Cover image of the Long Island Sound Eelgrass Management and Restoration Strategy

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.

The summer 2023 issue of Sound Update focuses on Long Island Sound Study’s Year in Review of 2022. It includes information on the latest round of Long Island Sound Futures Fund projects, and stories on some of the work advanced in 2022, including the expansion of the Sound Stewards educational program into NYC, the restoration of the Great Meadows Marsh in Connecticut, and the ongoing work to protect and restore eelgrass populations in the Sound. The publication also includes some words from LISS program director Mark Tedesco, who shares information on the first round of projects supported by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.

About the Site

Fishers Island, nine-miles long and one-mile-wide, is located on the eastern end of Long Island Sound. It is just two miles south of Connecticut, but 11 miles from the North Fork of Long Island. The long-term dispute between Connecticut and New York as to who owned the Island was settled in 1998 by a joint commission, with the Island being deemed New York territory. Fishers Island is home to nesting pairs of double-crested cormorant, herring gull, and greater black-backed gull, with rookeries right off the coast of the island. The New York Natural Heritage Program has documented several rare plant species on the island, and the Stewardship Area holds a valuable marine habitat as well. The surrounding waters are known for their eelgrass beds, which stretch over 194 acres and provide habitat for aquatic shellfish such as bay scallops, finfish, and crustacean species.

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