On June 20, 2025 the Long Island Sound Partnership celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY. Elected officials joined state and federal agency partners to sign a resolution of support for the program’s new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The Partnership, formerly called the Long Island Sound Study, also unveiled its new name. Photo by Robert Burg
The day-long event was held on the grounds of the historic property. This was the scene in the morning during registration. Photo by Emma Coffey.
Mark Tedesco, retired director of the EPA Long Island Sound Office, signs in at the registration table. Working at the table are (front) Maggie Cozens, LIS Partnership Outreach Coordinator for CT Sea Grant, and (back) Kate Knight, LIS Project Coordinator for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). Photo by Judy Benson.
Katie Dykes, CT DEEP, signs in at the registration table. She is talking to Erica Casper, a science communicator with CT Sea Grant, and Kate Knight, LIS Project Coordinator for CT DEEP. Behind the table is Jimena Perez-Viscasillas, LIS Partnership Outreach Coordinator for NY Sea Grant. Photo by Judy Benson.
About 130 people attended the morning session, which included talks by elected officials, and state and federal agency officials on the importance of Long Island Sound to the region. There also was a press event with top officials expressing their support of the new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and to highlight the program’s successes over the past 40 years. Pictured behind the podium here is Michael Martucci, EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator for New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Photo by Lilli Genovesi.
LIS Partners and elected officials stand behind the declaration of support for the Long Island Sound Partnership and the new CCMP. Pictured, left to right in the front row, Suzanne Clary, director, Jay Heritage Center, New York State Assemblyman Steven Otis, CT DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, LIS Partnership Science and Technica Co-chair Penny Vlahos, CAC co-chair Nancy Seligson, CAC Co-chair Holly Drinkuth, New York State Department of Environmental Commissioner Amanda Lefton, US Rep. George Latimer, NY-Westchester, CAC member Adrienne Esposito, and New York State Senator Shelly Mayer. In the rear row, left to right, are: EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Michael Martucci, EPA Region 1 Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn, and CAC member David Miller. Photo by Joy Malone, Getty Images for Jay Heritage Center.
US Rep. Jim Himes, CT-4th district, signs the declaration of support for the CCMP. Behind Himes is a reporter for News 12. Photo by Judy Benson.
The text of the declaration of support for the CCMP.
Nancy Seligson, NY co-chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee was emcee for the celebration. Seligson is a former Supervisor of the coastal Long Island Sound Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester. Photo by Judy Benson.
Nicole Tachiki, acting director of the LIS Partnership, described key points of the new CCMP. As Strategic Planning Coordinator for the Partnership, Tachiki had an important role in developing and drafting the CCMP. Her appointment as acting director was announced by EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Michael Martucci during the ceremony. Photo by Emma Coffey.
CAC CT co-chair Holly Drinkuth and CAC member Mickey Weiss at the morning ceremony. Drinkuth is the Director of River and Estuary Conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Connecticut. Weiss, a marine scientist, is the founder of Project Oceanology in Groton, CT, and has been active with the LIS Partnership since its beginnings in 1985. Photo by Judy Benson.
CAC member David Miller enjoys a moment during the morning celebration. Miller is a former CAC co-chair who played an important role in developing the “Listen to the Sound” campaign that amplified the voices of residents from around the Sound who wanted to see the Sound restored. He also helped form the Clean Water Jobs Coalition, a partnership of industry, unions, environmental groups, and government that led to groundbreaking investments in upgrading wastewater treatments and cleaning up Long Island Sound. Behind Miller is Denise Stranko, Executive Vice President of Programs for Save the Sound. Photo by Judy Benson.
The EPA table at the morning ceremony. Pictured, from left to right, Donette Samuel, EPA Senior Public Affairs Specialist, Jennifer May, EPA special project coordinator, Mark Sanborn, Region 1 Administrator, Michael Martucci, Region 2 Administrator, Nicole Tachiki, Acting EPA LIS Partnership Director, Cayla Sullivan, EPA Watershed Management Specialist, Rick Balla, Watershed Management branch manager and Christine Ash, deputy director, water division, Region 2. Photo by Judy Benson.
Left to right, Region 2 Administrator Michael Martucci, CAC member Adrienne Esposito (executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Evironment), Region 1 Administrator Mark Sanborn, CAC Co chairs Nancy Seligson and Holly Drinkuth. Photo by Emma Coffey.
Javier Laureano Perez, water division director for EPA Region 2, talks to Johnathan Bumgarner, director of the USGS New England Science Center during a break in the ceremony. Photo by Lilli Genovesi.
In the afternoon, the program moved to the Carriage House at the Jay Heritage Center. The session started with Mark Tedesco receiving the EPA Distinguished Career Service Award. Tedesco served with EPA for 39 years, beginning his long tenure as director of the EPA Long Island Sound Office in 1996. He retired in April, and is pictured here with Javier Laureano Perez, water division director for EPA Region 2 and Region 2 Administrator Michael Martucci. Photo by Judy Benson.
The afternoon included a panel discussion on the history of the LIS Partnership, its impact on restoring Long Island Sound, and an outlook for the next 10 years. Pictured left to right, are Cayla Sullivan, EPA Watershed Management Specialist, CAC member David Miller, Karen Chytalo, a former Assistant Division Director of Marine Resources at NYSDEC, Mark Tedesco, former director of the EPA Long Island Sound Office, and Sylvain De Guise, director of Connecticut Sea Grant.
Mark Tedesco, former director of the EPA Long Island Sound Office introduces Karen Chytalo, a former Assistant Division Director of Marine Resources at NYSDEC. Her topic for the panel was on how the strong partnership led by EPA and the states of Connecticut and New York drove successful Long Island Sound restoration efforts over the past 40 years. Photo by Lilli Genovesi.
Each of the guests received a four-page “At a Glance” summary of the CCMP. The booklet and the full CCMP are also available as flip books in the media section. Photo by Emma Coffey.
Guests also received a lapel pin with the new name, courtesy of the Jeniam Foundation. Photo by Emma Coffey.
After the speehes and panel discussion ended, guests were offered guided tours of the property’s historic Jay Mansion and gardens and a tour of the adjacent Marshlands Conservancy, a Long Island Sound Stewardship site. Here Suzanne Clary, director of the Jay Heritage Center is pictured with NYSDEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton to her left, Katie Petronis, Deputy Commissioner, Natural Resources, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Assemblyman Steve Otis to her right. Photo by Joy Malone, Getty Images for Jay Heritage Center.
LIS Partnership staff led a guided walk on a trail at Marshlands Conservancy, which is adjacent to the Jay Heritage Center and is a Long Island Sound Stewardship site. Pictured is an archive photo of a lookout to Milton Harbor and Long Island Sound along the trail. Photo by Allison Beall/Westchester County Parks.
The driveway at the Jay Heritage Center. Photo by Robert Burg.
Rye, NY (June 20, 2025) – Today in Rye, NY, senior officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Connecticut and New York, along with many partners, met to celebrate 40 years of progress in restoring and protecting the Long Island Sound and announced a new plan that sets a 10-year roadmap to revitalize the Sound as an ecological, economic and recreational resource.
Hear Administrator Lee Zeldin highlight the 40th Anniversary of the Long Island Sound Partnership and the signing of the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan.
At today’s event, EPA and state leadership affirmed support for the Long Island Sound Partnership’s new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the program’s third such plan since 1994. The new plan includes updated metrics to improve water quality, restore and protect habitats and wildlife, support community resilience and sustainability, and inspire people to value and protect Long Island Sound. The Long Island Sound Partnership is the new name for the Long Island Sound Study, which was created in 1985 when Congress enacted legislation to conduct a single study to research, monitor, and assess the water quality of the Sound.
“Today’s celebration highlights decades of progress in protecting the Long Island Sound,” said EPA Region 2 Administrator Michael Martucci. “This work showcases what we can achieve when federal, state, and local partners work together to safeguard clean water and healthy ecosystems for a prosperous community.”
“The Long Island Sound is a national treasure,” said U.S. Representative Grace Meng. “It is home to thousands of different species and migratory birds that are critical to our oceans and coastal ecosystems. For the past 40 years, the EPA and the Long Island Sound Partnership have worked hand in hand to keep this important waterway clean and protect its wildlife and their habitats. I have long advocated for efforts to preserve this important waterway and I am proud to support this new conservation and management plan. It will build on our work to create a healthier and more sustainable future not only for the Sound itself, but the communities that surround it.”
“Throughout my 30-plus years in public service, I have dedicated myself to cleaning up pollution in and around the Long Island Sound, reducing nitrogen emissions from sewage treatment plants and stormwater runoff, and restoring and reseeding shellfishing beds in our harbors,” said U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi. “Since coming to Congress in 2017, I have helped deliver a 1,000% increase in funding to improve the Long Island Sound. I am grateful for the bipartisan and collaborative efforts of many, including the EPA, who have overseen significant improvements in water quality. Protecting and preserving the Long Island Sound, our ‘National Park,’ is a top priority and a shared responsibility, and I am encouraged by the EPA’s commitment to revitalizing the Sound for future generations.”
“As a lifelong Long Islander and proud co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus, I know how essential the Sound is to our environment, economy, and way of life. This new 10-year conservation and management plan builds on four decades of bipartisan progress and charts a strong course for cleaner water, restored habitats, and resilient coastal communities,” said U.S. Representative Nick LaLota. “It’s supported by both House Democrats and Republicans who represent districts along the Sound because we all understand what’s at stake. I’m proud to co-lead legislation that reauthorizes and strengthens federal support for this effort, ensuring future generations can enjoy the Sound as we do today.”
“As a state legislator, Westchester County Executive, and now member of Congress, it has always been my priority to improve the water quality in the Long Island Sound for the vitality of our communities,” said U.S. Representative George Latimer. “But an undertaking this significant requires the commitment and collective action from all of those who touch the Sound’s watershed. That’s why I celebrate the successes of the past 40 years and I’m encouraged by the signing of a new 10-year Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan to protect this critical resource for our communities.”
“The Long Island Sound is one of the Northeast’s most valuable natural resources,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “Through four decades of effective collaboration and ongoing restoration, DEC, U.S. EPA, Connecticut, and our local partners are reducing pollution entering the estuary and significantly improving water quality. By working together under the new banner of the Long Island Sound Partnership, and in accordance with the updated management plan, New York is excited to continue this collaborative effort to protect and restore coastal habitats, educate and engage communities, and improve resilience.”
“Today marks a significant anniversary in the fight to preserve and protect Long Island Sound,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal. “We’ve made great progress, and it’s critical to continue our efforts to safeguard the Sound’s water quality, wildlife, and the recreational activities Connecticut residents cherish. I’ll continue to advocate for this ecological treasure so generations to come can enjoy it.”
“As co-chair of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus, I am proud of the work by our region’s local, state and federal actors to achieve a significant, multigenerational milestone: 40 years of partnership to protect and restore the Long Island Sound,” said U.S. Representative Joe Courtney. “In Congress, I am determined to extend vital Long Island Sound programs by enacting the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act in this Congress, which U.S. Representative Nick LaLota and I have cosponsored.”
“The restoration of the Long Island Sound is one of our nation’s great environmental success stories of the last 50 years,” said U.S. Representative Jim Himes. “It was only made possible thanks to the close cooperation between the federal government and the localities and states which border the magnificent body of water. In the years ahead, we must continue to work together to maintain and improve the quality of the Sound so that this shared resource can serve as a place of recreation, economic activity, and biodiversity for generations of Northeasterners to come.”
Since its founding, the Partnership has – through successful implementation of a CCMP – decreased the area of unhealthy levels of dissolved oxygen by half, restored 2,400 acres of coastal habitat, protected an additional 8,000 acres, and reconnected 448 miles of rivers and streams.
Long Island Sound and its coast and watersheds are home to thousands of plants and animal species, and are a recreational treasure for boaters, fishers, birders, and more. Through the decades, the Partnership has launched many programs to protect the Sound and its shoreline. These include a habitat restoration initiative, a Long Island Sound stewardship initiative to help manage critical recreational and ecological areas around the Sound, and a seafloor mapping program to better understand the Sound’s underwater habitats. The Partnership also oversees the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, which has provided millions of dollars in grants to organizations and communities across the Sound’s watershed in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
For more information about the Long Island Sound Partnership, and to read the CCMP, visit: www.LISPartnership.org.
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