Environmental management requires managing people. Long Island Sound is influenced by a myriad of human behaviors. Improving the condition of the Sound and its watershed requires an understanding of those behaviors, why they occur, and how they might change under alternative future scenarios.
I’m drawn to the Sound because of the opportunity to impact policies and programs that benefit people around the region. The ecosystems of the Sound and its surrounding watershed benefit millions of people every day. Yet people’s behavior jeopardizes the health of those ecosystems.
Design and targeting of effective behavior change campaigns to reduce Long Island Sound nutrient loads due to lawn fertilizer require an understanding of both where fertilizer is applied and where those applications are likely to have the greatest impact on the Sound. Campaigns applied to areas where little or no lawn fertilizer is used can only have minimal impact on nutrient loads – because fertilizer use in those areas is already low. People’s willingness to change their fertilizer use also varies over different neighborhoods. These are human dimensions. In addition, nutrients from lawn fertilizer applied in some areas may be absorbed by wetlands or other natural systems before they ever reach the Sound. This is the biophysical dimension. By considering the human and biophysical dimensions together, we can identify areas where behavior change campaigns are likely to have the largest positive impact on the Sound.
They are supportive and intrigued by the idea that economics can be used to benefit the environment rather than harm it.
Yes – I mow my lawn but do not apply fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides.
Many conditions in the Sound have improved since the early 2000s, with trends heading in the right direction. However, there is still work to be done!
I’m an Environmental Analyst with NEIWPCC but I sit in a NYSDEC office as the Habitat Restoration Coordinator for the LIS Partnership. My role is to facilitate, coordinate, and track projects that fulfill the Partnership’s objectives under the Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife Working goal. This includes co-chairing the Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife Work Group which brings together a community of environmental stewards and restoration practitioners.
I actually grew up in the Bronx on Pelham Bay, well within the LIS watershed. I have friends and family on LI and the island has been my family’s summer vacation destination since I was a baby. Spending my summers swimming in the ocean and snorkeling in the bays inspired me to pursue a conservation biology career in the first place. Being able to apply my skills and knowledge to LI conservation is a very special full circle moment for me. Now being a full-time resident, I see my work as not only for the benefit to the environment but also to the people in my community.
Yes, I spent quite a while on the West Coast. What drew me back was my family and friends but also the familiar places that I missed. I started to think about how I could apply what I learned in my jobs to the ecology and conservation on the East Coast. I started to think about and view my favorite environments and places differently. With every visit home I began to be more interested in the ecology, conservation, and protection of the places I loved, which had shaped my appreciation for the natural world. I started to wonder who was taking care of these places and I felt a strong desire to join the conversation community on Long Island.
First and foremost, NEIWPCCers are a friendly, passionate, and welcoming bunch of folks. This is one of the main reasons I feel so lucky to be a part of this organization. Also, NEIWPCC is involved in so many aspects of environmental stewardship in ways that are different from the other organizations that I have worked for. For example, it trains and certifies wastewater treatment plant operators and staffs the Lake Champlin Basin Program’s Resource Room dedicated to environmental education. NEIWPCCers work on programs and projects that protect the environment while caring for people and communities. The focus on communities means that there are NEIWPCC resources I can share with my family and friends that directly benefit their health and wellbeing and that of the places they live, like the Long Island Garden Rewards Program.
I’m very excited to support restoration projects that improve the quality, quantity, connectivity, and public access of coastal habitats such salt marshes, eelgrass beds, and river corridors. With these projects it can be a challenge to plan, permit, and implement projects on the ground. The Partnership has the resources and expertise to help landowners, managers and communities take action to conserve and protect their lands and waters. I’m excited to support this by connecting landowners to resources, subject matter experts and funding opportunities.
Oh no, I dread these types of questions, I can never pick one. My fixation for the last few years has been on salt marshes, and I would love to be a diamondback terrapin at home in a thriving salt marsh!
Contact: Shahela Begum, Program Director, Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (RAE), sbegum@estuaries.org
June 3, 2026 – Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) is pleased to announce the 2026 awardees for the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF), a partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Long Island Sound Partnership. Projects for this year’s round of funding address a wide range of environmental issues in the Long Island Sound, focusing on actions highlighted in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan around the four themes of: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds; Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife; Sustainable and Resilient Communities; Informed and Engaged Public. Awardees seek to achieve economic and health benefits for the Long Island Sound, as well as increase public access to waterfronts.
In LISCIF’s third round of funding, 57 Letters of Interest were received from organizations in New York and Connecticut, requesting $4,807,421.24. Following recommendations from the review committee, 40 applicants submitted Full Proposals, requesting a total amount of $3,371.018.76. LISCIF has $1,200,000 to distribute for the 2026 round of funding, with Restore America’s Estuaries selecting 15 awardees from various organizations, Tribal Nations, institutions, and municipalities based on a project’s ability to address challenges faced by environmentally distressed communities within the geographic scope of the Long Island Sound estuary.
The following are the 2026 awardees:
“A healthy Long Island Sound is vital to its communities, economies, and ecosystems, said Leah O’Neill, Acting Director, EPA Long Island Sound Office and the Long Island Sound Partnership. “EPA is pleased to support these projects to address local environmental health impacts, improve water quality in the Sound and increase communities’ access to this treasured resource.”
Restore America’s Estuaries is also excited to announce the next round for Request for Applications (RFA) on September 1, 2026, for another $1,200,000. “RAE is looking forward to a continued collaboration with EPA and the Long Island Sound Partnership to support high-impact projects in the Long Island Sound watershed – resulting in healthier, stronger, and economically thriving communities,” said Daniel Hayden, President and CEO of Restore America’s Estuaries.
Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American is the first pillar of EPA’s strategic plan. By working with communities and LISCIF awardees, funds are utilized to support projects in communities throughout the region, creating capacity through jobs and skills development. RAE guides applicants throughout the grant cycle and ultimately, aims for long-term success in their mission/goals for the Long Island Sound region.
LISICF projects are selected based on their ability to improve the Long Island Sound and to address environmental concerns within the region, providing healthy and safe waters for the millions who recreate, fish, work, or live along the shores of the Sound. These funds are used to support local communities by investing in jobs and training that contribute to a stronger and more resilient Long Island Sound.
For more information on LISCIF funding or upcoming events, please visit http://www.estuaries.org/liscif or direct questions by email to sbegum@estuaries.org.
June 6 is National Trails Day. For lovers of Long Island Sound, it’s another reason to explore and enjoy some of the Sound’s 971 miles of shoreline and places close to the shore.
That’s because communities and organizations across Connecticut and New York are offering guided hikes and other nature-based activities around the Sound this Saturday (as well as Sunday). Many of these activities are specifically tied to National Trails Day, an annual celebration of the nation’s trails sponsored by the American Hiking Society.
In Connecticut there are over 200 hikes and other activities across the state, including nearly 20 at or near the coast. For example, the Long Island Sound Partnership is joining The Nature Conservancy, the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve, Connecticut Sea Grant, and others in sponsoring “Celebrate Rocky Neck State Park” on June 6 from 9 to noon. The event is billed as a “morning full of trail fun, including expert-led walks about the plans, geology, and habitats found at the park.” There are also going to be several kid-friendly activities, including a scavenger hunt, geocaching, arts and games, and crafts.
Other activities along Connecticut’s shoreline range from guided beach walks at Westport beaches, including Sherwood Island State Park and town beaches, guided hikes at West Rock State Park and Quinnipiac Meadows Nature Preserve in New Haven, a horseshoe crab walk in Madison, and an educational walk along a new multiuse trail in New London at Winthrop Cove.
Information on all the hikes in Connecticut is at trailsday.org, a website created by the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association, one of the primary sponsors for National Trails Day events in Connecticut.
There is no organized list of activities for New York. But here is a sample of activities you can enjoy this coming weekend, including two associated with National Trails Day.
The special issue highlights the release of the print edition of the Year in Review and features news headlines from around the Sound and from our Partners.
Between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, the states of Connecticut and New York set aside a day to celebrate something many residents care deeply about: Long Island Sound.
Observed each year on the Friday before Memorial Day, Long Island Sound Day recognizes the environmental, recreational, and economic importance of the Sound. This year, Long Island Sound Day falls on May 22, just ahead of the unofficial start of summer, when beaches, boating, fishing, and waterfront activities begin ramping up across the region.
Why Long Island Sound Matters
Long Island Sound is an estuary of national significance that supports wildlife, recreation, tourism, commercial fisheries, and coastal communities throughout Connecticut and New York. Nearly all Connecticut residents live within the Long Island Sound watershed. Combined with New York, more than four million people live within the coastal boundary, meaning everyday actions on land can directly affect the health of the Sound.
Over the past several decades, investments in wastewater treatment upgrades, septic improvements, and pollution reduction efforts have helped improve water quality and reduce the severity of hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen conditions in the water. Hypoxia can stress marine life and impact ecosystems in parts of the Sound.
While conditions in Long Island Sound are healthier today than they were decades ago, ongoing stewardship and restoration efforts remain important to protecting the Sound for future generations.
In Connecticut, Long Island Sound Day was established by the General Assembly in 1997, officially recognizing the celebration as an annual event. In New York, the day has been recognized for the past four years through annual resolutions by the New York State Legislature. The idea behind the day is to encourage residents to recognize, enjoy, and help protect one of the region’s most valuable natural resources. It also provides a special opportunity to highlight the ongoing work happening year-round to protect and restore the Sound through conservation, research, education, and community stewardship.
Long Island Sound Day Events
To mark the occasion, the Long Island Sound Partnership and partner organizations are hosting events focused on stewardship, education, and conservation.
Featured Long Island Sound Day events include:
Read the 2026 spring issue of Sound Matters, the Long Island Sound Partnership newsletter. The spring issue highlights three projects funded through the the Long Island Sound Futures Fund – a coastal wetlands habitat restoration project, a conservation plan for a vital bird sanctuary on an island, and a community driven plan to protect and enhance the popular Bluff Point State Park. There are also links to announcements, including the new request for proposals for the 2026 Futures Fund grant program, news headlines, and partner websites.
Long Island Sound Partnership’s new science communicator, Quinn Burkhart, says that she will be focusing on scientific storytelling for the public to learn how the LIS Partnership brings partners together to restore Long Island Sound.
Her background includes a stint working for National Audubon Society’s Project Puffin in Maine where she lived and worked with a research team on a remote seabird island, 22 miles off the coast. There she helped to expand Audubon’s audiences with its website and social media channels with articles and posts. She also managed its wildlife cam, including moderating live virtual events with guests and even holding weekly office hours with a public interested in learning more about the work being done to protect endangered birds. At season’s end, she profiled one of the teams scientist for the project’s newsletter, adding a detail about the positive experience Audubon’s cruise captain discovered volunteering on the seabird island for the first time. The story unveiled the magic of building community in the field to advance scientific research.
“My skillsets in science communication and field work allow me to bridge gaps between science, partners, and the public,” said Burkhart, who began working for NEIWPCC, one of the organizations participating in the LIS Partnership, in January. “I see science communication and engagement as a refocusing of conservation efforts for a non-scholar audience. Scientific stories from the field can be tricky. They can be full of intellectual jargon and political minefields. My job is to demystify these stories by producing compelling narratives in newsletters, social media, and other forms of communication that engage the public and capture their attention.”
A Pennsylvania native, Burkhart earned a bachelor’s degree in editing, publishing and creative writing from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA, and a master’s degree in journalism and environmental reporting from Northwestern University. Other places she worked for besides Audubon includes the Sea Education Association and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Sea Grant Program in Woods Hole, MA, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where she wrote articles on research into supercomputing.
As a Long Island Sound Partnership science communicator, Burkhart will be writing about the projects that are helping the program achieve its major objectives and goals in the new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. She also will be writing about the health of the Sound for publications such as a new “State of the Sound” report. Her first article for the LIS Partnership profiled how Audubon New York is restoring up to 80 acres of tidal wetlands in Sunken Meadow State Park in Long Island, a long-term restoration effort that received a major boost when an earthen dam holding back tidal water was breached following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The article includes a perspective from Audubon New York’s director of coastal resilience on the importance of restoring marsh vegetation and how this project might help the saltmarsh sparrow, a species whose populations are threatened by increasing sea level rise.
“To me, strong science communication is telling a good story about nature and drawing others into the tale,” said Burkhart.
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For over 70 years, ecologists at Great Gull Island in Long Island Sound have managed an important feat for the survival of two migratory coastal birds. With support from thousands of volunteers and researchers they have helped restore roseate terns and common terns to the island after their populations collapsed in the early to mid-20th century when Great Gull Island was used by the US Army as part of the coastal defense system.
Despite their success, however, the scientists remain concerned about the birds’ survival on this 17-acre island east of Plum Island and Orient Point at the tip of the North Fork of Long Island.. Even with steady progress, including over 40,000 adults and chicks populating the island by 2025, they worry that any number of large-scale threats can result in a sudden collapse of the populations, according to Joan Walsh, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History, which owns the island.
In 2022, Walsh and her colleagues, Margaret Rubega of the University of Connecticut and Peter Paton of the University of Rhode Island applied for a grant with the Long Island Sound Futures Fund to support the island’s first comprehensive conservation plan. They wanted to address looming threats such as sea level rise, erosion, animal predation, disease, failing infrastructure of the island’s legacy infrastructure, human disturbance and existing and new invasive plants, a threat that had been partially addressed in prior years, but needed more attention. The Futures Fund awarded the University of Connecticut $400,000 to develop the plan, using a science-based and action-oriented process called “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation.” The plan, completed in August, was developed with support from 30 technical experts and dozens of community stakeholders. Through the process 17 direct threats were identified, and with focused decision making, 10 strategic responses were selected and prioritized.
“Great Gull Island is a very complicated place, so you have to allow yourself to come in with your ears wide open to hear what the other experts have to say about priorities,” said Walsh. “I thought it was a really amazing process to a be a part of.”
For decades, said Walsh, ecologists with volunteer support succeeded largely by responding to immediate threats to the bird populations, such as removing debris left over from the military installations. The conservation plan fills a critically important need to be proactive to prevent large-scale ecological impacts from threatening the bird populations.
“When Margaret, Peter and I came on to codirect the project, we realized that we needed a comprehensive plan to help us rank the threats to understand what is most important,” said Walsh. “It’s very easy to get distracted by a single chick falling into a hole. Right? That’s a tragedy and it may take you quite a while to fix that small problem so that no more chicks fall in that hole when your time is better spent finding how you restore the whole area so that no chicks fall into any holes over the next 50 years.”
High on their action list was to safeguard against an accidental introduction of ground animals such as rats, mice, mink, and raccoons to the island. These mammals can prey on the terns and their chicks or spread disease. In 2025, the co-directors applied and were awarded additional funds from the Futures Fund to develop a strategic response for biosecurity, which will include protocols to ensure that staff don’t accidentally introduce rodents in the boats they use to commute to the island.
“Rats are our number one concern,” said Walsh. “They are voracious predators and reproduce rapidly. And rats along the coast are very common, and warming winters are allowing rats to persist in higher numbers. We have to have a real security plan for every one of our boats to ensure that we don’t get rats out there. We don’t have any ground predators.”
Another high priority is to enhance the existing plan for controlling invasive plants. It will build upon one that had also been supported with a Futures Fund grant in 2012. That plan resulted in a successful effort to remove invasive wild radish, a plant that had blanketed much of the island and could entangle and kill young terns and replacing it with native seaside goldenrod. Walsh said that in the past after a heavy rain the leaves of the plant would fall down “like a mat” on young chicks. “It was killing hundreds of chicks every year,” she said. “The adults couldn’t get to them if it rained and they would get hypothermic and die.”
Roseate and common terns share similar features such as a forked tail and a black cap. Roseate terns, designated an endangered species by the federal government, are thinner and, when breeding, have a reddish color on their breast and belly, which is how they get their name. They inhabit Great Gull Island from May to September for breeding before they head south for the winter. In 2025, there were about 2,331 pairs of adult roseate terns on Great Gull Island, which represents about 36 percent of the population of breeding pairs for that species in North America. Also in 2025, the island had about 11,190 pairs of common terns, which represents about 10 to 15 percent of the population in the northeast, but about 90-95 percent in Long Island Sound. This species is designated as threatened in New York and Connecticut.
The terns have populated Great Gull Island for centuries, but they largely disappeared starting in 1897 when the US Army began using the island as part of a coastal defense system. After World War II, the Army decommissioned the island and sold it to the American Museum of Natural History for $1 for the sole purpose of restoring it as a bird sanctuary. Today, legacy infrastructure, such as tunnels that could potentially collapse and lead to salt-water intrusion, are imminent threats that concern ecologists. But scientists and resource managers have also recognized that there are ecological benefits from the 19th and 20th century development. For example, a stone revetment was built to fortify the island when it was a military base today protects the island from erosion and sea level rise. The Army also elevated part of the island for some of its’ military installations, and as a result today some of the terns nest in areas that are as high as 40 feet above sea level. While other tern habitats in Long Island are losing ground to sea level rise and erosion, and changes in land use, Great Gull Island is expected to remain a bird habitat for decades to come as well as a source population for any efforts to restore colonies lost in other Long Island Sound habitats or elsewhere in the northeast.
“Pete Dunne, the nature writer, talks about the metaphor of the game of musical chairs for habitat loss,” said Walsh. “We just keep taking away their chairs and there just aren’t many places left for them to go.
“And that’s happened in our lifetime. When I first started working at Great Gull Island (in the 1980s), my job was to go to the surrounding islands during the day. We had a Boston Whaler and we’d look and see how many of our birds were nesting in all these small colonies all around Great Gull Island. Most of those colonies don’t exist anymore because of sea level rise or because of land use changes. So, in this game of musical chairs, you know, Great Gull is more than a chair – we’re kind of a couch.”
Visit the Great Gull Island website to download the plan, learn more about protecting the terns, and see more photos as well as videos about life on the island.
At Bluff Point, visitors – more than 500,000 each year! – come to walk the trails, weave though wooded coastal forest, and watch for the more than 200 bird species that can be found in the park. With trails that pass through wooded forest, tidal wetlands, coastal bluff, rocky shorelines, sandy beaches and dunes, and grasslands, there’s always something new to see around every corner. Along the way, hikers can take in views of the Poquonnock River and even “choose their own adventure” – walking the bluff for panoramic vistas of Long Island Sound, detouring along Bushy Beach where shorebirds feed, or looping back through the wooded forest to the parking lot. It’s no wonder many visitors return time and again.
“Bluff Point is my happy place. It’s such a beautiful place to hike and enjoy the outdoors while surrounded by water views.” – Bluff Point visitor
It’s not hard to understand why Bluff Point is so special. Yet despite its beauty and ecological importance, Bluff Point faces challenges. High tides and heavy rain can flood trails and parking areas, making parts of the park impassable. Visitors walking to the beach may find the path back covered in several inches of water, and the main entrance under the Amtrak tracks can be completely blocked after storms.
To address these issues, park managers turned to the people who know Bluff Point best: its visitors. Parkgoers were invited to share their experiences and priorities, helping guide the development of a new Site Plan for the property.
The Connecticut Reserve, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), and SLR Consulting received a Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant in October 2023 to assess the area, collect visitor feedback, and develop a Site Plan for the property. With this support, the project team collected feedback from 640 parkgoers, more than half of whom frequent the property at least monthly, and hosted public meetings to hear in-depth input about challenges and potential improvements.
“The parking lot is insufficient and floods regularly, as does the main entrance under the railroad tracks.”
“The parking lot has huge holesthat make it difficult to drive.”
“I can’t go with a family member who is partially blind because of the roots and uneven path.”
– Survey responses from Bluff Point visitors
Based on this feedback and from the assessment of the area, the project team developed a series of improvements:
Improvements to the park won’t just affect visitors’ enjoyment of the area. They’ll also help ensure the continued protection of this ecologically and recreationally important area. Bluff Point is the largest undeveloped wooded coastal peninsula between New York and Cape Cod, supporting a wide range of wildlife. Visitors pass through six different habitat types with over 200 bird species, including herons, hawks, cormorants, and the federally threatened piping plover.
The property is divided among three state designations: Bluff Point State Park, Bluff Point Coastal Reserve, and Bluff Point Natural Area Preserve. Each of these areas has special rules and regulations to balance sensitive habitats and recreational use. The property is also a Long Island Sound Stewardship Site and part of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Each of these areas has special rules and regulations to balance sensitive habitats and recreational use. The Project Team received just under $3 million through the NOAA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law National Estuarine Research Reserve System Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition. This funding will address flooding along the main trail and improve emergency access—efforts made possible by the Long Island Sound Futures Fund’s initial investment and, importantly, the community members whose input shaped the plan.
To learn more about this project, visit https://s.uconn.edu/bluffpoint or contact BluffPoint@uconn.edu.
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