Weekly Digest: Clean Water Wins, EPA headlines

On a sunny Friday in October, Killian Duborg, our CT communications specialist, joined Land Protection Manager Kathy Czepiel to visit Deer Lake.

Generosity and protection for Deer Lake

Deer Lake is a beautiful 253-acre wooded property in Killingworth, CT that was, until a few years ago, a Boy Scout camp owned by the Connecticut Yankee Council. In 2022, the Council made plans to sell the property for development. Land conservation efforts often take decades, but over just a few short months, a community who cared about their childhood camp rallied to save it. The efforts, led by local nonprofit Pathfinders, with statewide and regional organizations including Save the Sound, ended in the purchase of the property with a combination of community donations and a $1.8 million loan. 

This spring, a longtime supporter of Deer Lake, David Knapp, passed away; his will specified that his estate would cover the remaining balance of the loan. Thanks to Knapp’s generosity, Pathfinders now owns Deer Lake outright. With the property paid off, doors are opening to create a conservation easement to protect the land in perpetuity.

Under Pathfinders’ stewardship, Deer Lake has been opened to the public in a way never seen before. Their mission is to provide opportunities for accessible outdoor education and recreation in a protected, environmentally critical preserve. If you’re interested in visiting, you can check out their new website

Read more about our visit.


What You Can Do This Week

  • NY EVENT: Join Peter Linderoth, our director of water quality, and the Centerport Harbor Civic Association for a discussion on the 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card this Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Harborfields Public Library. Peter’s presentation will focus on bay grades for Long Island, challenges to water quality in North Shore bays and harbors, and local solutions.
  • CT EVENT: See a river in recovery! Last fall, we removed Dana Dam (aka Strong Pond Dam) in Wilton to reconnect Norwalk River habitats. Come see the restoration site one year later. Alex Krofta from Save the Sound will lead the tour on Dec. 3. Register today.  
  • CT ACTION: With the president-elect pledging to double down on fossil fuels, it’s clearer than ever that tackling climate change will require strong leadership from states. It’s up to us to push for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient energy future. Join us in urging Governor Lamont to bring more offshore wind to Connecticut.
  • REGIONAL ACTION: Giving Tuesday is coming up on Dec. 3! Before 2024 ends, help protect the Sound and its coastal communities. Consider donating to Save the Sound to fuel vital projects like wetland restoration and dam removals that shield homes, businesses, and beaches from harm. We greatly appreciate your support! 

Long Island Sound’s North Fork Coast

Big win for clean water in New York

Seventy-two percent of Suffolk County voters supported Prop 2, the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act. The landslide victory will create the Water Quality Restoration Fund to expand sewers and provide grants for homeowners to replace the 380,000 nitrogen-leaking septic systems that have degraded water quality for decades.

“This is a turning point for clean water,” said David Ansel, our vice president of water protection. “We applaud the voters for delivering a powerful, unambiguous message: it is time to protect drinking water, groundwater, our bays and harbors, and Long Island Sound, and it’s time to upgrade the county’s inadequate wastewater infrastructure and reduce the nitrogen pollution that has threatened clean water for too long.”

Dock with flag pattern and water to horizon

Lee Zeldin chosen to lead EPA in Trump administration  

Last Monday, Lee Zeldin, former congressman from Long Island, was named by the president-elect to be EPA administrator. Zeldin has a complicated track record when it comes to environmental policies. He successfully championed critical clean water and restoration funding for Long Island Sound and supported the permanent preservation of Plum Island. However, he also blocked legislation to reduce greenhouse gases and declared himself on board with the new administration’s agenda to double down on fossil fuels.

Denise Stranko, executive VP of programs, leads our federal advocacy. “Lee Zeldin is deeply familiar with the environmental issues we face in the Long Island Sound region and has championed the Sound’s health as co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus,” she said. “We are always concerned about policies or rollbacks that could harm public health, lands, or air and water quality, or that weaken our ability to respond to mounting threats to our shorelines and communities from increasingly severe storms and flooding.” 

“Our system of environmental laws that has achieved great success since the contaminated air and water of the 1970s is under unprecedented attack from the Supreme Court’s majority and others who seek to turn back the clock,” said Roger Reynolds, our senior legal director. “In this context, the Administrator of the EPA is an incredibly important position whose decisions today will impact our climate and our air, land, and water for generations.”  

Read our full statement and coverage from The Suffolk Times.

Your opportunity to help shape the Sound’s management plan

In the early pages of its newly drafted Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the Long Island Sound Study shares its vision: that “Long Island Sound and its watershed have clean waters, healthy habitats, thriving wildlife, resilient coasts, and an engaged public.”

Learn what the 2025 CCMP is all about, read the draft, and share your feedback before the public comment period ends this Friday, Nov. 22.

But your role doesn’t end there. The CCMP is designed to be “a blueprint for collaboration.” Once the final draft is published early next year, we hope you’ll treat it as a scorecard, becoming part of Goal #4’s “informed and engaged public” to track progress toward the goals. We’ll keep you updated, and we need you to keep us on target.


Quick Links

  • Read Newsday’s coverage on Gov. Hochul’s statewide ban on outdoor burning and watch News12 Long Island’s coverage of the 5,000-acre wildfire that burned across the NJ state line into NY. We’re very grateful for our fire fighters.
  • Connecticut was classified as under moderate drought, creating an unusually high fire danger; the state has seen over 70 fires since October 21. In response to these risks, the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve in East Lyme, CT is closed to all visitors and hikers until further notice, having had two brush fires in the area in just a week. Please take extra precautions to help reduce the risk of fire.
  • Good news for nesting piping plovers on our shores! CT Public has the story.
  • The Suffolk Times covers our recent Long Island Sound Report Card’s findings for the East End of Long Island, while TBR Media shares a letter highlighting the Setauket Harbor Task Force’s contributions to cleaning up local waters.

Photo of the Week

This bald eagle flying over Larchmont Harbor reminds us of a time when the species was in danger of going extinct. The Endangered Species Act set in motion a recovery plan, and bald eagle populations rebounded. The eagle’s recovery shows the importance of landmark federal laws and the effectiveness of staying the course to protect everyone’s right to clean air, water, and a safe environment. As always, we will be keeping an eagle’s-eye watch to make sure environmental laws are upheld. We are grateful for your support. Photo credit: Doug Reynolds.


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Tuesday, Dec. 3
Dana Dam was removed in Fall 2023 to reconnect Norwalk River habitats. Come to the restoration site and learn about dam removal design, implementation, and ecosystem benefits.

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