Upcoming “Coastal Conversations” Speaker Series Features Members of Long Island Sound Partnership

Held at Eco Park in West Haven, the programs will be led by experts on wildlife, native plants, and community resilience.

West Haven, CT—Three Long Island Sound Partnership staff members are featured speakers in a new program, Coastal Conversations, at Eco Park in West Haven. The series, hosted by Land Trust of West Haven, invites the local community to learn more about protecting coastal Connecticut’s natural shoreline.

Partnership staff DeAva Lambert, Deb Abibou, and Maggie Cozens are all guest experts for the series, giving community members a chance to connect directly with the Partnership.

Free and open to the public, the series begins Sunday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at Eco Park’s Old Grove Park Building, 1 Palace Street, West Haven.

The inaugural six-part series is intended to “bring together leading scientists, conservationists, educators, and environmental professionals who will share their expertise on some of the most important issues affecting Long Island Sound and Connecticut’s coast,” according to the Land Trust.

Presentations will also include experts from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), Connecticut Sea Grant, and Save the Sound, among others.

Eco Park, which opened earlier this summer, was created by the Land Trust of West Haven in partnership with the City of West Haven and numerous environmental organizations. The park features native coastal plants, educational interpretive signs, pollinator habitat, and demonstrations of shoreline resilience and ecological restoration.

“We created Coastal Conversations to help people better understand the incredible natural resources that exist right here in our own community,” said Marilyn Wilkes, President of the Land Trust of West Haven. “Eco Park was designed as a living outdoor classroom, and this speaker series is a natural extension of that vision.”

See the schedule below. No registration required.

• July 26 – Climate Change in Our Backyard: Building a More Resilient Connecticut Coast; DeAva Lambert, Connecticut DEEP
• August 9 – Human Impact on Long Island Sound; Colin Puckett, Save the Sound
• August 23 – Shoreline Restoration and Climate Adaptation in Long Island Sound; Deb Abibou, Connecticut Sea Grant
• September 6 – Pollinator Party at Eco Park; Juliana Barrett and Maggie Cozens, Connecticut Sea Grant
• September 20 – Beach Nesting Birds: History, Monitoring, Management & Enforcement; Will Perret, Audubon Connecticut
• October 4 – Native Plants and Building Your Home Garden; Laura Schwanof, Landscape Architect & Ecological Practice Leader

For more information, contact: Marilyn Wilkes, President, Land Trust of West Haven; (203) 415-4712; marilynwilkes@icloud.com.