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 session. 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 session. 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.

Here are some of the EPA officials who attended the 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.