace or retrofit impermeable parking lot and driveway surfaces with permeable alternatives at the Science Museum of Long Island, Manhasset, New York.  Project will set-the-stage to capture and infiltrate polluted stormwater runoff before it flows into Manhasset Bay and Long Island Sound.

The Science Museum of Long Island will prepare construction-ready plans to replace or retrofit parking lots and driveways at the facility with pervious alternatives in Manhasset, New York.   The Science Museum located on Leeds Pond Preserve overlooks Manhasset Bay and contributes erosion from steep slopes and polluted stormwater runoff from the hard surfaces of parking lots and driveways into the Pond, Bay and Long Island Sound.  Project activities: 1) Assess different types of pervious, permeable, and porous pavers in terms of water infiltration rate, their capacity to support vehicular and human traffic, aesthetics, and maintenance requirements; 2) Evaluate subsurface conditions, carry out percolation tests, take measurements, develop concept and final designs, and estimate costs; and 3) Produce construction-ready designs to be submitted for permit review.  The project will explore several types of water permeable surfaces to replace the current hard impervious infrastructure in these areas to address water quality problems affecting local waters and Long Island Sound. 

THRIVING HABITATS AND ABUNDANT WILDLIFE

Restoring Great Ponds Freshwater Wetland (NY) (75268)

Grantee: Townof Southold

Project Area:  Great Pond, Town of Southold

LISFF Grant: $79,864
Grantee Matching Funds:
$23,297
Total Conservation Impact:
$103,161

Remove the invasive common reed plant from 3.1 acres of public and private land around the 32-acre Great Pond freshwater wetland in Southold, New York.  Project will restore an important coastal habitat of Long Island Sound. 

The Town of Southold will apply mechanical methods to remove invasive common reed from Great Pond in New York. Common reed chokes recreational areas, prevents native plants from flourishing and reduces habitat for fish and wildlife. These are big concerns at Great Pond, an Important Coastal Habitat of the Long Island Sound Study and New York State Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat.  A majority of Great Pond is owned by the Town of Southold and managed for recreation such as fishing and bird watching with other sections comprised of Peconic Dunes County Park and private residences.  Project activities: 1) Conduct field-assessments and produce maps of common reed stands; 2) Hydro-rake all water-based stands and dry for disposal; 3) Cut and dig land-based stands and clean-up trash with 115 volunteers recruited by the Kenney’s/McCabe’s Beach Civic Association; 4) Solarize land-based stands bagging and placing plants in the sun; 5) Hand-dig land-based stands where common reed is mixed with native plants removing common reed and restoring area with native plants; 6) Dispose of common reed in a designated landfills; 7) Re-assess and if needed return for further control; and 8) Deliver education about the problem of invasive plants and the ecological value of Great Pond in a forum, with a “how-to” flyer, on a sign and through social media. The project will improve wildlife habitat and enhance the recreational value of this public access point to the Sound.

Planning to Enhance Coastal Resiliency with Tidal Marsh Restoration at Sunken Meadow Park (NY) (76515)

Grantee:  National Audubon Society, Inc. (Audubon New York)

Project Area: Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park

LISFF Grant: $435,183
Grantee Matching Funds:
$111,037
Total Conservation Impact:
$546,220

Develop designs to restore marsh at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, New York. Project will advance restoration of high marsh habitat to support breeding, feeding and shelter for salt marsh sparrow an iconic species of Long Island Sound and buffer the park and nearby community from storms and sea-level rise.

Audubon New York will develop an engineered design for high salt marsh restoration at Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park, New York.  Mosaics of low and high salt marsh have special value for Long Island Sound providing both ecological and economic benefits to communities.  Salt marsh reduces the impact of flooding and coastal storms, filters pollution from stormwater runoff before it enters local waters and the Sound, and acts as a nursery for commercial and recreational fish.  As marsh flooding increases in frequency, duration, and depth, high marsh becomes low marsh diminishing the capacity to provide these benefits.  High salt marsh also provides habitat for native wildlife like saltmarsh sparrow a bird most at-risk from rising seas.  Project activities: 1) Conduct topographic and bathymetric surveys of the restoration site to inform final engineering plans; 2) Develop 100% conceptual design and engineering plans for sediment management, invasive management, long-term monitoring, and adaptive management; 3) Develop detailed cost estimates; 4) Prepare permit applications and consult with permitting agencies; and 5) Engage the regional Salt Marsh Working Group to transfer lessons learned about tidal marsh conservation. This project aims to identify concrete restoration and management activities to increase community resilience and slow the loss of salt marsh and associated wildlife.

Community Engagement and Education for Eelgrass Protection on Fishers Island (NY) (76480)

Grantee: Henry L. Ferguson Museum

Project Area: Fishers Island, New York and Southeastern Coastal Communities

LISFF Grant: $52,173
Grantee Matching Funds:
$20,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$72,173

Build community awareness and support for voluntary long-term actions to protect eelgrass on Fishers Island, New York and in southeastern Connecticut communities. Project seeks to secure community action to sustain this important coastal habitat of Long Island Sound.

The Henry L. Ferguson Museum will deliver a community awareness building program to enhance support for eelgrass protection at Fishers Island, New York and in southeastern Connecticut coastal communities.  Eelgrass, an aquatic plant, is vital to Long Island Sound’s environment. The Sound’s eelgrass meadows provide spawning, nursery, shelter and foraging areas for fish and wildlife.  Eelgrass adds oxygen to the water, promotes water clarity, and sequesters and stores twice as much carbon as terrestrial forests.  Healthy eelgrass meadows stabilize shorelines and buffer communities from storms.  Eelgrass meadows have been decimated by disease and other stresses.  Meadows surrounding Fishers Island now represent 24% of all the remaining eelgrass in the Sound.  While in good condition, the meadows are threatened by physical damage caused by boating, dredging and other human activities. This project will promote community awareness about the value of eelgrass, threats to it, and the importance of taking measures to protect it.  Working with community groups, such as yacht and fishing clubs, the project will: 1) Develop a plan and materials for the community awareness campaign; 2) Prioritize a list of well-supported voluntary actions the community could take to protect eelgrass; and 3) Implement the awareness campaign to 500 people and build support for specific actions. This project will foster efforts to protect the largest block of remaining eelgrass in New York.  

Expanding Be a Good Egg: Share the Shore with Shorebirds (NY) (76519)

Grantee: National Audubon Society, Inc. (Audubon New York)

Project Area:  Long Island Sound watershed of New York: Oyster Bay, Crab Meadow, Nissequogue River, Stony Brook Harbor, Hallock State Park/Mattituck State Parks

LISFF Grant: $241,556
Grantee Matching Funds:
$82,640
Total Conservation Impact:
$124,196

Deliver “Be a Good Egg,” an environmental education program in the Long Island Sound watershed of New York.   The project will increase support for coastal conservation and engage people in actions that help shorebirds thrive in important coastal habitats of the Sound. 

Audubon New York will deliver an environmental education program “Be a Good Egg” (BGE) encouraging people to share the shore with shorebirds at 11 recreational shorelines in the Long Island Sound watershed of New York. Every summer, people flock to the shores of the Sound to enjoy the outdoors. These shorelines are also critical stopover points for thousands of shorebirds who also arrive in summer. This project will address human bird conflicts on popular beaches by combining on-the-beach outreach, community education through public education at beaches on summer days, school programming, and volunteer stewardship of the beaches and birds.  Project activities: 1) host 25 BGE programs at local beaches to engage 2,500 beachgoers with share the shore messages and to encourage them to sign the “Be a Good Egg” pledge to give birds space; 2) Train 167 volunteers to assist with beach stewardship conservation; 3) Engage 900 children in a shorebird lesson and design project with at least 65 signs created by the students and installed at beach nesting sites; 4) Translate educational materials– banners, pledge cards, signs, and shorebird information cards into Spanish and other languages to educate a wider audience; and 5) Offer paid internships to teens and young adults to support education and stewardship activities.  The project will engage people in direct actions that reduce threats to shorebirds and stewardship of the bird’s nesting habitats.

Planning Fish Passage at the Baiting Hollow Boy Scout Camp (NY) (76670)

Grantee: Suffolk County Council Inc. Boy Scouts of America

Project Area: Lake Arrowhead, Baiting Hollow

LISFF Grant: $130,000
Grantee Matching Funds:
$33,133
Total Conservation Impact:
$163,133

Conduct a site assessment, consider alternatives and create a conceptual plan for fish passage at Lake Arrowhead, Baiting Hollow Scout Camp, New York.  Project is the first step to restore fish passage for river herring and American eel from Lake Arrowhead to Long Island Sound.

Suffolk County Council Inc. Boy Scouts of America will prepare a conceptual plan based upon a site assessment and an analysis of alternatives to consider installation of a technical or nature-like fishway at Lake Arrowhead, Baiting Hollow Scout Camp, New York.  Lake Arrowhead is an impoundment within a salt marsh complex which leads out to Long Island Sound. The water control dam structure on the lake is deteriorating. It does not allow passage for river herring seen at the base of the dam and provides limited access for American eel.  Project Activities: 1) Establish an Advisory Committee to guide the assessment; 2) Conduct a site assessment including surface water elevation, lake depths, sediment testing, GIS/areal imagery, SLR projections and water temperature: 3) Develop an alternatives analysis considering ecological benefit, climate change resilience, water quality benefit, and impact on recreation; 4) Select one alternative based on feedback from partners and stakeholders; 5) Develop a conceptual plan from the selected alternative; and 5) Integrate river herring, American eel and Long Island Sound ecology into Scout camp curriculum. The project could open up 4 acres of lake habitat and return river herring to a wetland complex which once supported large runs of this iconic species of Long Island Sound.

A Stream Barrier Inventory to Restore Fish Passage from Westchester County to Long Island Sound (NY) (75139)

Grantee: Save the Sound

Project Area:  Eighty miles of streams along rivers and major tributaries of the Long Island Sound watershed in Westchester County

LISFF Grant: $456,571
Grantee Matching Funds:
$117,984
Total Conservation Impact:
$574,555

Conduct an inventory of stream barriers to fish passage within Westchester County, New York.  Project will inform stream restoration priorities and projects along riverine migratory corridors from upstream Westchester County to downstream Long Island Sound.

Save the Sound will conduct an inventory of stream barriers to fish passage, including dams, culverts, and road-stream crossings, in rivers and tributaries of the Long Island Sound watershed in Westchester County, New York.  Migratory fish like river herring use riverine migratory corridors to travel from the Sound to rivers to spawn. Dams, or poorly sized or degraded culverts and other road-stream crossings block fish migration, fragment river habitat, and increase flooding in communities. There is a critical lack of information about the location and condition of these structures and their contribution to these problems. Project activities: 1) Identify and assess barriers including conducting general risk-of-failure modeling and potential failure due to climate change; 2) Prioritize barriers based on social and ecological criteria; 3) Produce the Stream and Tidal Crossing Atlas a regional prioritization tool; 4) Use data to update existing tools and databases including the New York State inventory of dams and road-stream crossings, and the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative database; 5) Conduct outreach to owners and managers about addressing these barriers; 6) Assess one priority dam identified in this process for removal; and 7) Engage river restoration practitioners sharing findings, seeking input, and increasing capacity to address barriers to fish passage.  This project is a step towards restoring an important coastal habitat of Long Island Sound.  

SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Designing a Riparian Restoration to Reduce Nitrogen Pollution to Blind Brook (NY) (76643)

Grantee: Friends of Rye Nature Center

Project Area:  Blind Brook a tributary of Long Island Sound, Rye Nature Center, Rye

LISFF Grant: $284,206
Grantee Matching Funds:
$95,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$379,206

Develop a construction-ready plan and obtain permits to restore a 1,660-foot stream corridor on Blind Brook, Rye Nature Center, Rye, New York.  Project sets-the-stage to restore a floodplain, freshwater wetland and river corridor; and to reduce polluted sediment into Blind Brook and downstream to Long Island Sound.

The Friends of the Rye Nature Center will finalize an engineered plan to restore eight acres of floodplain and approximately four acres of freshwater wetland and river corridor and reduce sediment pollution into a stream that feeds Long Island Sound, Rye, New York.  Blind Brook, a major Long Island Sound tributary, runs through the Rye Nature Center.  Severe flooding from Hurricanes Ida, Sandy, and Irene as well as increased flash flooding have led to significant channel downcutting, bank erosion and degradation to stone revetments that stabilize the area including nearby roads. Under future climatic conditions, the Blind Brook watershed can expect to see more frequent extreme precipitation events. These events result in flashy high flows and increased flooding, threatening community infrastructure and exacerbating bank erosion and sediment exportation. Project activities will be to prepare construction- and permit-ready designs and apply for permits to repair the channel, banks, and revetments, enhance the floodplain and wetland and restore the riparian areas.  These areas were prioritized in prior assessments as locations with the most unstable banks and stream channel which also contribute the most sediment pollution to Blind Brook.  This project is a crucial step towards enhancing and supporting long-term resilience, sustainability, and ecosystem health of Blind Brook and making its watershed more resilient to climate change.

Mentoring Youth to Protect Long Island Sound (NY) (75717)

Grantee: Citizens Campaign Fund the Environment

Project Area: Smithtown West, Northport, Brentwood, Rocky Point, Riverhead, Oyster Bay, Commack and Our Lady of Mercy in Oyster Bay, Nassau and Suffolk Counties

LISFF Grant:  $218,445
Matching Funds:
$76,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$294,445

Deliver an educational program about challenges to restoration and protection of the health and living resources Long Island Sound at high schools on Long Island, New York.  Project will deliver a shared Student Action plan for the Sound.

Citizens Campaign for the Environment will deliver environmental education and a student summit about Long Island Sound in eight high schools in Suffolk and Nassau County, New York.  Project activities: 1) Develop and deliver presentations  and materials about new and existing challenges to the health of the Sound such as plastic pollution, nitrogen pollution and climate change; 2) Mentor 200 students to develop and conduct their own project involving the Sound as an interactive activity, a research paper, poster or video project; 3) Bring students together in the second Sound Solutions Summit for High School Studentsto share their projects and develop two Long Island Sound Student Action Plans to be disseminated in schools, communities and to Long Island Stound Study partners; and 4) Create a video about student projects.  This project will increase awareness of environmental challenges facing the Sound and engage students in future efforts to protect and restore it.

Bronx River Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students-II (EELS) (NY) (73342)

Grantee: Bronx River Alliance, Inc.

Project Area: Bronx River watershed

LISFF Grant: $91,089
Grantee Matching Funds:
$70,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$161,089

Connect students with learning and professional development opportunities and college credit through theBronx River Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students (EELS) program, Bronx River watershed, New York.  Project will introduce a more diverse community of young people to conservation education and career experience focused on the Bronx River and Long Island Sound.

The Bronx River Alliance will deliver its Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students program (EELS) to 30 high-school students to establish a pipeline of youth from environmental justice communities to develop future environmental leaders in the Bronx River watershed, New York.  The project is named for the lifecycle of the American eel.  Eels migrate to freshwater rivers and estuaries such as the Bronx River and Long Island Sound where they mature. EELS interns will enter the program and have the chance to advance and mature gaining access to higher levels of independent research, and to graduate with improved access to higher education and environmental employment opportunities.  Project activities: 1) Teach about the Bronx River and Long Island Sound: 2) Participate in supervised field work and independent study with environmental professionals, and over the life of the program engage in student-led group and independent research and supervise and assist younger interns. All participants will receive stipends for their work; and 3) Pilot an educational program in partnership with Lehman College’s “College Now” program where EELS students can take courses and receive transferable college credits.  The project will open the door for young people not currently engaged in the environmental sector to opportunities in the environmental field and encourage stewardship of the Bronx River and Sound.

Saturdays on the Sound: Community Stewardship of Long Island Sound Coastal Forest (NY) (75297)

Grantee: The Bronx is Blooming

Project Area: Soundview Park, located along the east bank of the Bronx River where it meets the East River as it flows into Long Island Sound, Bronx, New York

LISFF Grant: $49,999
Grantee Matching Funds:
$256,465
Total Conservation Impact:
$306,44

Engage 1,500 community members in 70 hands-on projects to enhance coastal forest at Soundview Park, at festivals and with school-based environmental education about Long Island Sound in Bronx, New York.  Project will increase local capacity for stewardship of an important coastal habitat of Long Island Sound and increase appreciation of the Sound.

The Bronx is Blooming will engage community members in hands-on stewardship of coastal forest and education about Long Island Sound at Soundview Park, the south Bronx’s largest park, New York, Soundview Park encompasses a variety of habitats including salt marsh and coastal forest. Many issues affect the park, and its neighborhoods negatively impacting the health of the Sound and this chronically underserved community. The area is also a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Community. Located in the industrialized southern terminus of the Bronx River, and the western narrows of the Sound, the neighborhood has a 44 percent poverty rate, is the recipient of industrial and household pollutants and combined sewer overflows dumping a billion gallons of sewage and stormwater runoff into local waters.  Soundview Park is negatively impacted by a lack of maintenance resources.  Activities: 1) Provide Long Island Sound-focused education for ~20 students as part of Program for Leaders Advancing their Communities Environment; 2) Deliver a stewardship festival in the park raising awareness about the Sound for ~300 community residents; and 3) Host 70 weekly Grow, Revitalize, Engage, Educate, Nurture events with 1,200 volunteers to remove invasive plants, clean up trash, plant native shrubs and trees, and deliver an education campaign.  The program will build a community of stewards more connected to their natural resources, the park’s environmental health, and the Sound.

Plastic Avengers: Education, Arts and Action for Students in a Community of Long Island Sound (NY) (76225)

Grantee: National Wildlife Federation

Project Area: Bronx

LISFF Grant: $250,000
Grantee Matching Funds:
$64,457
Total Conservation Impact:
$314,457

Deliver classroom and field-based studies for middle and high school schools in tandem with stewardship activities and events for the community in the Bronx, New York.  Project will build student and public awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution and climate change on the health of Long Island Sound and their communities.

National Wildlife Federation will educate 300 students and work with them to share knowledge-gained about threats to the health of Long Island Sound in the Bronx, New York.  Floatable litter is a persistent problem in the Sound. New York City residents produce nearly 28 billion pounds of waste annually with 36 million pounds of it as single-use plastic. The waste goes to landfills or makes its way through storm drains to the Sound accumulating in its waters and on shorelines. Climate change is also impacting the Sound. As plastic degrades it contributes to greenhouse gases and climate change. Sea-level rise in rapidly warming Long Island Sound waters is projected to be at least one ft. by 2050 worsening flooding and threatening the environment of coastal communities. This project will use place-based stewardship education to educate future generations about these challenges in an underserved urban community. Activities: 1) Provide field-based lessons where students will analyze water quality collect and categorize plastic from a boat and explore the marshes of the Bronx; 2) Conduct professional development for teachers; 3) Create art, music, and videos for a media campaign to share with 10,000 community members; and 4) Deliver a festival and beach clean-up bringing together 400 students, families, and Bronx residents as volunteers.  The program will cultivate new coastal stewards to stem the flow of litter and create more climate resilient communities.

Engaging Community Environmental Education and Stewardship on City Island (NY) (75402)

Grantee: City Island Oyster Reef

Project Area:  Project Area: City Island is located in the western end of Long Island Sound and lies between Eastchester Bay and City Island Harbor, Bronx, New York.

LISFF Grant: $248,142
Grantee Matching Funds:
$131,000
Total Conservation Impact:
$379,142

Expand stewardship, oyster reef restoration and environmental education programs at City Island, New York.  Project will enhance the capacity of a grass-roots organization to provide projects and activities for the City Island community to steward Long Island Sound’s coastal habitats.

City Island Oyster Reef (COIR) will deliver stewardship, education and oyster restoration projects around City Island, New York. COIR seeks to restore oyster reef and wetland habitat to improve local water quality, protect shoreline, and create a healthy marine environment.  Oysters were once a big part of the environment of City Island.  They were a staple of Native American diet for 100s of years and in the 1800s and 1900s massive oyster reefs dominated the area.  Today, oyster populations have declined to under one percent of peak. Oysters are ‘ecosystem engineers’ with their reefs acting as living shoreline breakwaters to storms, filtering 50 gallons of water daily trapping nitrogen pollution (a big problem in the Sound), and feeding other fish and wildlife. The project will use this iconic species as the basis to develop community commitment to restore local waters. Activities: 1) Host the Viva la Sound Festival! with local and regional environmental groups and 500 members of the public exploring restoring oysters to New York City and demonstrating eco-volunteer activities; 2) Conduct a shell collection program with restaurants to provide shell for oyster reefs; 3) Engage 75 community scientists in monitoring oyster cages and local water quality and enhancing a wetland as a living shoreline; 4) Use the living shoreline as an outdoor classroom to teach about nature-based solutions to storms; and 5) Collaborate with a local K-8 public school to expand its marine ecology programs.

Long Island Sound Marine Debris Removal and Prevention (NY) (76739)

Grantee: American Littoral Society

Project Area: Cleanups in: New Rochelle, Rye & Scarsdale, Westchester County; Bayside, Queens County; Glen Cove, Kings Point, Oyster Bay, Port Washington & Sands Point, Nassau County; Baiting Hollow, Huntington, Kings Park, Mattituck, Smithtown, Stony Brook and Wading River, Suffolk County

LISFF Grant: $87,168
Grantee Matching Funds:
$87,168
Total Conservation Impact:
$174,336

Present environmental education about marine debris and conduct cleanups around Long Island Sound along 30 shorelines in Westchester, Queens, Suffolk, and Nassau counties in New York.  Project will educate people about the actions they can take to stem the tide of marine debris on their local beaches and into Long Island Sound.

American Littoral Society will manage two-rounds of the New York State Beach Cleanups at 30 Long Island Sound shorelines; and educate cleanup volunteers and the public about how to prevent marine debris pollution into the Sound.  Marine debris is defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as “any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment.” Marine debris pollutes waters and shorelines, destroys coastal habitat, endangers wildlife, and degrades recreation for the four million people living along the Sound’s coast.  Highly populated Sound communities produce significant amounts of litter which flow from upstream waters, local storm drains and streets into the Sound.  At one recent International Coastal Cleanup 18,000 pounds of trash was collected from Long Island Sound shorelines. Project activities: 1) Engage 1,700 volunteers to remove up to 8,300 pounds of trash; 2) Produce educational materials about marine debris pollution and prevention disseminating the materials through social media, articles, blog posts, newsletters, printed and digital flyers and brochures; 3) Conduct five virtual workshops about the marine debris pollution problem for 500 members of the public.  The project will allow volunteers to take direct action to improve coastal habitats and recreational areas in local communities and Long Island Sound.

Little Stewards of the Sound in the Bronx (NY) (75164)

Grantee: Bronx Children’s Museum

Project Area:  Bronx

LISFF Grant: $215,074
Grantee Matching Funds:
$72,500
Total Conservation Impact:
$287,574

Deliver a traveling exhibit on an electric “Museum On the Go!” bus, a school environmental education program, and printed maps and materials about how people can take action to improve the health of Long Island Sound in the Bronx, New York.  Project will promote awareness and appreciation of the Sound to 65,750 Bronx children, their families and the public.

The Bronx Children’s Museum will introduce children, their families and the public to Long Island Sound’s ecosystem with a traveling exhibit aboard an electric bus, during encounters at fairs and festivals, with multi-lingual education materials, and at programs in schools, Bronx, New York. Many Bronx children (PreK-3rd grade) and the caregivers who are their children’s first teachers are not familiar with the Sound. They may not know about its shoreline or habitat in the eastern Bronx or that there is a Bronx River which flows into the Sound.  The project seeks to be the first step in making Bronx children part of the Sound’s ecosystem.  Project Activities: 1) Create and “roll out” a Long Island Sound-focused mobile diorama exhibit on a new electric bus offering guided tours and suitcase exhibits; 2) Participate in 85 local fairs and festivals with the rolling exhibit; 3) Expand school programs to deliver 54 sessions of the Little Stewards of the Sound environmental education program which is comprised of a mix of nature-based field trips, in-class instruction, and professional development teacher training at 27 schools; 4) Prepare and distribute multi-lingual materials about environmental stewardship of the Sound, a Sound-focused map, and resources for teachers. The project will provide children–many under-served and under-resourced–with an understanding of the Sound’s ecosystem, threats that impact its health and living resources, and what families can do to safeguard it.

SOUND SCIENCE AND INCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT

Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Monitoring Program (NY) (76250)

Grantee: The Incorporated Village of Sea Cliff

Project Area: Outer and Inner Hempstead Harbor, Nassau, County, New York

LISFF Grant: $200,000
Grantee Matching Funds:
$120,360
Total Conservation Impact:
$320,340

Conduct water quality monitoring in Hempstead Harbor, Nassau County, New York. Project will inform management of Hempstead Harbor a waterbody that feeds Long Island Sound.

The Incorporated Village of Sea Cliff will monitor pollution indicators to gauge the ecosystem health of Hempstead Harbor and assess bacteria levels that could affect other uses of its waters such as swimming and shellfish harvesting in Nassau County, New York.  The project will be delivered in partnership by a dedicated corps of citizen scientists associated with the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor monitoring local water quality since 1992 and the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee. Project activities: 1) Collect water quality data that informs our understanding of the health of the harbor; 2) Track improvements and declines in water quality; and 3) Produce and disseminate two technical reports available to 1,300 individuals, local governments, state and federal agencies, environmental organizations, the Long Island Sound Study, the Long Island Regional Planning Council, and the public about the health of Hempstead Harbor waters.  The water quality data collected through this project will be used to inform community and governmental actions to reduce pollution in the harbor and Long Island Sound.

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