Larchmont, NY – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in partnership with the Long Island Sound Study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced a 2022 round of funding for Long Island Sound Futures Fund (Futures Fund) projects today. The Futures Fund, which supports projects that aim to conserve and restore the Long Island Sound ecosystem, has granted Save the Sound $456,600 to take inventory of all accessible stream barriers within the Long Island Sound watershed in Westchester County, New York. Our awarded project was among 41 in the region, totaling $10.3 million in federal funding dedicated to improving the health of Long Island Sound.
The project aims to conduct an inventory of stream barriers to fish passage—such as dams and culverts—along rivers and streams throughout the portion of Westchester County that drains to Long Island Sound. The project will inform stream restoration priorities and projects along riverine migratory corridors from upstream Westchester County to downstream Long Island Sound.
“Barriers like low-head dams and undersized or misaligned culverts block migratory and resident fish from accessing their spawning grounds. Before we can decide which barriers need to be removed or updated, we first need to understand where they are and their degree of passability,” says Katie Friedman, New York ecological restoration program manager. “Westchester County currently lacks data on the location and impacts of small dams and undersized road-stream crossings. By creating an inventory shared amongst regional environmental organizations and municipalities, we can better prioritize future projects and understand downstream effects of potential stream barrier removals.”
“Long Island Sound is a critical natural resource which supports both wildlife and our region’s communities, and improving its health will require improving the health of its tributaries,” says Laura Wildman, regional director of ecological restoration. “By prioritizing fish passage projects within Westchester County, we can better direct funding and energy to improve fish runs and biodiversity in our region. We are excited to get started on this project and grateful to the support of the Futures Fund that will make it possible.”
Throughout the process of this inventory project, the ecological restoration team will share updates and provide ways for the public to engage in our work on the rivers and streams of Westchester County.