Mr. Mark Tedesco, Director of the EPA’s Long Island Sound Office, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Management Plan, briefed the Council on one aspect of the Plan - - the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative.  Mr. Tedesco explained that the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative is a public/private partnership formed to identify, protect and enhance special places throughout the Sound and adjacent nearshore areas.  The Long Island Sound is one of the most valuable estuaries in the nation.  Its waters and coastal lands harbor an abundance of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl in diverse and productive habitats.  Its beaches, boat launches, piers, parks, and trails host millions of residents and visitors each year.  The coastal areas around the Sound are among the nation’s most intensely used and developed.  Less than 10 percent of the land in coastal counties that border the Sound is protected and only 23 percent of the Sound’s total shoreline is publicly accessible.  Use and development demands continue and remaining opportunities to protect natural areas and improve public access are limited and expensive.  Action needs to be taken now to preserve and enhance the most valuable coastal lands.

Mr. Tedesco stated that the identification of an area as a Stewardship site indicates the unique importance and value of its natural or recreational resources.  The Stewardship Initiative identification process uses the best available information to establish priorities and opportunities for conservation and enhancement.  A few examples of areas that are protected under the Initiative are:  Edith G. Read Sanctuary in Rye, NY; Alley Pond Park in Queens, NY; Morris Creed in New Haven, CT; Hammonasset Beach State Park, CT; Nissequogue River State Park, Kings Park, NY; Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, Stonington, CT; Key-Span, Jamesport, NY; and Jordan Cover, Waterford, CT.  Enrollment of a site in this initiative is entirely on the part of the landowner

The Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative is helping, people, communities, and organizations take action by identifying the Sound’s valuable natural and recreational areas and by fostering voluntary action to protect and enhance these sites for future generations.  The EPA provides funding and then the State matches the amount.  Additional federal funding to the LISS Office for the Stewardship Initiative is being sought, although the program will be sustained whether or not this supplemental funding materializes.

More detailed information about the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative is available on the LISS web site: http://www.longislandsoundstudy.net.

 

 

Page last modified Saturday, December 24, 2005 by George E. Carroll