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Summer/Fall 2004 UPDATE Text-Only Edition [Return
to Publications]
Message from the Director
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the demise of cooperation
between Connecticut and New York have been greatly exaggerated.
At least as evidenced by two recent announcements.
The first was the June 24 announcement of a settlement between
New York and Connecticut that will result in the re-activation
and commercial operation of the Cross-Sound Cable and the
replacement of an existing transmission cable that runs from
Norwalk, CT to Northport on Long Island. In recent years the
cable has been punctured by boat anchors, resulting in leaks of
the coolant. In addition, the agreement creates a $6 million
fund for research and restoration projects to benefit Long
Island Sound. The Long Island Power Authority, Cross-Sound
Cable, LLC and Connecticut Light & Power will each contribute $2
million to the fund, which will be administered jointly by the
states of Connecticut and New York through the Long Island Sound
Study.
The second big announcement came July 20, when bi-state,
bi-partisan legislation, called the Long Island Sound
Stewardship Act, was introduced into the U.S. House of
Representatives. The legislation would authorize funding for
protection of recreationally and ecologically important areas
around the Sound. Funds could be used for open space protection,
public access improvements, and management of natural areas.
Representatives Rob Simmons (R-CT) and Steve Israel
(D-Hauppauge), who are co-chairs of the House Long Island Sound
Caucus, made the announcement at a press conference that was
also attended by other Caucus members and by Senator Joseph
Lieberman (D-CT). During April, similar legislation had been
introduced by the four U.S. Senators from Connecticut and New
York. The legislation, if adopted, would give a big boost to
Long Island Sound Study efforts to identify, protect, and
enhance sites around the Sound that have ecological,
educational, and recreational value. The bill also would
reauthorize the Long Island Sound Restoration Act of 2000,
scheduled to expire at the end of fiscal year 2005, for five
more years. This bill authorizes funding for the Long Island
Sound Study.
Are these turn of events evidence that the recent conflict
between Long Island and Connecticut officials over the Cross
Sound Cable and the designation of dredge material disposal
sites is over? Hardly. Geography will continue to determine
destiny, at least in molding and influencing public perceptions
of the benefits and ecological risk of these actions. However,
they are a reminder that protecting and restoring Long Island
Sound isn’t a Republican vs. Democrat or Connecticut vs. New
York issue. The progress that has been made was possible because
common interests have led to cooperative efforts, often
performed routinely and without public notice. The two recent
announcements provide a visible demonstration that the spirit of
cooperation is alive and well. Let’s hope that it continues.
Mark Tedesco
CAC Corner
By John Atkin
At its spring meeting, the Long Island Sound Study’s Citizens
Advisory Committee (CAC) completed its annual review of the 2003
Implementation Tracking Report. The report assesses progress in
implementing the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan
(CCMP). After the review, the CAC determined priorities for the
coming year and forwarded those recommendations to the Policy
Committee of the Long Island Sound Study: EPA Regional
Administrators Robert W. Varney and Jane M. Kenny, as well as
the environmental commissioners from Connecticut and New York,
Arthur J. Rocque, Jr. and Erin M. Crotty, respectively.
The five priority areas identified by the CAC are:
1. Implement the nitrogen reduction targets in the CCMP for the
Long Island Sound Study program to meet the 15-year goals.
2. Influence management practices in Long Island Sound to
enhance the ability of all living marine resources to thrive and
reproduce.
3. Develop a Dredged Material Management Plan for Long Island
Sound.
4. Support reauthorization of the Long Island Sound Restoration
Act with the inclusion of a Long Island Sound Stewardship
program, as well as authorization for the funding of projects to
reduce nitrogen discharges and protect open space.
5. Expand the support and funding of educational efforts and for
citizen science and water quality monitoring programs.
In the letter, the CAC emphasized that resources and support
should be focused in specific policy areas. For example, a
priority is for all Long Island Sound dischargers in New York to
adopt Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)-based permits with 15-year
nitrogen reduction targets, and for Connecticut to implement its
TMDL general permit program. The CAC also reiterated the need to
establish a research agenda on living marine resources
identifying key indicator species, as well as creating living
marine resource plans for the health of the ecosystem. And in
the area of dredging, the CAC specifically listed as a priority
the identification of sources of sedimentation to harbors, the
characterization of those sediments, and the development of
alternative disposal strategies for short-term and long-term
needs.
The CAC also requested a meeting of the Policy Committee for
September, 2004 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the signing
of the CCMP. This request was reiterated at the July 2004 LISS
Management Committee meeting.
John Atkin is the Vice President and Connecticut Director for
the Regional Plan Association, and is the Connecticut Co-Chair
for the Citizens Advisory Committee.
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Meeting Schedule
October 1, 2004 there will be a joint Citizens Advisory
Committee and Science and Technical Advisory Committee meeting
at the University of Connecticut Stamford Campus. The purpose of
this meeting is to learn about the research that has been funded
by the Long Island Sound Study. The goal of the meeting is to
jointly identify priority research topics and issues for 2006.
For additional details on the meeting please call the office at
(203) 977-1541 or visit the LISS website.
Long Island Sound Study Stewardship System Draft Bill
By Al Caccese
Much has occurred since our last report on the Long Island Sound
Stewardship Initiative. Eight public meetings were held around
the Sound during February and March 2004 and more than 250
interested participants provided feedback on ways to better
promote the Sound’s coastal resources. Visit
www.longislandsoundstudy.net for a full summary of the meetings.
Armed with this feedback, various members of the Long Island
Sound Stewardship work group have met with, and provided
comments to, the Congressional Long Island Sound Caucus, which
has authored the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, that would,
in its present form, authorize $40 million annually for local
projects to identify, protect, and enhance sites within the Long
Island Sound ecosystem with important ecological, educational,
or recreational value.
On July 20, 2004 a bi-state, bi-cameral and bi-partisan press
conference was held on the steps of the Cannon House Office
Building to announce the introduction of the measure in both the
House and Senate. Members of Audubon New York and Audubon
Connecticut spoke at the event on behalf of their organizations,
along with other conservation groups, such as the Regional Plan
Association and Save the Sound, Inc., who have long advocated
for the protection of this nationally significant estuary.
Al Caccese is Director of Conservation and Government Relations
for Audubon New York.
Celebrate National Estuaries Day Around The Sound
September 25, 2004 is National Estuaries Day, a celebration of
the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. Local
communities across the country celebrate their estuaries with a
variety of special events. A number of National Estuaries Day
events have been funded through the Long Island Sound Small
Grants Program.
The Waterfront Center Celebrates National Estuaries Day
In recognition of National Estuaries Day on Saturday, September
25, 2004, The Waterfront Center, in cooperation with the Kips
Bays Boys and Girls Club and the Boys and Girls Club of Oyster
Bay – East Norwich, will host an exciting day for children to
learn about estuaries and how to protect them. The event will
include numerous hands-on educational activities, such as
identifying the various local marine habitats, collecting and
identifying marine plants and animals using seine nets,
microscopes, and field guides, as well as sailing, kayaking, and
cleaning up the beach.
To make the National Estuaries Day celebration most meaningful,
the organizers have created a five phase program that includes
pre/post-trip visits and lessons conducted at Kips Bays Boys and
Girls Club, the actual event/celebration, an activity where the
children are asked to connect the lessons learned at the
National Estuaries Day event in Oyster Bay to something near
their Boys and Girls club, and an implementation of a
stewardship activity that the children have then created. In
doing this, The Waterfront Center hopes to increase public
awareness and understanding of the Long Island Sound and its
importance to them, to motivate people to participate in the
Long Island Sound’s restoration, to utilize innovative
activities that involve people and lead them to local action,
and to demonstrate activities that can serve as a model
elsewhere in the watershed of Long Island Sound. For more
information call Amy Cross, The Waterfront Center education
director, at (516)624-7900 x. 7, or visit the website:
www.thewaterfrontcenter.org.
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Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee Celebrates National
Estuaries Day with “It’s your Doody” Campaign
On September 18th, as part of National Estuaries Day, the
Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee will kick off its “My Pet
Protects Hempstead Harbor” campaign. The campaign will not only
educate the public about the damage pet waste can do to the
harbor but provide the means for them to do something about it.
A key element will be the installation of “Dogipot” Pet Waste
Disposal Stations in key locations around the harbor, each
consisting of a dog waste bag dispenser and an educational sign
attached to a single pole. This will serve as a pilot program
for possible expansion by the nine municipalities that
participate on the Committee.
With several trails, parks, beaches, and sidewalks near the
shore, there is an easy path for bacteria and viruses from pet
waste to enter the harbor. The pet stations and other materials
will help ensure that residents do the right thing. The
campaign’s slogan is “Protect Hempstead Harbor - It’s Your Doody!”
For more information contact Eric Swenson, Executive Director
for the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee at (516) 677-5790
Celebrate National Estuaries Day on the Branford River
The Branford River Project is preparing both a display and an
accompanying brochure that will highlight the Branford River’s
beneficial role as an estuary to Long Island Sound. This display
and brochure will be featured at the Branford River Project’s
seventh annual River Celebration Day, which traditionally
includes a non-motorized boat parade down the river, lots of
children’s activities, educational displays from a variety of
regional environmental groups, as well as wonderful music and
delicious food. This year’s celebration will take place on
National Estuaries Day, September 25th, at Branford Point. For
further information, call Maria Storm at (203) 481-5765.
2nd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat
Restoration
The 2nd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat
Restoration will be held September 12-15, 2004 in Seattle
Washington. The conference will address restoration challenges
and success around the country. Visit
www.estuaries.org for more
information.
4th LIS Lobster Health Symposium
The fourth and final Long Island Sound Lobster Health Symposium
will be held on October 4, 2004 in the Student Activity Center
at Stony Brook University. Researchers will summarize the
findings of the extensive research effort initiated in 2001 to
investigate the possible causes of the 1999 lobster mortality
event in western Long Island Sound and the increase in incidence
of shell disease among lobsters in eastern Long Island Sound.
There is no registration fee but registration is required for
planning purposes. For more information, call Antoinette
Clemetson, New York Sea Grant, at (631)727-3910 or e-mail her at
aoc5@cornell.edu.
Long Island Sound in Transition
The seventh Biennial Long Island Sound Research Conference will
be held at the Student Activities Center at Stony Brook
University on November 4 and 5, 2004. The conference will bring
together individuals with an interest in the scientific
investigation of Long Island Sound and its watersheds.
Conference topics are aquaculture/lobsters, climate issues,
ecological boundaries, estuarine policy, invasive species, Long
Island Sound as an educational lab, and reserves and wetlands
dynamics. Oral sessions will be developed around topics
presented in selected abstracts. A poster session will also be
an integral part of the conference. Registration forms will be
available in September. Initiating sponsors of the conference
are the Connecticut Sea Grant, the Long Island Sound Foundation,
and New York Sea Grant. For further information call Susan
McNamara at (860)405-9166 or e-mail her at
mscadm05@uconnvm.uconn.edu.
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Long Island Sound Watershed Alliance Conference
The 14th annual Long Island Sound Watershed Alliance Citizens
Summit will be held on November 13, 2004 at the New York
Botanical Garden. This year’s summit is titled Ocean Zoning in
Long Island Sound: an exploration of the concept and
effectiveness of ocean zoning as a tool for integrated
management of marine resources and activities in Long Island
Sound. The keynote speaker (invited) is Richard Ellis, author of
a number of books including The Empty Ocean, the story of our
continuing plunder of the resources of the sea and its chances
for recovery. Other speakers will discuss what we already know
about the underwater areas of the Sound and successful programs
in other areas. The day will conclude with a panel discussion on
how ocean zoning might be applied to Long Island Sound. For more
information on the conference please call Robin Kriesberg of
Save the Sound at 1-888-SAVELIS or by email at
rkriesberg@savethesound.org.
Long Island Sound Study Fellows Update Contaminants of Concern
The 2003/2004 Long Island Sound Fellows are Travis Baggett, a
student at Stony Brook University, and Alison Branco, a student
at the University of Connecticut. In addition to attending and
compiling minutes for the Long Island Sound Study’s Science and
Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) meetings, this year the
fellows are working on an update to the Long Island Sound
Contaminants of Concern list. Travis and Alison are surveying
the peer reviewed literature and government documents for
information regarding contaminants present in Long Island Sound.
Travis is focusing on contamination from metals such as mercury
and lead while Alison is focusing on organic contaminants like
pesticides and PCB’s. The fellows will produce a report
summarizing recent measurements of contaminants in Long Island
Sound’s water, sediment, and living organisms as well as
information about the levels of these contaminants that cause
significant effects to the environment and living organisms,
including people. This report will help the management committee
determine whether or not changes to the current contaminants of
concern list are needed.
Alison Branco is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Marine
Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Alison’s thesis
research focuses on the effects of colored dissolved organic
matter (CDOM) on light availability in Long Island Sound’s
shallow embayments.
Travis Baggett is working to receive a M.S. degree in Marine and
Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook. Upon completion of his
thesis he will have created a time series of heat and momentum
fluxes that can be used to determine if the annual cycle of
water temperature of the Sound has changed over the last 50
years.
Plan Your Trip to the Coast with Connecticut Coastal Access
Guide Online
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is
pleased to announce the release of its new Connecticut Coastal
Access Guide web site. The web site can be accessed directly at
www.dep.state.ct.us/coastalaccess.
This new internet version of the popular 2001 Connecticut
Coastal Access Guide map provides detailed descriptions of 285
sites where the public is welcome to fish, boat, swim, observe
wildlife, or otherwise enjoy Connecticut’s coastal shoreline.
Use this first-of-its-kind DEP interactive mapping web site to
explore the Connecticut shore. Comments on the content and
design of the web site (including your contribution of coastal
access site photos) are welcome to help maintain this
comprehensive source for coastal access in Connecticut. Please
e-mail Susan Fox of the Office of Long Island Sound Programs at
susan.fox@po.state.ct.us with your contributions.
International Coastal Cleanup September 18, 2004
Come join hundreds of thousands of volunteers for the 19th
Annual International Coastal Cleanup. Volunteers of the cleanup
record information about the trash they collect on data cards
which are compiled and analyzed by the Ocean Conservancy in
Washington D.C. The data is used to identify trends of marine
debris, and how to eliminate it at the source. For a list of
cleanup dates and locations in Connecticut contact Save the
Sound at 1-888-SAVE-LIS or visit the website at
www.savethesound.org. For cleanup dates and locations in New
York contact the American Littoral Society at (718)471-2166 or
visit the website at www.alsnyc.org.
The 2003 cleanup resulted in 2,632 New York volunteers removing
107,903 pounds of debris from 56 sites. In Connecticut, 735
volunteers removed 4,046 pounds from 39 miles of the coast.
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