The New CCMP: Building on Habitat Restoration Successes and Focusing on New Initiatives

Cayla Sullivan, EPA’s Habitat and Reporting Coordinator for the Long Island Sound Partnership, describes past accomplishments in the LIS Partnership’s goal to achieve Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife for Long Island Sound, and the outlook for new successes under the 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

In the last decade, Long Island Sound Partnership has restored 736 acres of coastal habitat, reconnected 140 river miles, and protected 5,807 acres of open space. The benefits of these achievements are invaluable as this habitat provides resources for important fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife, protects coastal communities from extreme weather events, generates economic stability and longevity, and enhances the quality of life for so many residents and visitors. Through the implementation of the 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, the Partnership strives to not only continue this trajectory of restoration success, but also build upon these achievements through the following objectives: Coastal Habitat, Offshore Habitat, Habitat Connectivity, and Conserved Open Space. While the ultimate intent of these objectives is to continue restoring coastal habitats, increasing habitat connectivity, reconnecting river corridors, and protecting and acquiring open space land, the Partnership also aims to advance new initiatives driven by science.

Under the Coastal Habitat objective, the Partnership is prioritizing to implement and advance innovative restoration techniques, increase the installation of living shorelines, and support monitoring and research to better understand changes related to coastal habitat and their wildlife. More specifically, the Partnership is building collaboratives to enhance communication, strengthen partnerships, transfer knowledge, and develop targeted strategies for success. For example, the Long Island Sound Eelgrass Management and Restoration Strategy, published in 2022, is currently being implemented to better protect and restore eelgrass in Long Island Sound. Projects are underway focusing on mapping and monitoring eelgrass extent and health, modeling suitable sites for restoration, conducting large-scale and long-term restoration using seeds, and enhancing regional communication and collaboration.

To enhance biodiversity and support migratory pathways for important wildlife, under the Habitat Connectivity objective, the Partnership will implement more mapping and modeling tools to identify restoration and protection opportunities, continue to reconnect river miles with focus on removing stream barriers, and enhance regional collaboration and communication to effectively leverage resources. Additionally, new initiatives building upon previous success include the development of a network of partners to leverage resources and strategically target stream restoration activities that will maximize received benefits.

Under the Conserved Open Space objective, the Partnership will not only continue to protect high-priority coastal habitat through land acquisition, but also enhance the quality of existing protected areas. These enhancements will include restoring existing habitat, increasing and upgrading public access, and promoting stewardship activities to better connect residents and visitors to the Sound. In June 2025, the Partnership developed a Stewardship Strategy to help implement and support the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative. The strategy lays the foundation for building this network by summarizing the site-specific challenges, needs, and priorities at each of the 33 Stewardship Areas, identifying approaches to enhance the collaboration and communication among the site managers and partners, and establishing a framework for action to support key priorities and address existing challenges and needs

Since 2012, the Long Island Sound Partnership has been mapping the deeper parts of the Sound through the Seafloor Habitat Mapping Initiative. Mapping results identified the need to restore and protect habitat beyond the shallow waters of the Sound and assisted in the development of the newer Offshore Habitat objective. This objective focuses on implementing more restoration and management projects to help protect the seafloor habitats and their wildlife.  The Partnership will promote more data driven marine spatial planning, complete the mapping of the entire Long Island Sound seafloor, and enhance stewardship and restoration that emphasize community engagement.

While the Partnership has successfully met restoration and management goals identified in the 2015 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, this new 2025 plan highlights that there is much more work to be done. These objectives emphasize the importance of not only continuing and accelerating habitat restoration and protection, but also strengthening partnership and ensuring that previous investments last for generations to come.

The Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife goal is available on page 19 of the CCMP.