It is hard to believe that we have reached the year 2001. From
1990 to 2000, so much has been done for Long Island Sound.
Unprecedented dollars have been invested in Long Island Sound by
New York and Connecticut to reduce hypoxia. On the federal
level, after an eight year campaign, the Long Island Sound
Restoration Act passed Congress, authorizing $40 million dollars
a year for five years to further implement the Sound's nitrogen
reduction program to address hypoxia.
Long Island Sound has also received greater attention in habitat
restoration, establishment of parkland, and the need for further
research. We began in 1990 with the first Listen to the Sound
program to generate citizen support and ended the year 2000 with
the finalization of the report from the second Listen to the
Sound program, which calls for stewardship and protection of
open space around its shores. Much has been done, but the job is
far from over.
Therefore, this year marks a critical time in the Long Island
Sound Study (LISS) to celebrate our successes and reaffirm our
commitments for the future. In 1994 and again in 1996, the
states of Connecticut and New York along with the Environmental
Protection Agency signed agreements to implement the
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for Long
Island Sound. It is time to bring our governors together again
to build upon our achievement and set the course for the
beginning of the new century. The LISS Policy Committee embraced
the concept of an updated Long Island Sound 2001 Agreement with
an anticipated signing date for the fall.
There is much to celebrate for the Sound, but to keep the
celebrations going and the CCMP on track, agreements with
milestones are important. The Chesapeake Bay program, which
revises its governors' agreements every few years, has taught us
this lesson well. The LISS Citizens Advisory Committee will be
an active participant in the agreement process and looks forward
to your support to make it a success.
David Miller is the New York Co-chair of the Citizens Advisory
Committee and is the Executive Director of Audubon in New York.
September and December Meeting Highlights
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) met in September and
December 2000 and took several significant actions. The CAC
agreed to form a new Living Marine Resources Subcommittee to
help focus attention and action in this critical area of the
CCMP. The subcommittee met twice via conference call, and
elected CAC member Jennifer Wilson-Pines of the Manhasset Bay
Protection Committee as its chair. The CAC also recommended that
the LISS Management Committee consider reviving its own Living
Marine Resources subcommittee to complement the work of the CAC
in this area. The Management Committee will consider this issue
at its April 19, 2001 meeting.
Sound Health 2001
The Summer/Fall 2000 issue of UPDATE introduced you to the Sound
Health 2001 - Status and Trends in the Health of Long Island
Sound. We hope that the three indicators highlighted in that
issue piqued your interest into the other 16 indicators. During
the spring, coastal Long Island Sound regional newspapers in
Connecticut and on the north shore of Long Island will insert
Sound Health 2001 into an issue of their Sunday paper.
Additional copies will also be available by calling
(203)977-1541, (860)424-3276, (631)632-9216, or by visiting the
Long Island Sound Study web site at www.epa.gov/region01/eco/lis. Back to top
LISWA/LISS Summit
State of the Sound: Priorities for the Future
March 2-3, 2001
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
The eleventh annual Long Island Sound Summit will be a two day
event this year, co-sponsored by the Long Island Sound Watershed
Alliance (LISWA), Save the Sound, and the Long Island Sound
Study.
The purpose of this two day conference is to provide a forum to
discuss the current state of the health of Long Island Sound,
progress in the cleanup efforts, the challenges ahead, and
priorities for addressing these challenges. The conference will
support development of a Long Island Sound 2001 Agreement, an
update to the 1996 Long Island Sound Agreement on the
implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management
Plan (CCMP). The LIS 2001 Agreement will more clearly define
desired outcomes of CCMP actions in measurable, trackable terms,
better link monitoring/research and environmental indicators to
environmental goals and results, maintain momentum for CCMP
implementation, reaffirm implementation priorities, and address
emerging issues. The LIS 2001 Agreement will be developed using
a consensus-based approach coordinated through the LISS
Management Conference.
The first day of the conference will begin with a series of
introductory presentations about Long Island Sound - past,
present, and future followed by breakout sessions keyed to the
major issues identified in the CCMP. Participants in the
breakout sessions will voice their views on progress made to
date and priorities for the future.
Day two will begin with a session focused on the Long Island
Sound Reserve concept, followed by a brief summary of
recommendations from the first day, with commentary from panel
members comprised of public officials.
Advance registration for the two-day conference, which includes
a continental breakfast on both days and lunch on Day One, is
$30. The cost for seniors/students to attend the two-day
conference is $25. Advance registration for Day One only is $20;
Day Two- $10. Prices at the door will be higher. The deadline
for pre-registering is February 19, 2001.
For more information regarding details and registration for the
conference, please contact Robin Kriesberg at 1-888-SAVE LIS or
email rkriesberg@savethesound.org.
Register Now by forwarding this form to: LISWA Conference, c/o
Save The Sound, Inc., 185 Magee Ave., Stamford, CT 06902, Fax
(203) 967-2677, email rkriesberg@savethesound.org
Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000
The Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-457), was
signed by President Clinton on November 27, 2000. This Act
provides a strong federal commitment and resources to restore
habitat in America's estuaries, which are critical to the
vitality of coastal ecosystems and essential to the nation's
economy.
An Estuary Habitat Restoration Council of federal agencies will
develop a national estuary restoration strategy with a goal of
restoring 1 million acres by 2010. The bill authorized $275
million of federal matching funds over five years, up to a
maximum federal share of 65% per project.
The bill also includes the authorization of up to $40 million
annually for the next five years to the Long Island Sound Study.
A portion of the money, if appropriated, would be available to
provide financial assistance to municipalities to upgrade some
of the 40 sewage treatment plants located on the Sound in New
York and Connecticut.
B.E.A.C.H. Act is Signed by President Clinton!
The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH)
Act of 2000, (HR 999) amends the Clean Water Act to require
ocean, bay, and Great Lakes states to adopt minimum,
health-based criteria for water quality, and requires
comprehensive testing of recreational beach water for bacteria
and pathogens. The public must be notified when contamination
levels make beach water unsafe for swimming, surfing, and other
activities. The bill authorizes $30 million over five years in
federal grants to help these states and local communities
develop and implement effective water quality monitoring and
public notification programs.
New Summary of Final Total Maximum Daily Load Rule Available A summary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) final Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rule is now
available on the Clean Water Network's web site at www.cwn.org.
Click on TMDL's, or view the entire ruling via the EPA web site
at www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/finalrule.
Conservation And Reinvestment Act
Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) has a long history
grounded in the spirit of the early conservation movement,
continuing a program designed to promote the federal acquisition
of land for the national park system, while also providing funds
to help state and local governments meet a broader set of
outdoor needs. In 1964 President Johnson approved a bill
creating the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF),
emphasizing federal, state and local partnerships, long-term
planning, permanent acquisitions, and urban recreation. The
program was strengthened during the late 1960s by utilizing
money from offshore oil and gas leases to fund LWCF projects,
and this initiative has helped states and localities acquire 2.3
million acres of parkland and added 3.4 million acres of new
federal lands. After 15 years of maintaining the promise to fund
these projects, large chunks of fund revenues have been
redirected to other budget items, creating a staggering backlog
of federal, state, and local land protection needs.
Congress approved and President Clinton signed legislation to
spend about $12 billion on local, state, and national land
conservation programs over the next six years. The legislation
is a scaled-back version of CARA which would have provided $3
billion annually over 15 years. This bill calls for spending
$1.2 billion in the fiscal year that began October 1, 2000 and
gradually increase to $1.8 billion annually over the next five
years. This would provide the LWCF with $540 million in the
coming year. In addition other state programs would get $300
million a year while urban parks, forestry, and historic
preservation would get $160 million. Another $150 million
annually would be used to address the maintenance backlogs on
federal land, and $50 million will be used to reimburse local
governments with large amounts of federal land for lost tax
revenue. It is not yet clear how these pots of money will be
divided among the states. Back to top
Another part of CARA which would provide assistance to coastal
areas is still awaiting final action. The original legislation
called for $1 billion to be available annually for coastal
projects. The new program calls for $400 million this year
increasing to $600 million over the next five years.
Research on Long Island Sound by Rick D'Amico
The biennial Long Island Sound Research Conference (LISRC)
provides a forum for research related to Long Island Sound. It
began in 1992 in response to a recommendation by the Long Island
Sound Assembly. This year's LISRC was held at the University of
Connecticut's Stamford Campus on November 17th - 18th, 2000.
The first session of the Conference dealt with historical
conditions in Long Island Sound. Subjects during this session
focused on benthic foraminifera, physical oceanographic
conditions, postglacial sediments, and patterns of fouling
communities in the Sound over the years.
The next session dealt with nonpoint source pollution. Topics
during this session focused on mercury, bacterial causes of the
release of methyl bromide to the atmosphere, and atmospheric
nitrogen deposition in the Connecticut drainage to the Sound.
The third session dealt with marine ecosystems. During this
session, presentations showed how fish utilize Phragmites and
Spartina marshes, how the Japanese shore crab has become a
dominant species along a portion of shoreline, and how fish
communities and eelgrass beds are related.
The topic of the fourth session was diseases and pathobiology.
Presentations were made on oyster defenses against parasites,
the pathogen Brucella in marine mammals, a review of the recent
lobster die off in the Sound, and detection of pathogens in
oysters.
The second day of the conference opened with a session on
sediments and monitoring. Topics included sediment contaminants,
and physical processes in and around sediments, and the time
series water quality monitoring of the MySound EMPACT Project.
The subject of the sixth and last session of the Conference was
water quality, nutrients, and algae. Presentations focused on
nitrogen uptake by a local species of seaweed, nitrogen
reduction and water quality conditions in the Sound,
interpretation of ocean color in near-coastal areas, and
bioremediation of nutrients by seaweeds.
There was also an excellent poster session, which was held at
the conclusion of the first day's presentations. Proceedings of
the Conference will subsequently be published for those who did
not attend, or would like written record of the conference.
Rick D'Amico works for New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation and is the New York State Coordinator
for the Long Island Sound Study.
Order Research Conference Proceedings
Copies of the proceedings from the Research Conferences held in
1992, 1994, 1996, and 1998 can be obtained now from the Long
Island Sound Foundation. Copies of the 2000 proceedings, once
printed, will be made available. Place your order on the web
site www.lisfoundation.org, by mail to Sue McNamara, UCONN,
Marine Science Department, 1084 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT
06340, or e-mail mscadm05@uconnvm.uconn.edu for copies of the
proceedings.
LIS LOBSTER ABUNDANCE by Carl LoBue The CT DEP has released its annual fall lobster index
generated with data from the LIS trawl survey. The fall lobster
index is the geometric average catch of lobsters per tow each
fall. Traditionally the survey has not sampled in the western
most portions of the LIS that were most affected by the
mortality event in 1999. Although these areas are currently
sampled there is no reliable abundance history from that area.
The 2000 fall index is the lowest it has been in the last
decade. However it is still higher than levels observed for much
of the 1980s. A more comprehensive analysis of this information
is needed to compare the size structure and areal distribution
of the current LIS lobster population to past years.
Preliminary landings data suggest there was a large decrease in
the 2000 lobster landings compared to the past few years.
Conversations with lobstermen suggest that many lobstermen from
western LIS ports significantly reduced their fishing effort or
did not fish at all in 2000. More time is needed before the
total LIS lobster harvest can be finalized.
At sea observers from NY DEC noted that the lobsters that were
caught appeared to be generally healthy looking throughout the
summer and fall of 2000 and that few lobsters appeared limp or
dead in traps as was observed in the fall of 1999.
Ten lobsters from each of five zones throughout the LIS were
tested each month in 2000 for the presence of pathogens at the
Department of Pathobiology at UCONN. Many cooperating lobstermen
contributed portions of their catch for this study; results have
yet to be released from UCONN.
Carl LoBue works for New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation.
Online Auction Launched to Help Restore Our Nation’s Bays and
Estuaries
Think of the fun you can have buying exciting and unique on-line
auction items knowing you are helping to raise funds for our
nation's bays and estuaries. The nation's 28 National Estuary
Programs (NEP) and their Association of National Estuary
Programs (ANEP) will be hosting an on-line "charity" auction
where people like you can go on-line and bid on fun and unique
donated auction items. The proceeds from the sale of the
tax-deductible donations will go to ANEP, but your local NEP
will receive a percentage (up to 40%) of the proceeds from the
items donated by your NEP community. Together, the NEPs and ANEP
(a 501(c)(3) non-profit) provide local and national efforts to
restore our nation's estuaries, bays, and lagoons.
Are you looking for a unique birthday present, an anniversary
present for your parents, or some fun for you and your family?
Some possible prizes on the auction may be a boat ride, fishing
trip, or kayaking trip in your local bay or estuary. Or, you may
find out about a week or weekend vacation in a summer home -
maybe in Puerto Rico, or in Seattle! Or a ski vacation at a home
in Utah! There may be concert tickets, a catered food party, or
dinner for four at a fine restaurant or at a waterfront bistro.
You may be able to bid on a weekend at a spa resort, tickets to
a sporting event, or a parasailing weekend. We are also trying
to get a ride on a Mardi Gras float donated! The auction will
have exciting, unique items that you can't find elsewhere!
If you have Internet access, just go to www.ebay.com and select:
"Charities" to see how easy it is! Visit the e-auction, view
unique items, and decide if you want to bid on one or more of
them. If you are the highest bidder, you will pay ANEP directly
and then ANEP will contact you to coordinate the shipment of
your "prize." Please tell all your friends to check out the ANEP
charity auction site on eBay! If you or someone you know whould
like to donate an auction item which could be credited to the
Long Island Sound Study please contact Dawn Volk.
For more information about ANEP or the auction, please contact
Dawn Volk, ANEP, at (703)333-6150 or drvolk@erols.com. Back to top
US Postal Stamp Campaign for Estuaries
During 2000 the Long Island Sound Study (in cooperation with the
US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic
Atmospheric Administration, the Association of National Estuary
Programs and the National Estuarine Research Reserve
Association), sent a proposal to the US Postal Service
requesting development of a series of postage stamps celebrating
estuaries - areas of environmental, economic, and cultural
importance. If selected, the new series, America's Estuaries,
would illustrate bays, inlets, and harbors from across the
nation, while possibly highlighting the most ecologically
significant plant and animal life found in the 28 National
Estuaries and 25 National Estuarine Research Reserves.
The proposal was submitted to the US Postal Service Citizens
Stamp Advisory Committee in Washington DC. The Citizens Stamp
Advisory Committee will decide whether America's Estuaries is
chosen to become a series of postage stamps. The Advisory
Committee meets quarterly to decide on stamp subjects and makes
recommendations to the Postmaster General.
To show your support for this initiative, please send a postcard
or letter to Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp
Development, US Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room
4474E, Washington, DC 20260-2437.
Dredging Update: Dredged Material Disposal Effort Continues An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being developed
and produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Region I and II, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New
England and New York Districts (ACE). An EIS is a document that
assesses the potential environmental impact of a proposed
action. In this case the proposed action is the designation of
one or more disposal sites in Long Island Sound for dredged
material.
Final reports on the field work that was conducted over the past
year are nearing completion. The following is a list of reports
available on the Long Island Sound EIS web site www.epa.gov/region01/eco/lisdreg.
#1. Working Group Meeting Reports
(July 2000 working group minutes)
#2. Workshop Proceeding April 2000
#3. Oceanographic Report 2000
#4. Maps
(various maps from meetings)
#5. Sediment Toxicity Report
(Winter field work)
#6. Field Summary Report (Feb. 2000)
(This includes sediment and benthic sampling, sediment grain
size, and benthic community).
Reports on the field work completed in 2000 will be posted on
the web site over the next few months. These reports are on
benthic tissue collection, lobster tissue collection, finfish
collection, benthic community, and finfish sampling. All reports
still need to be analyzed for the EIS.
Studies being conducted from now through Spring 2001 include
facilities survey work, Geographic Information System (GIS)
data, and upland disposal site research. The facilities survey
work involves developing a comprehensive list of marine
facilities around Long Island Sound and conducting a survey of
those facilities. GIS data is being gathered from various
sources such as National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration,
EPA, ACE, U.S. Geological Survey, National Marine Fisheries
Services, the states of Connecticut and New York, and others.
Some of the data layers to be gathered are political town
boundaries, nautical charts, field work sites, Disposal Area
Monitoring System (DAMOS) database, and historical sediments.
Upland research will be conducted to produce a draft list of
possible upland disposal sites and the criteria used in drafting
the list.
Please contact Ann Rodney at US EPA, New England Region, One
Congress Street, Suite 1100, CWQ, Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617)918-1538 or rodney.ann@epa.gov should you have any
questions. Back to top
LISS Awards 15 Grants
The Long Island Sound Study announced in December 2000 that 15
community projects throughout the Sound's watershed were funded
through the Public Participation Information and Education
grants. The 15 recipients were selected from 34 proposals. The
funded projects focus on controlling nonpoint source pollution,
teacher training, habitat restoration, community involvement and
education, and water quality monitoring. The grant recipients in
Connecticut include the Bruce Museum, Clam Watch 2000,
Connecticut Sea Grant, Fort Saybrook Monument Park Association,
National Audubon Society, Nature Center for Environmental
Activities, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Save the Sound, and
SoundWaters. New York grant recipients include the American
Littoral Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk
County, Long Island University, Trout Unlimited, and the
Westchester County Planning Department (2 projects). More
details on the projects funded can be found on the web site at
www.epa.gov/region01/eco/lis.
This is the seventh year of funding for the grant program. Since
1995 a total of 58 projects have been funded for over $200,000.
The next request for proposals will go out during the summer of
2001. If you are interested in being placed on the Long Island
Sound Study Small Grants mailing list, contact Kimberly Zimmer
at (631)632-9216 or visit the Long Island Sound Study web site
for more information.
Calendar of Events
February
ANEP Auction. Check out page 6 for more details.
24th Wet and Wild on LIS Educators Workshop.Contact the Kellogg
Environmental Center in Connecticut at (203)734-2513.
March
2nd-3rd LISWA/LISS Citizens Summit. Check out page 3 for
registration.
8th CAC Meeting. Contact Joe Salata (203)977-1541.
11th-15th National Estuary Program meeting Washington, DC.
April
19th Management Committee meeting, Stamford, CT. Contact Joe
Salata (203)977-1541.
22nd-25th The 57th Annual Northeast Fish and Wildlife
Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY. Contact NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation (518)457-9435
May
6th-12th Water Week in New York. Contact Sharon Thatcher at NYS
Department of Environmental Conservation (518)485-8743.
11th-12th, and 14th Wet and Wild on LIS Educators Workshop.
Contact the Kellogg Environmental Center in Connecticut at
(203)734-2513.
12th-19th National River Clean-Up Week. Contact (865)558-3595 or
www.americaoutdoors.org/nrcw/natao10.htm.
25th Long Island Sound Day.
June
8th-10th NYS Marine Education Association Meeting, Southampton,
NY. Contact (631)632-9216 or http://members.aol.com/nysmea.
14th CAC Meeting. Contact Joe Salata (203)977-1541.
Back to top
