This announcement was updated on Oct. 12, 2023 to include registration links for eastern Connecticut and Westchester.
Last year, more than 260 people attended the first Annual SRC Bi-State Workshop to learn about opportunities to increase the resilience of Long Island Sound communities to impacts from a changing climate and other environmental threats. This fall, extension professionals from the Connecticut and New York Sea Grant Programs, in conjunction with Long Island Sound Study, will once again host a half-day virtual workshop on Dec. 7 from 9 am to 12:30 p.m. to bring together local government, Indigenous, tribal, and community leaders, nonprofits, and other stakeholders from around the Sound. This year’s workshop will focus on debuting a new Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub website and providing information on resilience planning and implementation.
Please save the date and register here.
More information to come. For questions email [email protected].
Leading up to their annual workshop, this November, the Sustainable and Resilient Communities extension professionals are hosting field excursions around Long Island Sound to showcase community resilience projects. This series of field trips offers a unique opportunity for communities to connect and learn from each other and inspire increased implementation of resilience projects throughout the region. We encourage you to attend as many field excursions as you can and explore the Sound!
Included: Refreshments will be provided at all field excursions. For those that don’t have travel budgets through their employers, we can reimburse travel expenses up to $150/person/field excursion.
Secure your spot today by registering below to one or more of our events. Registration is required for all field excursions. See below for more information on each and to register. Note that registration needs to be finalized for Eastern Connecticut and Westchester County field excursions. Check back to this announcement for updates.
View and discuss green infrastructure projects and ongoing marsh restoration efforts. Register here by Oct. 26.
Explore various green infrastructure projects around New Haven. Register here by Oct. 31.
View and learn about the Fenwick living shoreline project. Register here by Nov. 1.
Learn about Town of North Hempstead Climate Smart Communities actions and local oyster restoration work. Register here by Nov. 8.
Learn about different resilience projects and planning activities happening in the Blind Brook watershed. Register here by Nov. 9.
In early May 2023, the Long Island Regional Planning Council announced the Garden Rewards Program for Long Island homeowners (see news release below). The Long Island Sound Study provided additional funding to this program for eligible residents on the North Shore (residents who live in the Long Island Sound watershed). This additional money helps to increase the capacity of the program.
The program is off to a good start. See the update at the bottom of the page.
Syosset, NY – [May 1, 2023] – Long Island homeowners looking to play a role in reducing stormwater runoff, which is one of the leading causes of nitrogen pollution in our waterways, will soon be eligible for grants to help cover the cost and maintenance of runoff mitigation projects on their property.
The Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC), in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and NEIWPCC, is introducing the Long Island Garden Rewards Program which will provide up to $500 to offset the expense of installing green infrastructure on their properties including rain barrels, native plantings, and rain gardens.
“The quality of our surface waters, and of our drinking water beneath us, is threatened by excess nitrogen pollution created by stormwater runoff,” stated John Cameron, LIRPC Chairman. “While municipalities on every level are addressing stormwater runoff and nitrogen pollution, the Long Island Regional Planning Council saw the need to encourage homeowners to become a part of the solution in their own small but significant way.”
Excess nitrogen causes toxic algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions, fish kills, harmful algal blooms, degraded wetlands and marine habitats. Nitrogen also contaminates the groundwater, which is the sole source of Long Island’s drinking water supply.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “DEC is committed to protecting Long Island water quality in partnership with the Long Island Regional Planning Council, NEIWPCC, and Nassau and Suffolk counties. Reducing nitrogen pollution is critical to improving water quality, protecting groundwater, and strengthening the long-term health of marine life. DEC encourages homeowners to take part in the Long Island Garden Rewards Program and talk to neighbors about how green infrastructure can reduce runoff and protect the environment.”
“It has been great working with LIRPC and NYSDEC to build out this program, and I’m excited for this launch!” said Courtney Botelho, NEIWPCC Environmental Analyst. “The program offers Long Island residents a hands-on opportunity to meaningfully contribute to local water quality improvements right from their yards.”
Under the Long Island Garden Rewards Program, homeowners can receive a maximum of $500 to help cover the cost of their projects.
Rain Barrels: Rain Barrels reduce stormwater runoff by collecting and storing rainwater for homeowners to later use in their yards and gardens, also helping conserve water consumption. Barrels must be a minimum of 50 gallons and are required to have mosquito netting or screening. Reimbursement of up to $125 for each barrel will be provided for purchase, up to $500 maximum.
Native Plantings: Native plants are heartier and more resilient to local climate conditions. Native plant plantings can reduce water usage, reduce fertilizer and pesticide usage, and promote biodiversity. These native plants help promote a healthy ecosystem and are more resistant to local weather.
Rain Gardens: Rain gardens collect rainwater from roofs, driveways and other surfaces and allow that rain to soak into the ground. Rain gardens can filter stormwater before it reaches local waterways, mitigate flooding caused by pavement and enhance your yard with low maintenance landscaping. To be eligible, a rain garden must be a minimum of 20 square feet, use native plants and be maintained for at least three years.
For more information on the Long Island Garden Rewards CLICK HERE.
About Long Island Regional Planning Council
The Long Island Regional Planning Council comprises public and private sector leaders who are experienced and knowledgeable in business, environment, transportation, and planning. Its mission is to educate Long Island officials, stakeholders and residents on key issues affecting the quality of life in the region, and to propose immediate and long-term strategies and solutions.
Update (Oct. 4, 2023)—The Long Island Garden Reward Program is off to a good start. As of Oct. 2, a total of 195 Long Island residents, including 80 residents in the Long Island Sound watershed, received up to $500 this summer and fall to offset the expense of installing native plants, rain gardens, and rain barrels in their yards. The commitment from these homeowners benefits all Long Islanders by helping to reduce stormwater runoff, which is one of the leading causes of nitrogen pollution in local waterways. The program is expected to continue next year.
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The extension professionals of the Connecticut and New York Sea Grant Programs, through the Sustainable and Resilient Communities initiative, have made available their “Steps to Resilience” webinar. The online information session held Sept. 19, and repeated Sept. 21, provides an introduction to resilience planning in the Long Island Sound region. It includes discussions on local climate impacts and projections, resilience planning strategies, and climate certification programs for both New York and Connecticut municipalities.
The webinar is posted on YouTube. In addition to the main presentation, videos of Connecticut and New York breakout sessions, also posted on YouTube, can be accessed below. The presentations and other resource materials are available as a PDF in Google Drive.
Expanding natural oyster populations can benefit people and the environment. However, scientists do not know how unmanaged oyster populations affect the spread of oyster disease in Long Island Sound. To gain a better understanding, the Long Island Sound Study Management Committee in 2022 provided $1.27 million to the NOAA Milford Lab to collect baseline data for an assessment of disease dynamics of natural and restored oyster beds in Long Island Sound. Working with local partners, NOAA is taking a comprehensive look at oyster population health in natural and restored oyster populations.
NOAA is assessing the health of oysters at four sites monthly over multiple years. Two sites are in Connecticut, one at Ash Creek in Fairfield, and the other at Fence Creek in Madison. The other two sites are on the north shore of Long Island at Cold Spring Harbor and Huntington Harbor.
To learn more about the project, which is being led by Meghana P. Parikh, a veterinarian focused on animal production health, and Katie McFarland, a shellfish biologist, visit the NOAA website. Also, check out a blog post from Mariah Kachmar, a shellfish health and disease technician at the NOAA Milford Lab, who is on the project research team.
The Long Island Sound Eelgrass Management and Restoration Strategy provides guidance for short and long-term actions that should be taken to manage and restore eelgrass meadows in Long Island Sound and act as a resource for other estuaries in the region facing similar issues. The strategy is a living document, meaning that as new research, resources, and information becomes available, the gaps and required actions may change. It was developed by the EPA Long Island Sound Office in collaboration with the Long Island Sound Study and local expert and stakeholder input.
Returning the Urban Sea to Abundance (2020-2021) is a Congressionally authorized two-year review of implementation of the Long Island Sound Study Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. It builds upon the previous Returning the Urban Sea to Abundance report, which summarized progress made from 2015 to 2019 by the Long Island Sound Study under the CCMP.
Read the document.
Like humans, fish and other aquatic life need oxygen to breathe. But around the world, coastal water bodies such as Long Island Sound face extreme low oxygen conditions known as hypoxia, or anoxia (no oxygen at all) that severely threatens wildlife. Humans help drive deoxygenation of coastal waters through eutrophication, a process in aquatic ecosystems where high nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae, usually resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Nutrients from the land, including from human waste, animal waste, and fertilizer, are prime sources of the nutrient concentrations.
Since the early 2000s, the Sound has seen a significant reduction in nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth, thanks to a bi-state effort to upgrade wastewater treatment plants. The reduced nitrogen levels has been cited by scientists as an important reason why the Sound has experienced a decline in hypoxia. The animated maps in the video shows charts detailing the week each year when the maximum area of hypoxia was reported by the Long Island Sound Water Quality Monitoring program from 1991-2022. The year with the highest maximum area of hypoxia reported was in 1994 when 393 square miles, 37% of the Sound, had hypoxia. In 2022 the maximum area of hypoxia was 87 square miles, 8% of the Sound.
Hypoxia in Long Island Sound is defined as dissolved oxygen concentrations of less than three milligrams per liter of water. In the maps, blue is considered excellent water quality conditions. Orange is moderately hypoxic, red is moderately severe hypoxic, and black is severely hypoxic to anoxic conditions.
Source: charts produced by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the Long Island Sound Water Quality Monitoring Program. Animation by Abbie Winter, CT DEEP.
Each year the Long Island Sound Study develops a Work Plan as part of the National Estuary Program. The work plan describes the work conducted with EPA funds to help achieve the goals of the Study’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The 2023 Work Plan covers LISS activities planned with 2023 federal funds for Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024 (fy24). It also highlights projects undertaken from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023 (fy23) with 2022 federal funds.
Open the LISS 2023 NEP Work Plan link to read the document.
CT DEEP will help to remove a defunct dam from the Pequabuck River located in Bristol, CT, restoring 8.5 miles of free-flowing river for fish passage and removing contaminated sediment that has accumulated behind the dam.
This article was originally published in December 2022 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law fact series.
The Middle Street Dam, located on the Pequabuck River in Bristol, CT, will be demolished and removed in order to restore 8.5 miles of unobstructed river. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) will lead the removal project with the help of a $1.6 million grant from Long Island Sound Study (LISS). The grant will be funded using allocations from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
A granite dam was originally built at the site by the Bristol Brass Company in the 19th century to divert water to its factory. In the late 1960s, the current owner, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, smoothed over the dam and reinforced it with cement. The dam no longer provides any benefits, including flood protection, but it does require frequent maintenance and a yearly inspection.
As part of the dam removal process, contaminants that have accumulated behind the dam, including heavy metals and PCBs, will be fully removed from the site. Construction crews will then begin to remove the dam itself, which spans 95 feet across the river at a height of seven feet and a width of 15 feet. Once the dam is fully removed, which is expected by 2024, additional crews will plant native vegetation along the riverbank. Large cobbles will be placed on the sides of the affected riverbank to model the appearance of the environment just upstream. The area, including the site that was previously contaminated, will be restored to healthy wetland conditions, which will make it habitable for fish and other animals living near the banks.
The Middle Street Dam completely prevents migratory fish from being able to travel from Long Island Sound to the upper parts of the Pequabuck. Once the dam is removed, important fish species like alewife, sea lamprey, and the American eel will be able to migrate from Long Island Sound to stream habitat that can be used for foraging and spawning.
A restored river also will have community benefits. It should help enhance a proposed greenway along the river that passes the dam site. The proposed greenway also goes through a city-owned brownfield, a contaminated property city officials hope to clean up and develop into the park.
The Long Island Sound Study and its partners have reopened nearly 430 miles of rivers and streams for fish passage in Connecticut and New York since 1998.
Every fall, volunteers from all over the world, including in Long Island Sound, conduct coastal cleanups and report their findings to the Ocean Conservancy as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. The cleanups around Long Island Sound are coordinated by the American Littoral Society in New York and Save the Sound in Connecticut.
The Long Island Sound Study also compiles data on the amount of trash in pounds at these cleanups and the total trash collected/per mile for the Marine Debris Ecosystem Target. There is also a Marine Debris by Category supporting indicator, which includes cigarette butts as a category.
What is the most commonly found ocean litter? (noaa.gov)