Blue skies, glowing green meadows, and shell pink milkweed flowers. This was the idyllic natural palette flaunted by the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, on the first day of summer. A red carpet would have been an appropriate addition, considering the A-list guests and environmental organizations who turned out to celebrate 40 years of stewardship of the Sound and to sign a resolution endorsing the Long Island Sound 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP).
“The new CCMP will guide our work to restore Long Island Sound,” said Denise Stranko, our executive vice president of programs and the Connecticut representative on the policy subcommittee of the Partnership’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee. “It was so encouraging to hear the elected officials share their stories about the Sound and speak so enthusiastically about what it means to communities across the region. And it was great so many people showed up to recognize the Long Island Sound Study’s work over 40 years and to kick off the important work ahead for the Long Island Sound Partnership.”
U.S. Representatives Jim Himes of Connecticut and Tom Suozzi and George Latimer of New York attended the event on the first day of summer, as did the administrators of Environmental Protection Agency Regions 1 and 2, the commissioners of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the state representatives whose districts house the historic venue, Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Steve Otis. Mark Tedesco, the recently retired director of the Long Island Sound Study, was in the house, along with Nikki Tachiki, who was introduced as the acting director of the newly renamed Long Island Sound Partnership.
The updated CCMP, developed last year with input from Save the Sound experts in water quality, habitat restoration, advocacy, and community organizing, provides a blueprint for the next decade of collaborative efforts for the Partnership, agencies, organizations like Save the Sound, and other stakeholders across the region in achieving:
- Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds
- Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife
- Sustainable and Resilient Communities
- An Informed and Engaged Public.