Rye, New York – Save the Sound has launched the new Alexander Center for Ecological Action, which brings together our Ecological Restoration program and the Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute to build a healthier future for the Long Island Sound region through innovation and leadership. The Alexander Center for Ecological Action has been made possible through generous funding from the Libby and Robert Alexander Family, of Rye, New York.
Save the Sound hosted a celebratory gathering for the Alexander Family to launch the Alexander Center on Wednesday, November 19. The event, held at the historic Jay Heritage Center in Rye, was attended by supporters and partners throughout New York and Connecticut who are passionate about protecting our Long Island Sound estuary region and provided the opportunity to learn how this exciting new Alexander Center will address impaired rivers and eroding shorelines to advance a healthier, more resilient environment for our region. The Alexander Center is based out of Save the Sound’s offices in Larchmont and New Haven and works across the entire Sound region.
As lifelong sailors, Libby and Robert have realized that caring for the water is fundamental to the essence of sailing and that a healthy Long Island Sound estuary is critical. “You can’t take the water for granted. You rely on it, but it’s not something that belongs to you. It’s something you interact with that is so much bigger than anyone can fathom. For us as both sailors and boaters, it provides us with immense meaning, connection, and joy,” said Libby Alexander of the Alexander Family. “We are excited to make this investment to catalyze the resilience and restoration work of Save the Sound along Long Island Sound, including its rivers and shores.”
“At the Alexander Center for Ecological Action we are focused on impact and action to get real things done,” said Laura Wildman, vice president for the Alexander Center for Ecological Action at Save the Sound. “This center will support our Ecological Restoration team as we mobilize partners and resources to restore self-sustaining ecological systems, and it will support the Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute in educating the public and advocating for climate change mitigation and resiliency solutions. The combination of these two programs will strengthen our ability to protect and preserve the Long Island Sound region’s environment. We’re incredibly grateful for Libby and Robert’s generosity and vision to do this work in a unified way for future generations.”
Within the Alexander Center for Ecological Action, Save the Sound’s Ecological Restoration team leads hands-on projects that remove obsolete dams, install green infrastructure, and build living shorelines that protect coasts from rising seas. From restoring river connectivity through the Blind Brook dam removal in Rye, to preventing runoff pollution from entering waterways through urban stormwater biofiltration at Haven & Exchange in New Haven, to rebuilding coastal marsh at Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island, the Alexander Center brings together science, partnerships, and communities to restore the Sound’s natural defenses.
The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute, which also sits within the Alexander Center for Ecological Action, is Save the Sound’s place-based climate change hub, which is aimed at cutting climate pollution, protecting our habitats, and stabilizing our shorelines, using data and metrics to educate the public, mobilize stakeholders, and highlight nature-based solutions.
Robert and Libby Alexander are longtime supporters of Save the Sound. For over a decade, they have worked with the organization to protect the Long Island Sound estuary with their leadership, visionary support, and strategic advice. Before inspiring the creation of the Alexander Center for Ecological Action, they guided the Soundkeeper Task Force, unified the organization’s brand, and formed the Ecological Restoration program in New York. Lending her leadership to Save the Sound, Libby has served as a board member and is now Chair of the Sound Future Campaign Committee.
