www.longislandsoundstudy.net February/March 2008 e-newsletter of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS)Fishery Experts to Speak at Citizens Summit
Are fish flourishing or floundering in Long Island Sound? The 18th annual Long Island Sound Citizens Summit, being held March 8 at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn, will examine both positive and negative trends in the fishery. Experts will speak about managing harvests, pollution, climate change impacts, and aquaculture. Keynote speaker Paul Greenberg, a fisheries expert and New York Times Magazine contributor, also will discuss some of the recent national and global trends in fisheries management, including marine protected areas, and new aquaculture projects. | |  | | Other speakers and panelists include Eric Smith, director of Marine Fisheries for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP), and a commissioner of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and Brian Toal, a public health official with the Connecticut Department of Health and co-author of the book “What’s Toxic, What’s Not”. Toal’s work with the CT DEP includes evaluating the risk of fish contamination on human health. Read the brochure for more information on the agenda topics and to register. |
| LIS Futures Fund Requesting Applications
Since it started in 2006, the Long Island Sound Futures Fund has given out more than $2 million in grants to fund projects as diverse as protecting endangered birds (e.g. piping plovers) restoring river passage for anadromous fish, teaching community groups how to foster stewardship of natural habitat, and developing programs to work with urban youth to remove invasive species and restore habitats. The grant program, which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is seeking another round of applications for awards ranging from $6,000 to $150,000. Deadline for sending the request for applications is Feb. 19. For more information, visit NFWS. |
| License Plate Program Seeks Grant Applications in CT
CT DEP is also seeking grant applications for its Long Island Sound License Plate Program. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to supports activities to develop public outreach and education programs; increase or enhance public access to the Sound; protect and restore habitat; and support scientific research about the natural resources of the Sound. Since 1992, the License Plate program has awarded more than $4.7 million in grants. Deadline for applications for the current round is March 17. For more information visit the license plate program at CT DEP’s Web page. |
| Stormwater Webcast Series
EPA’s popular webcast series for municipal stormwater professionals will resume again on Feb. 6. This year the series will feature five webcasts on a variety of topics, including BMP Performance, Stormwater Retrofits, Finding and Fixing Illicit Discharges, and MS4 Program Performance. As in past years, this year’s line up will feature speakers who are national experts and each webcast will build upon the array of information covered in past webcasts. To see the new schedule (and to access recorded versions of past webcasts), please visit NPDES Training. |
| Staff Changes at LISS Partner Agencies
LISS is happy to announce that Larissa Graham has joined New York Sea Grant as the new Long Island Sound Public Outreach Coordinator. Graham just recently completed a master’s of science degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute where she conducted research on horseshoe crabs. While new to New York, she is no stranger to Long Island Sound. A Thomaston, Connecticut native, she learned to fish on her family’s boat docked in the Connecticut River, on the mouth of the Sound, at Old Saybrook. | |  | | She also received a bachelor’s of science degree in environmental science at the University of Connecticut and worked two years for the CT DEP with its lobster project and Long Island Sound Trawl Survey. Graham replaces Kimberly Graff, who is pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science at Syracuse University after working 15 years as the NY coordinator. For LISS, Graff helped develop the popular Small Grants program, edited the Sound Update newsletter, and worked on a survey that is helping staff learn about the public’s perception of the Sound’s water quality. Two other people working for LISS partner agencies also have recently left. Rick D’Amico, who had been the Long Island Sound Study coordinator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) since 1993, and a DEC employee since 1992, left in November to join an environmental consulting firm in Shelton, CT. Besides coordinating DEC activities for LISS, D’Amico’s interest in diving led to him become a Dive Safety Officer for the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources in 2002 where he helped develop standards and the Division Diving Manual. Also, Corey Garza, a biologist who had been the NOAA liaison to the Long Island Sound Study, left in January to take a tenured teaching position at Cal State-Monterey. Garza will continue to be involved with LISS’s Science and Technical Advisory Committee with the STAC’s development of a Long Island Sound Synthesis Report. |
| Dredging Report Available
The second annual report on progress toward completion of the LIS Dredged Material Management Plan has been approved for release by EPA New England Regional Administrator Bob Varney. The draft report also contains information about the Regional Dredging Team deliberations, as well as each dredging project that was conducted in the period from July 6, 2006 to July 5, 2007, including the quantity of dredged material and its final disposition. Please visit the EPA Region 1 web site to view the report. |
| Around the Sound
Natural Resources Conference: The 2nd Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources (CCNR) is being held on March 10 at the University of Connecticut’s Storrs Campus. The Conference, which also uses the title “Many Resources, One Environment”, brings together individuals working with natural resource and environmental management in Connecticut to share research, information, and ideas. For more information visit resource conference.
Flax Pond Winter Seminar: The Flax Pond, winter lecture series, funded by the LIS Futures Fund, includes talks in February and March. On Feb. 10, Fred Mushacke, a retired biologist at NYSDEC will be among the speakers discussing a study on wetland loss in four Long Island salt marshes. On March 9, Matt Draud, a professor at CW Post College, Long Island University, will discuss his research on the diamondback terrapin and its habitats along the north shore of Long Island. The lectures are held at the Childs Mansion in Old Field, New York. For more information visit the Friends of Flax Pond Web site. |
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| Composting Toilets at the Zoo
In recognition of its environmentally friendly facilities, the Bronx Zoo’s eco-toilet was selected as 2007 “Environmental Project of the Year” by both Greenbuildings NYC and the New York Construction News. Visitors to the Bronx Zoo using the Bronx River Parkway entrance can experience the new "Eco-Restrooms" featuring composting toilets. These composting toilets use 95 percent less water per flush, eliminate sewage flowing to New York's waste treatment plants, and the composting process creates fertilizer. | |  | | Also, hand sinks in the Eco-Restroom use low flow faucets, in which all the water is used to irrigate areas around the building. These restrooms help protect the Bronx River and educate over 500,000 visitors annually about the value of water efficiency and recycling. |
| Reduce Costs by Using Low Impact Development Practices
In December the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new report "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices." This report provides information to cities, counties, states, private-sector developers and others on the costs and benefits of using Low Impact Development (LID) strategies and practices to help protect and restore water quality. LID practices are innovative practices that manage stormwater close to its source by mimicking a site's predevelopment hydrology and use design techniques that infiltrate, evapotranspirate, and reuse runoff. LID practices are increasingly being used by communities across the country to help protect and restore water quality. See EPA’s polluted runoff pages for a copy of the report. |
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| EPA WaterSense
Most people don't realize the considerable amount of energy it takes to deliver and treat the water they use. In fact, American public water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 billion kilowatt-hours per year - enough electricity to power more than 5 million homes for an entire year. See WaterSense for more info. | |  |
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Long Island Sound Study EPA Long Island Sound Office
888 Washington Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06904-2152 Phone: (203) 977-1541 Fax: (203) 977-1546
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