Annual Report 2025
Dear Friends,
Sound-wide, you are making a difference for people, wildlife, and places. You are freeing and restoring our rivers systems, like the Hutchinson in Westchester and the Naugatuck in Seymour; protecting our lands for all people, such as at Six Lakes in Connecticut; restoring habitats for endangered birds at environmentally significant places, such as at Sunken Meadow on Long Island; and ensuring healthy water for Long Island Sound in over 46 bays and harbors around the region. You are bringing communities together in the shared ethic to preserve the places we love and protecting the environment we live in. Thank you for your inspiring and impactful donations and support. We can’t do this work without you.
The Long Island Sound estuary is our home, and our quality of life is inextricably linked to its health and that of its watershed. This summer, the Sound showed further signs of the progress we have made together. There were notable sightings of marine life like a hammer head shark, a humpback whale, cownose stingrays, a pod of over 50 dolphins, and a 16-foot, 700-pound thresher shark. Cleaner water from decades of action is clearly a major driver. However, there are other factors like warming waters that highlight the work ahead as we grapple with the threat of climate change.
Leah Lopez President
The markers of vibrancy are worthy of celebration and excitement, and that proof of concept, coupled with the need to address climate change impacts, underscores the urgency for the work ahead to ensure our region truly thrives. This report highlights a few stories of recent accomplishments from our two environmental centers: our Alexander Center for Ecological Action, which is restoring shorelines and advocating for a more resilient region, and our Center for Water Protection, which is advancing scientific data to rid the region of water pollution, one bay and harbor at a time.
We are united as one Save the Sound community, adding more voices each year, to bring results forward for our shared environment. As we plant grasses and restore marshes, mobilize coalitions, lead legal efforts to hold polluters accountable, and advocate for regional positive change through legislation in New York, Connecticut, and Washington, we appreciate your partnership.
When you love the Sound, you Save the Sound. Thank you for being with us every step of the way in that journey.
Celia Felsher Board Chair
Latimer Reef Lighthouse
Your Impact
From protecting forests and coastlines to restoring rivers, advancing climate resilience to defending clean water, Save the Sound is driving lasting change across the Long Island Sound region. The numbers below showcase the recent achievements made possible by our team and supporters.
Painting a Water Quality Picture
Data to understanding to action. That’s basically the unofficial mantra of Save the Sound’s Healthy Waters Institute. All the monitoring conducted across Long Island Sound is designed to gather as much water quality data as possible. The resulting analysis paints a picture of the challenges a particular waterbody may be facing and informs actions necessary to resolve that problem.
The data gathered in 2025 through the Unified Water Study will help us understand the ecological health of bays and harbors around the Sound, from the
Bronx River in the Western Narrows to West Harbor off Fishers Island. This season, which ran through October 31, ended with Save the Sound and 26 partner groups having monitored 46 waterbodies, including two new additions in Westchester: Larchmont and Milton harbors. We’ll crunch the data into water quality grades and share them widely next summer in our 2026 Long Island Sound Report Card
It’s the same approach we take with our bacteria monitoring program in the western Sound, which just completed its 12th season.
For 12 weeks every summer, volunteers like Reagan Amundsen help Save the Sound assess water quality in our bacteria monitoring program. In 2025, we collected water samples from 66 locations in the western Sound from Greenwich, Connecticut, through Westchester County, to Queens, and into Nassau County. Samples are analyzed in our John and Daria Barry Foundation Water Quality Laboratory in Larchmont, New York, for fecal indicator bacteria and measured against state safe-swimming criteria. This work provides timely data that protects public health and guides efforts to make every access point even safer for recreational activities.
Those results were released earlier this month.
Our beach grades are a little different in that we don’t collect the data ourselves. Instead, we analyze the data collected by local health departments and issue grades for 200+ public and private Sound beaches. Our 2025 Long Island Sound Beach Report was published before Memorial Day.
The data gathered by Save the Sound and our partners is used by state agencies in various ways, such as helping to determine whether a waterbody segment would be added
to or removed from a list of impaired waterbodies. A waterbody officially designated as “impaired” could become eligible for additional protections and potential funding for remediation.
The more data available, the better informed decision-makers will be in protecting the Sound and the tributaries that run through our communities. That’s why we launched QuickDrops in February— providing a free water quality data platform and visualization tool for the full community of stakeholders around the Sound.
Legal Action to Protect Air Quality
Legend
Iroquois Pipeline System
Compressor Stations
Map and data provided by GEI Mapping
The Iroquois Pipeline runs from upstate New York through Connecticut and across Long Island Sound. When it was proposed that the Brookfield Compressor Station would be expanded to serve the Iroquois gas pipeline, the Save the Sound legal team stepped in to request an adjudicatory hearing on the significant public health and environmental impacts of this expansion. Proposed modifications to compressor stations along this pipeline would result in New York utilities receiving an additional 125 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, despite a lack of demonstrated need for this increased supply when considering the renewable resources coming online. According to Iroquois’ estimates, the modifications to the Brookfield Compressor Station will emit an additional 80,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, 24.5 tons of NOx, 6.8 tons of particulate matter, and 0.7 tons of hazardous air pollutants in Connecticut. These emissions will impede the state’s ability to meet the greenhouse gas emissions limits set by the Global Warming Solutions Act and also to reach attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.
“Expanding the Brookfield Compressor Station to supply gas to New York places a heavy and needless burden on Connecticut residents, degrading their air quality and threatening their health and safety,” says Jessica Roberts, staff attorney at Save the Sound.
In Memory of Hildegarde Hannum
1931 - 2024
The tides of Long Island Sound, the pull of the mountains, and a lifelong love of books shaped the remarkable life of Hildegarde Kate Hannum.
Born to German immigrant parents, Hildegarde pursued learning with determination, earning degrees from Connecticut College and Harvard and spending a cherished Fulbright year in Munich. She built a distinguished career in German literature and translation, teaching at universities on both coasts before settling in Old Lyme, Connecticut, with her husband, Hunter, and their daughter, Lisa. Hildegarde and Hunter translated the works of renowned German thinkers, weaving their intellectual pursuits together with a deep commitment to social justice and the environment in their own community.
Along the shores of the Sound, Hildegarde co-founded a citizens’ group promoting renewable energy and served for decades on nonprofit boards advancing community sustainability. Reflecting her lifelong values, she included Save the Sound in her estate plans—a generous bequest that will help protect the waters, wetlands, and wildlife she so deeply loved.
We are profoundly grateful for Hildegarde’s trust and inspired by her enduring legacy of environmental stewardship. May her example encourage others to leave a lasting gift for the Sound’s future.
Bridging Restoration and Action
Healthy ecosystems are the foundation of clean water, thriving wildlife, and resilient communities. Yet across the Long Island Sound region, decades of development have fragmented habitats, degraded wetlands, and weakened nature’s ability to protect us from flooding and pollution. Ecological restoration projects repair these natural systems by reviving rivers, rebuilding coastlines, and restoring balance to the places we depend on most.
Created through a generous gift from the Libby and Robert Alexander Family, the Alexander Center for Ecological Action at Save the Sound expands our capacity to restore ecosystems, build climate resilience, and advocate for lasting policy change—creating measurable benefits for our estuary, its wildlife, and the people who call its shores home. The Alexander Center brings together our Ecological Restoration and the Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute to build a healthier future for the Long Island Sound region through innovation and leadership.
Within the Center, Save the Sound’s Ecological Restoration team leads hands-on projects that remove obsolete dams, install green infrastructure, and build living shorelines that defend coasts from rising seas. From restoring river connectivity through the Blind Brook dam removal to preventing runoff pollution from entering waterways through urban stormwater biofiltration at Haven & Exchange in Connecticut, the Alexander Center brings together science, partnerships, and communities to restore the Sound’s natural defenses.
Through this work, the Center demonstrates how strategic investment in ecological action can secure a healthier, more resilient Long Island Sound for generations to come.
The Center’s collaborative model brings people together to drive innovation and change. It unites fieldwork projects, data science, and policy action into measurable impact for the whole Sound community.
Libby and Robert Alexander sailing on the waters of Long Island Sound. Thanks to their transformational gift, vision, and commitment, the Center is already advancing critical work in our region.
Blind Brook in Rye, New York.
Advancing Resilience Policy Across the Sound
The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute is Save the Sound’s hub for advancing climate and resilience action across the Long Island Sound region.
This year, the Institute’s policy and advocacy work helped achieve two major legislative victories in Connecticut: the passage of Public Act 25-33 (SB 9), which strengthens the state’s resilience planning, improves infrastructure to withstand sea level rise, and requires consideration of climate impacts in water resource management, and Public Act 25-125 (HB 5004), which updates the Global Warming Solutions Act targets, promotes clean energy and workforce development , and lays the groundwork for significant greenhouse gas reductions. These bills mark
New Director for Doherty Institute
Over the past four years, Katie Friedman has led transformative naturebased projects across New York for Save the Sound—reviving rivers, building living shorelines, and implementing green infrastructure that protects communities from flooding and pollution. She is now becoming the director of the Doherty Climate and
“Resilience Institute, bringing that same expertise and collaborative spirit to a broader mission: advancing climate science, policy, and on-the-ground resilience for the Long Island Sound region. Her leadership ensures the Institute’s work remains rooted in practical, science-based solutions that deliver real impact for people and nature alike.
The Institute is a regional resource for the public and decisionmakers. Addressing climate change requires reducing emissions through policy and implementing nature-based, resilient solutions. By protecting and restoring natural systems like living shorelines and green infrastructure, we can better prepare and strengthen our communities.”
-Katie Friedman, our new Director of the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute
an important step toward meeting Connecticut’s climate goals and protecting residents from the growing impacts of climate change.
In addition to driving policy change, the Institute continues to expand the science, partnerships, and nature-based solutions necessary to build regional resilience —from developing the Long Island Sound Climate and Resilience Report Card to leading collaborative efforts through the Connecticut Coalition for Climate Action.
Save the Sound extends deep gratitude to the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc., whose generous support made these resilience and climate successes possible.
Katie Friedman conducting a wild oyster survey at Turtle Cove in the Bronx, New York.
Restoring Eelgrass, Reviving the Sound
Eelgrass meadows once carpeted Long Island Sound’s shallow waters, providing vital habitat, absorbing carbon, and cleaning the water. But 90% of that eelgrass is now gone, due to pollution, warming water temperatures, and coastal development. With your help, we’re working to bring eelgrass back.
Together with Connecticut College, Remote Ecologist, and Rob Vasiluth of SAVE Environmental, we are using a groundbreaking method called SEAS, Seeds of Eelgrass Attached to Shellfish. Volunteers carefully glue eelgrass seeds to baby clams and spread them across the target areas. As the clams sink to the bottom and then dig themselves into the seabed, they naturally sow the seeds while filtering and clearing the surrounding water. After two years of pilot testing, we are beginning to see encouraging signs of growth. However, the real test will come in spring 2026, when results from this fall’s large planting—40,000 clams across four experimental plots off Duck Island—can be evaluated.
Our Soundkeeper team is part of a regional consortium led by the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve, working with experts from the University of Connecticut, Stony Brook University, and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Empowering Young Voices
This year the Environmental Health Ambassador program, which equips New Haven-area teenagers with community organizing training, explored the history and principles of fairness in environmental advocacy. The first cohort of ambassadors completed the program in late 2024, and several of the graduates took leading roles in advocating for climate and transit equity policy in the 2025 Connecticut legislative session. Katie Mercado, a UConn master’s student and policy intern with Save the Sound, spent the fall
transforming the curriculum of our pilot program to welcome a new cohort in the coming months. Beyond the classroom, youth advocates receive hands-on green infrastructure experience working side by side with their peers in community cleanups and rain garden installations. These activities allow them to witness firsthand the power of collective action to bring about tangible improvements in their neighborhoods.
Eelgrass near Duck Island © Brian Nevins/11th Hour Racing
Six Lakes in Hamden, Connecticut
Park Progress After 40 Years of Delay
Momentum is strong in the fight to transform a contaminated 102-acre property into a park in southern Hamden. The Six Lakes Park Coalition, coordinated by Save the Sound, built on last year’s visioning sessions by following through on our commitment to increase outreach in Newhall, the predominantly Black, working-class neighborhood that’s connected physically, historically, and hydrologically to Six Lakes.
The coalition also forged a new partnership with the Yale Environmental Justice and Advocacy Law Clinic. Law students undertook a year-long project to uncover Six Lakes’ history, relevant regulations at the state and federal
level, and unfulfilled obligations. These findings sparked a letter-writing campaign urging Olin—the corporation that owns the property—to end its delay in cleaning up the contamination they created.
Our goal remains opening the property for public use, and to that end, we convened a special working group of professionals to start planning for land acquisition and management once the cleanup is complete.
After 40 years, progress is finally being made, and that’s thanks to supporters like you who care about local green space and use your voices to push for change.
11,000 Pounds of Trash
On a sunny Saturday morning, volunteers traced the shoreline of Long Island Sound, buckets in hand, picking up cigarette butts, bottle caps, and forgotten wrappers. By the end of the day, hundreds of pieces of litter that might have drifted into the estuary were safely removed.
This scene was repeated 92 times across Connecticut and New York in 2024. More than 3,100 volunteers joined forces to haul out roughly 11,300 pounds of trash, protecting the rivers, beaches, and wetlands that countless wildlife call home. Among the debris: 16,593 cigarette butts, 12,578 food wrappers, and nearly 10,000 small plastic fragments. Each item tells a story of pollution kept at bay and demonstrates how many hands can make a tangible difference.
“Cleanups are a great way to care for our local environment and connect with nature while working toward a more sustainable future—not only for people,
but for all living things linked to Long Island Sound and beyond,” says Annalisa Paltauf, Connecticut & New York cleanup coordinator.
“Participating in cleanups brings immediate, visible results and creates a positive experience shared among neighbors. I’m always inspired by the enthusiasm our volunteers bring and proud knowing we’re helping to shape the next generation of environmental stewards.”
Our cleanups wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of Subaru of New England, the FactSet Charitable Foundation, Beiersdorf, PKF O’Connor Davies, Neuberger Berman, Arvinas, HMTX Industries, Tauck, and supporters like you. With volunteer help from our sponsors, cleanup captains, and people of all ages around the region, our waterways shine brighter.
Cleanups return every year from August through October. Visit savethesound.org/ cleanups to learn more!
Tauck joined forces with Save the Sound to support cleanup events across Connecticut, making measurable progress toward healthier, cleaner coastlines for future generations.
Protecting Connecticut and New York coastlines
Thank you
October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024
Thank You to Our Generous Supporters
We’re sincerely grateful for your continued dedication to safeguarding the environment. The following individuals and organizations contributed $1,000 or more, or made in-kind donations, during Fiscal Year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2024).
Leadership Council & Champions
$10,000+
Ilene and Paul Ahern
The Libby and Robert Alexander Family
Richard Amerling and Mary Kelly
Mrs. Julia H. Anderson and Mr. Daniel Anderson
Chip and Barbara Angle
Anonymous
Atlantic Coastal Fish
Habitat Partnership
Avalon Nature Preserve
Benjamin M. Baker and Susan K. Norden
Barrett Outdoor Communications
John and Daria Barry Foundation
Beiersdorf
The Claire C. Bennitt
Watershed Fund, Inc.
Alison Betty
Mark and Deborah Blackman
Brewer Family Foundation
Ms. Dina Brewster and Mr. Garth Harries
Brose Hie Hill Foundation
Bunting Family Foundation
The Per and Astrid Heidenreich Family Foundation
Paul and Julie Chelminski
Andrew Cohen
Common Sense Fund
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Connecticut Judicial BranchYouth Services Division
Barbara O. David
Peter DeBell and Joanne Monaco
David and Diane DeBell
Henry L. and Grace Doherty
Charitable Foundation
The Eder Family Foundation, Inc
Erik & Arjan Eenkema van Dijk Charitable Fund
Raphael Elkind and Melissa Newman
Environmental League of Massachusetts
John L. Cecil and Celia A. Felsher
The Betty and Wes Foster Family Foundation
Friends of Oswegatchie Hills
Nature Preserve
John B. Fullerton
Brad and Sunny Goldberg
Lee Goldsmith, M.D., LLB and Arlene Goldsmith, PhD
Maple Burchard Fischer Grant Foundation
Hampshire Foundation
The Hayes Foundation
James and Dawn Henry
Huffard Family Fund
The Jeniam Foundation
Jewish Communal Fund
Brooks Kelley Memorial Fund
Kitchings Family Foundation
Lockhart Vaughan Foundation
Steven and Fern Loeb
Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative
Henry D. Lord
M&T Bank Amplify Fund
M.L.E. Foundation
Joseph and Lisa MacDougald
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
Bryan and Katherine Martin
Doug and Marie McKeige
William T. Meo, Jr.
Thomas and Sophie Murphy
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The New York Community Trust
Newman’s Own Foundation
Shirley H. Nichols Foundation
The Fred and Gilda Nobel Foundation, Inc.
Overhills Foundation
The Owens & Minor Foundation
Perpetual Kindness Foundation
Restore America’s Estuaries
Rogers Family Foundation
Sandpiper Fund
Save the River/Save the Hills
11th Hour Racing’s grant program, funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation
Robert F. Schumann Foundation
Barbara and Peter Setlow
The Sheehan Family Foundation
The Skye Foundation
Streicker Foundation
Subaru of New England, Inc
Sun Hill Renewal Fund
Tauck
Tim and Nancy Taussig
G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation
Vranos Family Foundation
Barbara Chadwick and Peter Wappler
Werth Family Foundation
Wescustogo Foundation
Woman’s Seamen’s Friend Society of CT, Inc.
Michael and Lorraine Zupon
H. B. Bullard Giving Fund
Burt Family Foundation
Ms. Elaine C. Camerota
Cannon and Bruce Campbell
Cans for a Cause
Ms. Jennifer C. Carter
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Compass Group Management
Ann E. Condon Fund
Todd Cort and Jenn Rosenberg
Katha and John Cox
Mally and Jim Cox-Chapman
CT Green Bank
Anne and Jim Davis
Klarn and Kristin DePalma
Jack Dowd
Cheryl and Daniel Dunson
Eastern Connecticut
Conservation District
Mr. Paul Eddy and Ms. Elizabeth J. Normen
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Elliott / R & M Foundation
Mark and Karen Epstein
Mr. Henry P. Euler
R. Bradford Evans
$1,000+
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Adamcewicz
Pippa Bell Ader and David Ader
Jerry A. Adler
Jane and Moses Alexander
Alexander Family Foundation
The Chatto Giving Fund
AMWINS
Anonymous
David and Allison Ansel
Ansonia Foundation
Ash Creek Conservation Association, Inc.
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Robert J. Bauer Family Foundation
Bruce R. Becker
Matthew Broder and Susan Neitlich
FactSet Research Systems, Inc.
Vivian and Peter Falco
First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan
William M. Ford
Mrs. Elinor A. Fredston
Friedman Family Foundation
Ms. Patricia Gaffney-Kindig
Mr. Herbert M. Gardner
Ron and Joan Gaudreault
The Giudice Family
Barry and Marlene Gold
Elizabeth Gold
Gorin Family Charitable Fund
Emily L. Grant
Great Cow Harbor 10 Kilometer Run Inc
Michael and Heather Greenaway
Nora and Madison Grose
Randall and Mary Hack
Martha S. Harding
Harmon Foundation
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Evan and Lesley Heller
Mrs. Pamela M. Heller
HMTX Industries LLC
Frances and Thomas Holloway
Bill Horne and Lea Brilmayer
Alexander Host Foundation
Catherine Iino
Rich and Kelly Jessop
Jewish Communal Fund
Curt Johnson and Nancy Dittes
Marcia K. Johnson
Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Kabran
Jane E. Kammerer Fund
Kaplan Family Foundation
Phyllis and Rick Kaskel
Jim and Sara Kempner
Mr. John Clare Kennedy
Joseph R. Kerrey
Charles and Elizabeth King
Ruth and Seymour Klein Foundation
Diane and Gerard Koeppel
Stuart and Nicole Kovensky Family Foundation
Mr. Chris Kraus and Mrs. Darcy Stacom
Fred Krupp and Laurie Devitt
Storm Kuchta
The Kurzrok Foundation
Lauren and James Lambert
Frank and Elisabet Landrey
Richard Lavin
Kevin and Lilli Lawner
Marta Jo Lawrence
Richard and Lynne Leahy
Louis and Virginia Clemente Foundation, in memory of Harry A. LeBien
Leslie Lee
Tricia and Steve Leicht
LesserEvil LLC
LeveragedWisdom
Carolyn W. Levine
Stephanie and Larry Levy
Caleb Linville & Alex Kendall
Linville Family Foundation on behalf of Jim & Vicky Linville
Leah Lopez
Donald and Marianne Lucey
Mark H. Lynch
William and Susan Mahoney
Peter and Isabel Malkin
Ellen and Terry Martin
Mr. Daniel Mathisson and
Dr. Helene Mathisson
Edmond McCarthy
Lisa and Todd McDonald
Thomas McGrath and Christine Baker
Betty McManus
McMichael Yacht Yards and Brokers
Julie Jones and Dominic Megna
Mr. and Mrs. Joel and Theresa Meisel
Stephen and Evalyn E. Milman
Neuberger Berman
New York Architects’
Regatta Foundation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
NewAlliance Foundation
North Suffolk Garden Club
Northwest Community Bank
Katharine O’Brien Fund
Bill and Linda Ogden
Nicholas D. Ohly and Sara Huntington Ohly Fund
Old Stones Charitable Fund
Laurie Olinder
Neil Olson
Christopher Orella
Orvis Sporting Traditions
Pakula Foundation
Frank Pannenborg
The Partnership Project
Penwood Realty Advisers, Inc.
PKF O’Connor Davies LLP
Michael and Valerie Puglisi
R & M Foundation
Clifford Raynor
Charlotte Rea and Robert Fricker
Scott and Janice Redfern
Regional Water Authority
Sandra and Gernot Reiners
Responsive Management
Harold J. Rose
Leigh Ann and Jim Rossi
Jane Roth and Edward Pawlak
Round River Foundation
Karen Royce
Richard H. Rubinstein
Ruscito and Head Family Foundation
Mr. Peter Russell
Eric Schwartz
Richard M. Sellschop
Amy Shapiro Scholarship Fund
Greg Sharp
David and Rhonda
Sherwood Foundation
Tim Sickinger
William & Sylvia Silberstein Foundation, Inc.
Catherine H. Smith and Peter B. Maxson
Mario Smith
Jeff Smith
Ian and Joanna Smith
Kerala Snyder
Jonathan and Cleo Sonneborn
Dr. Donna Spiegelman
Louisa H. Stone
Tracy Stora and John Mayo-Smith
Storm Trysail Foundation
Don Strait and Deborah Fins
The Strittmatter Family Fund
Jeffery Sturgess
Ted Sullivan and Faith Taylor
Brian L. Sullivan
Gately Ross and Jeffrey Swearingen
Robert Taplin
Thompson Family Giving Fund
Mrs. Pamela A. Trailsmith
Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation
Trischman Family Foundation
John A. Grim and Mary E. Tucker
Natalie Urbano
Johan Varekamp and Ellen Thomas
Patricia L. Wales
Anne and George Walker
Chris and Terri Walker
The Walker Group
Jane Waugh
Ellen and Woodie Weiss
Linda and Andrew Weiss
Jane D. Weiss Family Foundation
Serena and Frederick Whitridge
Steve and Melissa Wiggins
Jim & Judy Wilson
The Winston Foundation
Georgann Witte
Mary Woolsey and Mark Peterson
Bill Wright
Legacy
Gifts
Estate of Eugene T. Connolly, Jr.
Alice S. Powers Irrevocable Trust
Richards M. Libby Family Trust
Estate of Thomas R. Talamini
Government
CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
NY Department of Environmental Conservation
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Partnership
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 (New England)
Gift In Kind
Wendy E. Andersen
Barrett Outdoor Communications
Ben & Jerry’s
Town of Bethany
Stephen Borghardt
Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Janet Boziwick
Marianne Capobianco
Cedar Island Marina
University of Connecticut
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Alison Cunningham
Douglas Manor Environmental Association
Victoria Field
Mr. Brad Gentry
Dr. Leslie Gross-Wyrtzen
Town of Hamden
Hofstra University
Housatonic Valley Association
Indian River Shellfish
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lauschus
Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments
New York City Parks
NYC Bird Alliance
Osprey
Patagonia Westport
Jen Pinto Rathburn
Town of Prospect
Sea Grant Connecticut
Bernadette Southwick
Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects
Town of Thomaston
Udalls Cove Preservation Committee
John Venini
Vita Nuova
Thank you
October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024
Glenn Niland
Mike Norman
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wickstrom
Kevin and Alexandra Wolfe
Yale School of the Environment
Gifts Given In Memory Of
Dorothy Allis
Barbara Beitch
Josephine Barrett Boynton
John D. Breen
Joan Brown
Hugh S. Cafferty
M. J. Canali
Anthony Capodicco
Albert A. Cardone
Cynthia J. Cardone
Jimmy Casey
Malcolm D. Clarke
Rose Cleaves
Constance C. Coles
Mathilde Connal
Eugene T. Connolly, Jr.
Dana Dam
David Edwards
Ann R. Elliman
Scott Farquhar
Lillian Fazekas
Mark S. Foster
William S. Fuller
Michael Gannon
Frank Giacovelli
Patrick L. Gribbon
Edith Hill
Matthew Housekeeper
Jack A. Huttner
John Jabieski
Joan Kirby
Arthur Kleitz
Pat Koblenz
Robert Lange
Harry LeBien
Suzanne, Gordon, and Sarah Lucey
David MacDonald
Allan Maines
John Maini
Alana Mary
Harold Mayberry
Stewart McKinney
David Monaco West River Watershed Association
Chris Ochman
Ellen W. Peterson
Jeannette Pierce
Christopher Pitt
Beau Randall
Jesse Rando
Peggy Reilly
Mary & Bernard Reynolds
Jean M. Richards
Margaret C. Ryan
Simon And Zuline Samuels
Melissa Schlag
Jordan Shackelford
Larry Smith
Mike Starito
Dorothea Sullivan
Thomas M. Tobin
Despena Tyropolis
Kristine Valente
William Vornkahl
Elizabeth A. Wall
Stephen Wall
Margaret Wheeler
Maggie Wheeler-Ryan
Steve Whitman
Fred Wright
George Young
Lillian Roboc Young
Marvin Zimmerman
Gifts Given In Honor Of
Laura Addison
Libby Alexander
Richard Amerling
Cate Ansel
David Ansel
Jennifer Baclini
Margo Bailey
Katherine Bennett
Linda Bloomingdale
Lindsey Bonitz
Karen Burnaska
Rona Byers
Lisa Cantiello
Kevin P. Carney
Carolyn H. Cary
Laura Case
P H Charbonnier Family
Gary J. Chieppo
Christopher Cozzi
Katherine Czepiel
Barbara O. David
Jerry Davis
Emma DeLoughry
Angela Fogel
Nathaniel Fusco
Gary Haber
Louise W. Harrison
William Hastings
Dawn Henry
Brittany Hubball
Dara Illowsky
Curtis Johnson
Stephanie Joyce
Ian Knisely
Tricia And Steve Leicht
Matthew Lento
Anne S. Lewchik
William V. Lewit
Locust Valley B. Bookstore
Bill Lucey
Megan E. Lung
Michelle Maitland
Mary-Beth Mason
Mary McKee
Douglas M. McKeige
Laura A. McMillan
Stanley McMillen
The Mighty Taco
Russell Monaco
Joanna Morris
Shevon Morris
Jeanne and Gianni D. Neri
Frank Patrick
L R. Pitman
Colin Puckett
Bill Rennie
Roger Reynolds
Gil Rogin
Sandy Saginaw
John Sargent
Tom Sargent
Deb And Mike Schoenster
Joan Tracey Seguin
Frederick Shaw
Will Shevchik
Parsons Sisters
Lindsay Skedgell
Sophie Sobel
Pauline Solomon
Phil Steiner
Florence Suerig
Michael and Ute Thoennessen
Mary Trehan
Mrs. A. Vaccarino
Janice Winter
Climate Taskforce
Paul Ahern
Ben Baker
Steve Chandler Hall
Dawn Henry
Bill Horne
Leslie Lee
Richard Sellschop
Catherine Smith
Stephanie Weiner
Mary Woolsey
Sound Future Committee
Paul Ahern
Libby Alexander, Chair
Julia Anderson
James Billingsley
Jack Brewer, Honorary
Raphe Elkind
Gordon Geballe, Honorary
Lee Goldsmith
Flip Huffard
Tripp Killin, Honorary
Mary Ellen Kranzlin
Henry Lord
Tom Radgowski
Tim Taussig
Janice Winter
Our Board FY24
Todd Cort
Chair
Celia Felsher
Vice-Chair
Officers
Leah Lopez
President
Janel Hanlan, EVP
Treasurer
Claudia Mezey
Secretary
Members
Paul Ahern
Chip Angle
Dina Brewster
Raphe Elkind
E. Donald Elliott
Evan Heller
Dawn Henry
Kiki Kennedy, M.D.
Mary Ellen Kranzlin
Leslie S. Lee
Joseph A. McDougald
Bruni Pizarro
Tim Taussig
Johan C. Varekamp, Ph.D.
About Us
The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of Connecticut and New York communities around Long Island Sound. We use legal and scientific expertise and bring people together to achieve results that benefit our environment for current and future generations.
Our vision is for a Connecticut, New York, and Sound region where the vitality of nature is protected for people and wildlife, now and for many decades to come. A region where people from all walks of life unite to transform struggling habitats, polluted waters, endangered wildlife, and a threatened planet into resilient, healthy, vibrant, and inspiring places that sustain communities.
Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Report (October
1, 2023 - September 30, 2024)
Save the Sound’s work to protect our region’s environment is made possible by people who care about Long Island Sound and its communities. Private funding from individuals and foundations provides essential operational support, which we amplify through state and federal grants that make major projects possible. Your generosity and involvement drive meaningful progress across Connecticut and New York, creating a lasting impact for the places we all call home.
Support & Revenue
Individual & Foundation Donations Government Grants Interest & Dividends
$5,078,043 $2,185,546 $233,503
Operating Expenditures
$5,909,002 $938,967 $1,162,251
Total $7,497,092 Program Management Fundraising
Total $8,010,220
Healthy Waters
We monitor harbor and bay health and identify sources of contamination.
Climate & Resiliency
We advocate for renewable energy to mitigate climate threats.
Ecological Restoration
We implement naturebased solutions to flooding, pollution, & habitat loss.
Land Protection
We build coalitions to save forests, wetlands, islands, and riverfronts.
Legal Action
We hold polluters accountable and back climateconscious state policies.
Soundkeeper
We patrol local waters and investigate pollution reports around the Sound.
Cleanups
We mobilize hundreds of volunteers to remove trash from coastlines.
Our Work Across the Region
Long Island Sound’s watershed connects millions of people across New York, Connecticut, and beyond. Learn about our iconic projects, along with 200+ efforts to improve this important region.
More Ways to Give
As a dedicated supporter of Save the Sound, you help protect clean water, restore vital habitats, and fight climate change across the Long Island Sound region. You can deepen that impact in many ways, through monthly giving, onetime contributions, stock donations, workplace giving, or planned gifts such as charitable gift annuities and legacy gifts. Some options, like donor-advised funds or IRA contributions, may also provide tax benefits if made by December 31. Explore these options and share them with a friend who cares at savethesound.org/waystogive.
