2026 Annual Report by Save the Sound

Protecting Your Local Paradise.

Annual Report 2026

The Sound We Love. The Future We’re Building. This year, people around the Sound joined us in celebrating the 10th season of the Unified Water Study. For a decade, this effort has brought together monitoring groups, scientists, and advocates in 52 bays and harbors to track the health of Long Island Sound and illuminate where progress is taking hold and where more work remains. Your support fuels the groups collecting samples on the water, the scientists analyzing results, and the advocates advancing solutions in Albany, Hartford, and Washington. Thank you for your generous support of Save the Sound and for believing in a future where Long Island Sound is cleaner, healthier, and more resilient than it is today. As we face unprecedented environmental rollbacks at the national level, there is good news to be had locally, from the return of dolphins and whales to state government action, the thousands upon thousands of you who joined us to clean beaches, rivers, and parks this fall to the community that is created when we come together to protect what we love. We are grateful that you allow us to be your voice, your connection to nature, and your chosen get-it-done crew.

Leah Lopez President

Save the Sound

Celia Felsher Board Chair

We often talk about protecting the natural resources of the Sound region: the water in our bays, harbors, and rivers, our forests, our shorelines, and the air we breathe, but our work is also about protecting life—the marine creatures, terrestrial animals, and the people who call this region home. You’ll see important wins throughout this 2026 Annual Report that show advancements, including: • Habitat for shellfish and other marine life through eelgrass restoration • Protections for horseshoe crabs, one of the oldest inhabitants of the Sound • Migratory stopping places for birds on Plum Island and the coastal forest of Oswegatchie Hills • Growing our community of members taking part in protecting the Long Island Sound region With your help, we continue to progress toward a healthier and more vibrant region, even as we face weaker environmental protections and new threats of warming waters and severe storms. Thank you for sharing our passion for this local paradise.

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Sound & Rivers

Healthy water connects us all. Sometimes you catch a postcard-perfect moment along the Sound: Kids splashing through low tide on a hot day. A river running fast but clear after a storm. A family casting lines from a jetty. A sailboat regatta working across the horizon over blue-green water. These moments can feel fleeting. Just as often, you might see murky water, Beach Closed signs, or litter bumping against a boat hull. Nine million people live in the watershed of Long Island Sound, connected by thousands of miles of rivers and streams. What happens on land quickly affects our waterways. When it rains, litter and pollutants from parking lots, streets, lawns, and other surfaces can wash into rivers and streams, eventually reaching the Sound. And some sewage treatment systems dump raw effluent into the water because they’re overwhelmed by stormwater in their pipes.

At our state-certified JOHN & DARIA BARRY FOUNDATION WATER QUALITY LABORATORY in Larchmont, we turn water samples from around the Sound, from harbors like Stonington, Stamford, New Rochelle, and Northport, into information people can use. By monitoring bacteria in waterways, our scientists and partners track changing conditions and identify where action is needed. It’s all connected. The health of a river affects the Sound. The health of the Sound affects the communities that depend on it. And the health of both depends on the lands surrounding them. Gathering, analyzing, and sharing the right information provides us all a clearer picture of what’s happening in our waterways and where we can make a difference.

Eastern Point Bay in Groton, Connecticut.

Save the Sound

Alewives in Bride Brook at Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, Connecticut. PHOTO CREDIT: BOB JACOBS, CT DEEP

Monitoring for Change

Restoring Our Rivers

You can’t see water quality from the shoreline. And even when samples are tested in a lab, meaningful analysis requires measuring longterm trends, not just moments in time. Since 2017, Save the Sound’s Unified Water Study has brought 31 monitoring groups around Long Island Sound together to collect comparable data in bays and harbors using shared protocols and grading metrics.

A river’s well-being depends on its continuity. When those connections are broken, aquatic life declines and entire ecosystems degrade.

That long-term record gives us a clearer view of where water quality is improving and where problems persist. Our newly released 2026 Long Island Sound Report Card shows progress in the Sound’s open waters, including the Western Narrows, right next to New York City, which earned a D after receiving an F in every previous Report Card. But the results from bays and harbors point to significant challenges that remain. Of the 62 in-bay testing sites monitored in 2025, 56% earned overall grades of A or B. Fifty percent received a C, D, or F for dissolved oxygen, a concerning result that can threaten aquatic life. These findings give communities a better understanding of the Sound’s health and help pinpoint where focused action can make a difference. Learn more at savethesound.org/reportcard.

River herring spend most of their existence at sea, returning to freshwater rivers each spring to spawn. But thousands of dams, including 4,800 registered in Connecticut alone (with many more likely unmapped), and other barriers can cut fish off from the spawning grounds they need to reach to maintain healthy populations. Undersized or elevated road culverts can create similar problems, disrupting fish passage while exacerbating erosion, flood risk, and road kills of land animals that move along stream habitats. Dams also disrupt natural sediment flows, overheat the water, reduce dissolved oxygen, release greenhouse gases, and alter the conditions that native species depend on. To address this historic problem, we are working to help reconnect rivers. Since 2015, Save the Sound has removed five dams and one defunct river-spanning water pipe, installed two fishways, and reopened more than 36 river miles to migratory fish in Connecticut. In Westchester, we are conducting a stream barrier inventory to identify and assess road-stream crossings that may be blocking fish passage. We are also advancing multiple major barrier removal projects, from initial assessment through removal design. Because Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries have stopped intercepting Long Island Sound river herring at sea, following years of low fish abundance, our river herring runs have grown to levels not seen since the 1990s. If these protections continue, Long Island Sound river herring will be able to capitalize on the new habitat opened by our team and our partners. This will set the stage for a future when river herring, and the wildlife and people who depend on them, can once again thrive in abundance.

river miles reopened for migratory fish

more alewives now return to bride brook annually because failing culverts were replaced

56% of 62 sites monitored across 46 bays earned overall grades of a or b in 2025

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Wildlife & Habitat

Protecting our living systems. Habitats are constantly at work around us. Wetlands hold water when storms arrive. Rivers give fish room to move and reproduce. Trees fill the air with oxygen, and plants sink carbon into the ground. That’s why many of Save the Sound’s tools for restoring our environment are the very plants and animals we’re seeking to protect. Through the ALEXANDER CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL ACTION, we use science and nature-based restoration techniques to help habitats function as they should. And when these places face threats from development or pollution, our legal team steps in to defend them—upholding environmental laws and holding polluters and developers accountable when their actions put ecosystems and communities at risk.

2,497 37.5 lobster traps removed in 108 trips

TONS

of ghost fishing gear recovered and recycled

Sunken Meadow Creek in Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park, New York.

Save the Sound

PHOTO CREDIT: KHYAL | FSW.GOV/CRABTAG

Long Island Soundkeeper Bill Lucey examines freshly harvested eelgrass seeds that volunteers will attach to live clam shells.

Horseshoe crab in Bridgeport, Connecticut, tagged as part of the Maryland Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office’s coast-wide tagging program.

The Hutchinson River flows through a watershed home to more than 200,000 people, connecting communities, parks, wetlands, and forests.

Reviving Our Seafloor

Saving Vulnerable Species

Protecting Watersheds

Life is returning to the Sound. At Westbrook, Connecticut’s Duck Island, our eelgrass restoration project has helped increase eelgrass coverage by 178 percent in just a few years. Eelgrass provides essential habitat for fish and other marine life while helping absorb excess carbon and stabilize the seafloor. Volunteers and divers have attached eelgrass seeds to live clams, allowing the clams to carry the seeds into the sediment as they burrow. So far, about 53,000 seed-carrying clams have been placed in the water.

After years of our advocacy, horseshoe crabs will receive stronger protections in New York. Save the Sound helped champion legislation banning horseshoe crab harvesting for commercial and biomedical purposes, bringing New York’s protections in line with Connecticut’s. The law, signed in December 2025, takes full effect in 2029 and creates more consistent safeguards around Long Island Sound.

Through our ALEXANDER CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL ACTION, we’re taking a watershed-wide approach to restoring the Hutchinson River, recognizing that a healthy river starts with the land around it. The work spans the watershed from its headwaters in Scarsdale to Eastchester Bay.

We’re also giving marine wildlife a second chance by removing abandoned lobster traps that continue to “ghost fish.” In 108 trips, our team has recovered 2,497 traps and released countless fish, crabs, conches, and even an occasional lobster.

Horseshoe crabs are critical to healthy fisheries and ecosystems, providing a key food source for migratory birds, sportfish, sea turtles, and other species. Protecting this 400-million-year-old species helps preserve an important link in the Sound’s food web and supports the health of the broader ecosystem.

Phase I of the Hutchinson River Watershed Plan, completed in 2024, identified pollution sources, flooding challenges, and opportunities for green infrastructure, habitat restoration, and stormwater improvements across Westchester County. Now, Phase II is underway, expanding the planning effort into the Bronx to create one comprehensive plan for the entire watershed. By June 2027, the project will identify priority restoration projects and advance designs toward implementation, helping restore the health of the Hutchinson River.

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Communities

Change happens close to home. Protecting and restoring the environment, and opening it to public access, starts with the people who know their neighborhoods best. And Save the Sound is helping grassroots organizations get things done. In Hamden, Connecticut, we are providing logistical support to the Six Lakes Park Coalition in its campaign to clean up a 102.5-acre contaminated property and transform it into a public park. Residents organize, gather signatures, write personal letters, and press Olin Corporation to address more than 40 years of delays. Unfortunately, Olin has now pushed testing and remediation back another eight years.

In the western Sound, 26 volunteers trained as community scientists to help Save the Sound staff and seasonal field staff collect 770 water samples from 66 locations during our 12-week Pathogen Indicator Bacteria Monitoring program. These samples help identify pollutants that can threaten water quality. This hands-on work gives people the tools to understand what’s happening in their local waterways and speak up when conditions aren’t safe. We could not do this work without the community members who show up, get involved, and help us protect the places they call home.

The coalition will not waver and continues pushing for a full cleanup and a park open to all.

rain gardens installed across greater new haven, connecticut, to filter polluted stormwater before it reaches the sound

Save the Sound

14,594 pounds of trash removed by 2,938 volunteers across 116 cleanups

770

water samples collected from 66 locations from greenwich through westchester county into queens and nassau county

Stories of Fundraising & Giving Our members make this work possible. Support takes many forms, each reflecting a personal connection to Long Island Sound and a desire to protect it. Meet some of the people who are turning that connection into action.

COURTESY OF MARA LAVITT PHOTOGRAPHY

Jeff Croyle Jeff knows the water through the steady rhythm of a kayak. He learned to paddle on Lake Ontario as a kid, spent decades exploring the lower Hudson River, and now paddles yearround on the lower Connecticut River near his home in Essex, Connecticut. That connection inspired him to join our Paddle for the Sound challenge and fundraiser in 2025. This year, he came back ready to go farther, covering 118 miles over 10 days while increasing his fundraising efforts. His mileage was the highest of the 2026 event and

Tim and Aliina Hopkins the most tracked distance from a single paddler in its 11-year history. For Jeff, paddling is just one way to show up for the places he cares about. “Conserving open space, protecting riparian buffers, expanding bird habitats, and tackling invasives is just as rewarding as time on the river,” says Jeff. For nine years, he has been a steward of a 49-acre Essex Land Trust preserve and has served on the board for eight, including four years as president. We’re grateful for the dedication he brings to both land and water.

In the late 1960s, Lake Erie had large dead zones, and the Cuyahoga River famously caught fire. As a child spending summers on the lake, Tim Hopkins saw what pollution could do to a beloved waterway. Those experiences stayed with him as he became a lifelong sailor and boater, eventually making his home on the shores of Long Island Sound in Mystic. Today, Tim is helping protect the waters he loves. Through the Barrett Family Foundation, he directed a $750,000 gift to expand our Soundkeeper

patrols across the Sound, strengthen work on Long Island, and build long-term capacity for monitoring, restoration, and legal action. For Tim, it’s an investment in keeping the Sound healthy for the boating community and the region he calls home.

“Focusing on what’s most meaningful to oneself is a guiding principle in my life.”

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Climate & Air

Helping neighborhoods and ecosystems adapt through bold policy and projects. Climate change is already reshaping the places we call home. Across New York and Connecticut, Save the Sound is working to understand these impacts and advance solutions that protect people and the natural systems they depend on. Through the HENRY L. AND GRACE DOHERTY CLIMATE AND RESILIENCE INSTITUTE, we bring data and science into the public conversation, helping decisionmakers and residents understand the risks and opportunities for action. Our climate experts and changemakers turn that knowledge into action, advancing legislation that expands clean energy, reduces fossil fuel use, and protects vulnerable habitats. We also advance nature-based approaches that help marshes and shorelines withstand stronger storms. From the policies shaping our energy future to the landscapes that buffer our communities, we’re addressing climate threats and building resilience across the region.

107

individuals and 66 organizations participating in the connecticut coalition for climate action

Save the Sound

Financials FISCAL YEAR 2025 | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025

16%

Other

Fundraising

22%

Government

71%

Program

Revenue:

$9.28M

77%

13%

Management

Expenses:

$8.89M

Individuals & Foundations

Your generosity helps ensure Save the Sound has the resources and financial strength to keep this work moving forward, year after year.

FISCAL YEAR 2025 | Board of Directors CHAIR Celia Felsher

SECRETARY Skyla Wilson

VICE-CHAIR Tim Taussig

MEMBERS Paul Ahern Chip Angle Dina Brewster Raphe Elkind E. Donald Elliott Evan Heller

PRESIDENT Leah Lopez TREASURER Janel Hanlan, EVP

Dawn Henry Kiki Kennedy, M.D. Mary Ellen Kranzlin Leslie S. Lee Joseph A. McDougald Bruni Pizarro Tim Taussig Johan C. Varekamp, Ph.D.

Our Mission The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of the whole Long Island Sound region. We use legal and scientific expertise and bring people together to achieve results that benefit our environment for current and future generations.

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Thank you for your impact We’re grateful to have you as part of the Save the Sound community and for the generous support you’ve given to protecting and restoring Long Island Sound. Your investment helps turn ambitious goals into meaningful progress. We’re proud to recognize the individuals and organizations who contributed $1,000 or more, or made an in-kind donation, between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.

Leadership Council & Champions $10,000+

Ilene and Paul Ahern Alexander Family Foundation The Libby and Robert Alexander Family

New York Community Trust Long Island

Tim and Nancy Taussig

Common Sense Fund

Goldman Sonnenfeldt Family Fund

Newman’s Own Foundation

Weeden Foundation

Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

Arlene and Lee Goldsmith Family Fund

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut

The Grose Family

The Fred and Gilda Nobel Foundation, Inc.

Connecticut River Conservancy

The Hayes Foundation

Barbara O. David

Jane and Moses Alexander

David and Diane DeBell

Mrs. Julia H. Anderson and Mr. Daniel Anderson

Peter DeBell and Joanne Monaco

Chip and Barbara Angle

Dicks Sporting Goods

Anonymous Athletic Brewing Company

Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Benjamin Baker and Susan Norden

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation

Barrett Outdoor Communications

The Eder Family Foundation

John and Daria Barry Foundation Beiersdorf, Inc. The Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund, Inc. James Billingsley, Jr. Mark and Deborah Blackman Brewer Family Foundation Brose Hie Hill Foundation Bunting Family Foundation The Janice Spencer Calkin Foundation Janet Catalina and Ralph Wood

Bradley L. Goldberg Family Foundation

Louis and Virginia Clemente Foundation, in memory of Harry A. LeBien

Save the Sound

Raphael Elkind and Melissa Newman Environmental League of Massachusetts William Ewing Foundation FactSet Research Systems, Inc. John L. Cecil and Celia A. Felsher The Betty and Wes Foster Family Fund Friends of Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve Mr. and Mrs. John Fullerton

Hampshire Foundation James and Dawn Henry

Shirley H. Nichols Foundation

Perpetual Kindness Foundation Alice S. Powers Irrevocable Trust

Kim & Flip Huffard Family Fund

Public Lands Fund

Jack’s Foundation, Inc. in memory of Jack and Dorothy Radgowski

Oliver Radwan Restore America’s Estuaries

The Jeniam Foundation Brooks Kelley Memorial Fund

Pamela and Richard Rubinstein Family Fund

Kitchings Family Foundation

Sandpiper Fund

Marilyn Lichtman Foundation

Sassafras Foundation, Inc.

Lockhart Vaughan Foundation

Schmidt Family Foundation

Steven and Fern Loeb

Robert F. Schumann Foundation

Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative

Rogers Family Foundation

Mr. Edward F. Schwing

Henry D. Lord

Greg Sharp

M.L.E. Foundation

The Sheehan Family Foundation

The McCance Foundation Doug and Marie McKeige McKinsey & Company, Inc. Josie Merck Jerry and Roslyn Meyer Thomas and Sophie Murphy The Nature Conservancy Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments

The Skye Foundation John and Nancy Sommi Mr. Michael Sonnenfeldt and Mrs. Katja GoldmanSonnenfeldt Streicker Foundation Subaru of New England, Inc. Sun Hill Renewal Fund Tauck, Inc.

G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation Jane D. Weiss Family Foundation Wescustogo Foundation The Winston Foundation, Inc. Dr. Georgann Witte and Mr. David L. Bromwich Woman’s Seamen’s Friend Society of CT, Inc. Zupon Charitable Fund

Advocates $1,000+ Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Adamcewicz Jerry A. Adler John Akin and Mary Stevens Charitable Fund Susan Alker Maurice Amado Foundation Richard Amerling and Mary Kelly

AMWINS Liza & Paul Andrews Anonymous Ansonia Foundation Arvinas Operations, Inc. Laura Aupperle Roberta Barbieri Robert J. Bauer Family Foundation Kathleen Kmet Becker Billion Oyster Project Merilee and Roy Bostock Boston Foundation Bowling Family Foundation Richard Boziwick Mrs. Wendy M. Brainerd Matthew Broder and Susan Neitlich Bronx River Alliance Burt Family Foundation Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation Cannon and Bruce Campbell Cans For A Cause Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund Christopher and Jenny Capuozzo Carlson Family Foundation

Todd Cort and Jenn Rosenberg

Michael and Heather Greenaway

Mr. Chris Kraus and Mrs. Darcy Stacom

Mr. John Mayo-Smith and Mrs. Tracy Stora

Katha and John Cox

Mr. Richard Grellier and Ms. Alison Cox

Mrs. Wendy Kravitz

Gregory McCaffery

Randall and Mary Hack Foundation

Fred Krupp and Laurie Devitt

Mr. Edmond McCarthy

Storm Kuchta

Ms. Anne S. McCook

The Kurzrok Foundation

Ms. Susan McDonald and Mr. B. Corey Stone

Mally and Jim Cox-Chapman John J. Creedon Foundation Anne and Jim Davis Klarn and Kristin DePalma

Ms. Martha S. Harding

Dr. and Mrs. M.S. Dixon Jr. Foundation

Evan and Lesley Heller

Jack Dowd Ms. Christina L. Sparks Duncan

Helios Foundation Robert and Sheila Hoerle The Hoffmann Philanthropic Fund

Cheryl and Daniel Dunson

Frances and Thomas Holloway

Mr. Paul Eddy and Ms. Elizabeth J. Normen

Timothy and Aliina Hopkins Lea Brilmayer and Bill Horne

Edgewell

Alexander Host Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Elliott / R & M Foundation

Mr. Tad Huffard

E. Donald Elliott ERJ Fund

Curt Johnson and Nancy Dittes

Mr. Henry P. Euler

Marcia K. Johnson

R.B. Evans

Julie Jones and Dominic Megna

Vivian and Peter Falco William M. Ford Founders Entertainment, LLC Ms. Susan Fox and Mr. Gregory Melville Ms. Diane Fuller

Rich and Kelly Jessop

Christopher Jordan Ms. Mary Ellen Junda Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Kabran Nancy R. Kail

Ms. Alexa Ceballos

Mr. Gabriel Gadsden

Charles F. Hamrick and Marguerite D. Hamrick Charitable Fund

Ms. Patricia Gaffney-Kindig Mr. Herbert M. Gardner Ron and Joan Gaudreault

Jim and Sara Kempner

The Chatto Giving Fund

Getz Obstfeld and Francine Gerace

The Kennedy Family Fund Kiki and Ted Kennedy, Jr.

Bob Clyatt

Mr. Michael Kaminsky Ms. Jane Kammerer

Mr. Brian Gold

Margaret Kilgore

Connecticut Community Foundation

Ms. Elizabeth Gold

Ms. Christine Killorin and Mr. John Nussbaumer

Connecticut River Conservancy

Maple Burchard Fischer Grant Foundation

Sally P. Connolly

Emily Grant

Ruth and Seymour Klein Foundation

The Corita Charitable Trust

Great Cow Harbor 10 Kilometer Run, Inc.

Koha Fund

Ann E Condon Fund

Gorin Family Charitable Fund

Charles and Elizabeth King

Diane and Gerard Koeppel

Lauren and Jim Lambert Frank and Elisabet Landrey Liz Lauschus Kevin and Lilli Lawner Marta Jo Lawrence Richard and Lynne Leahy Leslie Lee Tricia and Steve Leicht Mrs. Lorraine Leonard Carolyn W. Levine Stephanie and Larry Levy Judith Ann Libby Charitable Fund Mr. Howard W. Sams and Mrs. Rebecca Lilly Sams

Thomas McGrath and Christine Baker Paul and Jill McKeon Tom and Nancy McLoughlin Betty McManus McMichael Yacht Yards and Brokers McWhelan Fund Stephen and Evalyn Milman Ms. Amalie Montstream Maurizio and Jennifer Morello The Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation National Audubon Society

Caleb Linville & Alex Kendall

Mr. John E. Nelson II

Linville Family Foundation on behalf of Jim & Vicky Linville

New York Athletic Club

Dr. Ted Loewenthal George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation Ms. Leah Lopez Robert Lorenz Donald and Marianne Lucey Mark H. Lynch William and Susan Mahoney Fund Peter and Isabel Malkin Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk Jennifer and Alon Markowitz Mr. Crozer W. Martin Ellen and Terry Martin Katherine and Bryan Martin George and Susan Matelich Mr. Daniel Mathisson and Dr. Helene Mathisson

Neuberger Berman NewAlliance Foundation Nicholas D. Ohly and Sara Huntington Ohly Fund Old Stones Charitable Fund Ms. Laurie A. Olinder Orvis Sporting Traditions Mr. Dana L. Oviatt Pakula Foundation The Pellish O’Connor Family Fund Penwood Realty Advisers, Inc. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco, LLC PKF O’Connor Davies LLP Damir Plisic Prism Advisors Charitable Fund

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Gifts Given in Honor Of

Mr. Samuel Crockett Sennett

Ms. Cora Thomas

Paul Ahern Mr. Jay Ames

Ms. Lydia Watt

Mr. E. Reilly Tierney and Ms. Gina Malin

Mrs. Julia H. Anderson

Trailviews Foundation

Mr. David Ansel

Trischman Family Foundation

Bill and Laurie

Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker and Dr. John A. Grim

Adara’s Birthday

Ms. Natalie Urbano

Catherine and Mark

The PTM Charitable Foundation

The Shaughnessy Family Charitable Fund

Charlotte and John Suhler

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Puglisi

Anna and George Shaw

Clifford Raynor

Elaine and Day Shields

Robert Taplin

Scott and Janice Redfern

Bill Simmons and Wendy Popp-Simmons

Regional Water Authority Sandra and Gernot Reiners Responsive Management Craig Rider Henry Ritter Harold J. Rose Jane Roth and Edward Pawlak Mr. Eric Rothenberg and Ms. Catherine Ludden Round River Foundation Karen Royce Philip T. Ruegger and Rebecca H. Ruegger Family Fund Ruscito and Head Family Foundation Save the River/Save the Hills Ms. Leslye Schaefer

Catherine Smith and Peter Maxson Ian and Joanna Smith Jeff and Janet Smith Mario Smith and Barbara Heffernan Kerala Snyder Jonathan and Cleo Sonneborn Dr. Donna Spiegelman Allison Stabile Staples High School Environmental Arts Club Mr. John Akin and Ms. Mary Stevens Stifel Charitable, Inc. Louisa H. Stone

Eric Schwartz

Storm Trysail Foundation

Dr. Peter Setlow and Dr. Barbara C. Setlow

The Strittmatter Family Fund

Amy Shapiro Scholarship Fund

Don Strait and Deborah Fins Stroup Family Fund Jeffrey Sturgess

Ted Sullivan and Faith Taylor Mrs. Nancy B. Taylor

Johan Varekamp and Ellen Thomas Jeff and Margo Wacksman Ms. Kate Walbert Patricia L. Wales Chris and Terri Walker Barbara Chadwick and Peter Wappler Mr. David J. Watkins Jane Waugh Andrew and Linda Weiss Ellen and Woodie Weiss Mickey and Irene Weiss Ms. Cheryl Weston Chan and Leslie Wheeler Ms. Kathleen Whelen Wiener Family Future Foundation, Inc. Steve and Melissa Wiggins Jim & Judy Wilson Winter-Lehman Family Foundation Mary Woolsey and Mark Peterson World Fish Migration Foundation World Wildlife Fund Ms. Stephanie B. Zeigler Karl Ziegler Mr. William Zobrist Nicole Zuraitis

Save the Sound

Mr. Kenneth Brusic Ms. Barbara O. David

Ms. Victoria B. Susman Mr. Tim Taussig Michael and Ute Thoennessen Glenn Wecker Ms. Michelle Williams Mrs. Janice H. Winter

Gifts Given in Memory Of

Mr. Michael Fitzsousa

Mr. David Alderisio

Ida Gadsden

Robert Andrew

Ms. Teri Gianni

Dr. Lauren Beebe

Mr. Aaron Goode

Kenneth Bitting

Mr. Craig Haber

Calvin Blagys

Ms. Louise W. Harrison

Josephine Barrett Boynton

Mr. and Mrs. Evan Heller

Mr. Hugh S. Cafferty

Ms. Kathryn R. Jannke

Steve Calzone

Mr. Curtis Johnson

Mark Catalina

Mrs. Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht

Ms. Nancy E. Cavanaugh

Mr. Kenny Kregling

Malcolm Clarke

Stacey Lafferty Maggie Latessa

Ms. Constance C. Coles and Mr. W.B. McKeown

Ms. Kathie Laug

Ann Conway

Ms. Tricia Leicht

Ms. Lisa Cusick

Ms. Leah Lopez

Mr. Donald Davidson

Mr. Bill Lucey

Mr. and Mrs. James Desmond

Michele Matera

Mr. David Drabaski

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas M. McKeige

Joseph Drzewi

Robert Francis McNerney

Jackie Franco

Shevon Morris

Mr. Michael Gannon

Steve O.

Gary Gineo

Ms. Ann Prokop

Dr. Gertrude K. Green

Mr. Oliver Radwan

Mr. John Green

Mr. Roger Reynolds

Kenneth Grey

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Sargent

Patrick Gribbon

Mr. Kurt F. Schmidt

Mrs. Gladys Kerzner

John & Ling Seel

Mr. Robert Lange

Mr. Richard Flanagan

Rolando Lara Mr. Harry LeBien James J. Leon David MacDonald Robert Clark Macfarlane Mr. Robert Montstream Mr. Jeremy R. Murphy Julia Nardelli

In-Kind Gifts 4imprint Anonymous Mr. David Ansel Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Janet Boziwick

Mr. Adolph Neaderland

Marianne and Andrew Capobianco

Ms. Joanne Nygard

Ms. Gina Cariello

Mr. Dean Owen

Darn Tough Socks

Ellen W. Peterson

East Rock Brewery

Joseph Pierson

Ms. Victoria Field

Louis Pigno

The Firefly Artists

Christopher Pitt

Ms. Amber Freedman

Mr. Thomas Pugh

Ms. Katheryn Laible

Edward J. Quinlan

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lauschus

Peggy Reilly

LesserEvil LLC

Richard & Betty Reilly

Northport Yacht Club

James Ritter

Outdoor Sports Center

Gerald Schachner

Ms. Jen Pinto Rathburn

Ms. Melissa Schlag

Scott and Janice Redfern

Marjorie Axthelm Scholly

Paul K Sullivan

Peter Stadalnik

Telyon

Mr. John Stukshis Ms. Barbara Suter

Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium

Ms. Linda Tipping

Via Láctea

Mr. Steven C. Usher

The WaterFront Center

Douglas Vaughn

Capt. Robert Williamson

Mr. Rex Walden

Windcheck Magazine

Mr. Steve Whitman

Janice and Patrick Winter

Mr. Robert W. Zebrowski, Jr. Dr. Marvin Zimmerman

Legacy Gifts Estate of Mary Jane Converse Estate of Malcolm S. Edgar, Jr. Estate of Hildegarde Hannum Estate of Robert Stilson

Government Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New England Region 1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Partnership

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Sound Future Committee Libby Alexander, Chair Paul Ahern Julia Anderson James Billingsley, Jr. Jack Brewer, Honorary Bob Bryan Michael Bussa Kevin Dailey Raphe Elkind Gordon Geballe, Honorary Lee Goldsmith Flip Huffard Tripp Killin for The Jeniam Foundation Mary Ellen Kranzlin Henry Lord Alison Relyea Tim Taussig Janice Winter

Climate Task Force Paul Ahern Ben Baker Steve Chandler Hall Dawn Henry Bill Horne Leslie Lee Richard Sellschop Catherine Smith Michael Ungaro Stephanie Weiner Mary Woolsey

Front Cover: Lynde Point Lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Back Cover: Plum Island, New York, is the most significant seal haulout site in southern New England, hosting up to several hundred gray and harbor seals each winter. PHOTO CREDIT: ROBERT LORENZ.

2026 ANNUAL REPORT

Protecting Your Local Paradise. 127 CHURCH STREET, 2ND FLOOR | NEW HAVEN, CT 06510 | (203) 787-0646

1385 BOSTON POST ROAD, 2ND FLOOR | LARCHMONT, NY 10538 | (914) 381-3140 SAVETHESOUND.ORG

Wildlife needs wild places. So do we. A place to rest. A place to explore. A place to return. Your support helps protect the habitats harbor seals and countless other species depend on. It also helps keep the places we love healthy and accessible for us to enjoy. Thank you for protecting the places we all call home.