2016 Small Grants Projects

Connecticut

Coastal Youth Stewards

Recipient: North American Marine Environment Protection Association
LISFF Funds: $6,917.30
Matching Funds: $5,236.68
Total Project: $12,153.98
Project Area: Bridgeport, Stamford, Ridgefield and Southport/Fairfield

North American Marine Environment Protection Association will educate and engage 150 K-12 youth in 10 beach cleanups and in an educational program about the marine environment and marine debris in the Southwest Coast Watershed, Connecticut.  The project will prevent over 1,500 pounds of debris from entering Long Island Sound waters and encourage students to become environmental stewards through hands-on education about the impact of marine debris on the Sound as well as other waterways.

This project will educate 150 K-12 youth about the marine environment and marine debris; and conduct 10 beach cleanups in Connecticut’s Southwest Coast Watershed.   The grantee will address the conservation challenge of marine debris 80% of which enters the world’s oceans and estuaries like Long Island Sound from land-based sources.  Project activities include: 1) conducting ten interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics- and Next Generation Science Standards-based education workshops to expose students to the marine environment and how the health of the Sound impacts them and their community.  They will learn about the types of marine debris and their sources, plastics and its effect on the marine environment, and about the methods they can use to prevent marine debris in their everyday lives; 2) conducting 10 beach cleanups with the students; 3) recording and publicly posting the amounts and types of debris collected during cleanups to track project impact; and 4) testing student knowledge about marine debris and the impact on the Sound during the program.  This project will benefit marine life and habitat by preventing 1,500 pounds of marine debris from entering the Sound; and give students the knowledge and tools to become environmental stewards.   Project partners include the: Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bridgeport, Stamford, Southport/Fairfield, and Ridgefield.

Sound Engagement for Families

Recipient: Sea Research Foundation
LISFF Funds: $9,299.59
Matching Funds: $11,894.97
Total Project: $21,194.56
Project Area:   Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, Pawcatuck, and Bluff Point State Park, Groton

Sea Research Foundation (Mystic Aquarium) will conduct six hands-on Long Island Sound-based conservation field programs, and a Long Island Sound Day celebration for 4,000 community members and 300 families in Mystic, Connecticut. The project will immerse families in hands-on learning and conservation activities that foster appreciation and stewardship of Long Island Sound.

The project will engage up to 300 families, including underserved individuals, through Long Island Sound-based field programs; and an additional 4,000 individuals during a Sound celebration day at Mystic Aquarium, Connecticut.  With more than 9 million people living in the Sound watershed, there is a need for public education about the importance of environmental stewardship.  The grantee will: 1) conduct six conservation-themed programs for 300 families involving 100 volunteers including: Salt Marsh Monitoring exploring the importance of salt marshes in Sound-health; a Beach Cleanup focused on maintaining a debris- free Sound, and collecting 350 pounds of trash along 2.5 miles of coast; Horseshoe Crab Monitoring and Egg Collection with information about the crab, and their role in the environment; and Coastal Exploration Seining and Water Quality where participants will search for and record coastal biodiversity; 2) deliver a Long Island Sound Day with hands-on programs and exhibits about the Sound; and 3) inform over 10,000 people with Sound information through a social media and website campaign. The project will increase public awareness and education about threats facing the Sound to inspire people to become environmentally-responsible citizens who act to protect and restore the Sound watershed; and open doors to children who would otherwise have no access to the Sound.   Project partners include: Project Limulus and Charles River Laboratory.

New York

 

SOUNDoff Event! Creating Long Island Sound Stewards – II

Recipient: The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor
LISFF Funds: $7,397.19
Matching Funds: $3,700.00
Total Project: $11,087.19
Project Area:   Cold Spring Harbor

The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor will host a one-day event to engage and inform children and adults about how to play an active role in preserving the Long Island Sound through hands-on activities in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. The project will reach 400 visitors who will leave the event with a stronger understanding of their relationship to the Sound and with practical ways to contribute to a cleaner Sound.

The project will host a one-day public event.  The grantee will:1) conduct a local outreach and media campaign to generate interest in the event; and 2) provide multiple hands-on activities including: “Sound Rescue Stations” where visitors can  practice “rescuing” the Sound from an array of threats, from oil to pollutants; a water quality monitoring station where visitors may test actual samples, learn how to understand the results and enter those results into an international database; a touch tank of local marine organisms such as oysters and horseshoe crabs combined with presentations about the impact of local marine debris and stormwater pollution on the Sound; a Water Wheel Activity Kit to teach basic ecology of the water cycle to help participants understand why  to become stewards of the Sound; and a “Tote bag” activity to encourage participants to take the No Plastic Bags Pledge.  The event aimed at attracting 400 adults and children will help visitors understand how to protect, and steward the Sound by promoting a greater awareness of human impacts on the health of the estuary, directly or indirectly, and sharing practical, active ways to contribute to a cleaner Sound.  Project partners: Seatuck Environmental Association, The Waterfront Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Friends of the Bay, Huntington/Oyster Bay Audubon Society, and the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island.

Reducing Floatable Litter and Debris Pollution in the Bronx River and Long Island Sound


Recipient:
Bronx River Alliance
LISFF Funds: $9,999.80
Matching Funds: $10,760.00
Total Project: $20,759.80
Project Area: Bronx River, Bronx

Bronx River Alliance will collect floatable debris through ten paddle and pickup canoe trips, one on-shore litter collection at a trash collection boom site, and one on-shore coastal cleanup event in the Bonx, New York. The project will prevent 4,420 pounds of floatables debris and other trash from entering Long Island Sound waters.

The project will conduct a project to address the issue of floatable pollution entering the Bronx River and Long Island Sound, Bronx County, NY.  The Bronx River annually delivers 16-billion gallons of water—and more than 1,200 cubic yards of floatable debris—into Long Island Sound.  Stormwater runoff from streets and roofs washes debris into the river, combined sewer overflows carry even more trash, and passersby throw litter into the river. To stem the flow of floatable litter pollution, the grantee will: 1) conduct ten paddle & pick-up canoe trips; 2) engage a boom cleanup to clean trash from the shore ends of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) floatables boom which is inaccessible to the trash skimmer; 3) conduct coastal cleanup to collect trash from the shoreline; and 4) develop flyers, web, and social media communications that highlight the connection between the Bronx River and the Sound, why floatables are a problem, and how this type of trash can be prevented. Ultimately the project will engage 240 volunteers removing 4,420 lbs. of floatable litter and debris to prevent it from entering Sound waters.  Project partners include: NYC DEP, and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

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