SoundBites Summer 2023

SoundBites Summer

2023

Restoring Rivers, Reviving Species: Our Work to Help River Herring Driving Towards a Sustainable Future

Seeking Swimmable Waters Across New York

Connecticut Cleanup Report: Revealing the Impact of Litter

Latest with Leah: Protecting our Backyards

Message from the Save the Sound president

I am one of those folks that when asked what my favorite season is, I can honestly answer, “This one!” Forest exploration in the fall, winter snowshoeing expeditions with my four-year-old, spring seedling prep and coastal cleanups, and sunshine and beach outings for summer, each one special in its own right. But as these seasons get confused in the face of climate change, the work to ensure the Sound and its connected ecosystems—from the coastal systems of Big Rock in Little Neck Bay, New York, to the at-risk forests of Colebrook and Northwest Connecticut—thrive is more challenging than ever. Decades ago, we saw the Sound on the verge of collapse, and we banded together to restore and protect it. Because of that decisive action, the Sound is slowly improving, even as other estuaries are backsliding. But that success is only as lasting as our resolve. Like never before, we need to Connect + Protect—in our backyards, in our

communities, and in our capitol buildings. Guilford Harbor, and its surrounding marsh system, is my happy place. It is where I first started kayaking Long Island Sound, where I hosted my first beach cleanup, where I still instinctively navigate when I need some time to slow down, and where I grab one of the best lobster rolls around (these days with a Save the Sound Light Lager, of course). This place, like the Sound itself, will always feel like home. And if home isn’t worth protecting, what is?

Connect + Protect with us, Leah (and Avery)

Leah Lopez Schmalz President, Save the Sound

Big Rock’s Ecological Renaissance

A collaborative effort for preserving critical habitat in Queens

New York City has lost 85 percent of its tidal marshes over the last century, including marshland around the Douglas Manor neighborhood, on a peninsula in Little Neck Bay, Queens. The result is severe flooding, impaired water quality, and erosion encroaching on an important road for emergency access.

To reverse the damage, Save the Sound is preparing to implement the Big Rock Wetland Restoration Project. We will restore

the eroding marsh and protect the shoreline with living features that mitigate erosion and adapt to rising sea levels. Our team will restore four acres of salt marsh and install “oyster castles” (cement structures that attract oysters and form reefs) along 1,100 feet of shoreline. The oyster castles and vegetation will help to filter excess nutrients from the water and stabilize the marsh banks in this wetland inlet off Little Neck Bay, known as Udalls Cove. Named for a giant bolder at the site, the project

will break ground in early 2024. “The Big Rock Wetland Restoration Project is a unique opportunity to protect a coastal community from further shoreline erosion while restoring critical habitat in Little Neck Bay,” says Katie Friedman, New York ecological restoration program manager. “We’re now in the process of working with our engineering firm, GEI Consultants, on final design and permitting to be able to bring this exciting project to life.”

Save the Sound is working with the Douglas Manor Association, Douglas Manor Environmental Association, Udalls Cove Preservation Committee, Hofstra University, New York City Audubon, Billion Oyster Project, and NYC Parks. The project has received funding from the New York State’s Water Quality Improvement Program, the National Coastal Resiliency Fund, Congressionally-Directed Spending advocated for by then-Representative Tom Suozzi and administered by the EPA, and the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the Long Island Sound Study, the EPA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Above: Save the Sound’s ecological restoration team preparing for the Big Rock Wetland Restoration Project in Little Neck Bay, Queens.

Above: Leah with her son, Avery, wearing Save the Sound’s 50th anniversary t-shirts made by cinder + salt.

Cinder + Salt: Spreading Eco-Optimism

Rachel’s journey of artistic entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship

Rachel DeCavage has a passion for creating— and for sustainability. When she launched cinder + salt in 2014, the mission was clear: spread eco-optimism and inspire people to engage with nature in a meaningful way. With storefronts in Middletown, CT, and Chatham, MA, and a zero-waste printshop in Southington, CT, Rachel and her team of eight design and sell eco-friendly clothing items. Up to 50% of profits are funneled back to the Earth through initiatives including zerowaste printing, recycling collection bins, and cleanups.

Rachel became deeply committed to protecting and improving the environment after learning about the detrimental impacts

of pollution on health. “I heard someone on the radio talking about how asthma rates are exponentially higher among people living within a quarter-mile of a landfill, compared to people within a half-mile or a mile,” she explains. “I firmly believe that access to breathable air, drinkable water, and healthy ground to stand on are inherent rights of every living creature. At the core of cinder + salt, we are an eco-friendly clothing brand. At our heart, we are here to protect nature.”

During a chance encounter at an art gallery, Rachel met Save the Sound President Leah Lopez Schmalz and the two immediately connected. This sparked Rachel’s involvement

in Save the Sound, paving the way for her to organize monthly cleanups. When Save the Sound celebrated 50 years of environmental protection last year, Rachel’s unique artistic style and sustainable printing methods aligned perfectly with Leah’s vision of how to commemorate this milestone. For a limited time, a collection of anniversary t-shirts, hand-drawn and sustainably printed by Rachel and cinder + salt, are available. Don’t miss the chance to purchase one from savethesound.org/anniversaryshirts Rachel exemplifies spreading eco-optimism, engaging others in sustainability, and safeguarding the environment. We are immensely grateful for her collaboration!

Fighting for Our Future in Connecticut

Climate promises broken, but hope for overburdened communities

Connecticut’s 2023 state legislative session started with a number of proposals to hold the state accountable to its climate commitments and protect communities from worsening pollution. Save the Sound and fellow members of the Connecticut Coalition for Climate Action backed major bills to update Connecticut’s climate targets and give agencies the tools to meet them; to develop a roadmap to reach those targets; and to strengthen the state’s environmental justice law and let agencies deny permits for facilities that would worsen pollution in already-overburdened areas.

The environmental justice bill, SB 1147, passed in the final days of session, a major victory for communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and for the newly-formed Coalition.

“We applaud the General Assembly for uplifting the health of people of color this session,” says Alex Rodriguez, our environmental justice specialist.

But despite the efforts of allied organizations, grassroots supporters like you, and a small cadre of dedicated legislative champions, no major climate bill passed this year. One was sent to a budget committee to die. Another made it through the House, but wasn’t called for a vote in the Senate. This inaction shows a legislature vulnerable to fossil fuel industry pressure and increasingly

out of step with Connecticut voters, who overwhelmingly support climate action.

“The climate crisis is here, and its impacts are already being felt by all of us,” says Charles Rothenberger, our climate and energy attorney. “CT DEEP must be granted the tools and authority to reduce emissions, as the legislature has charged the agency with doing.”

Above: Members of the CT Coalition for Climate Action (pictured: CT League of Conservation Voters, Conservation Law Foundation, Environment CT, Save the Sound, Sierra Club CT) with Governor Lamont’s Climate Action Week proclamation, in front of an air quality monitoring station in East Hartford, CT.

Restoring Rivers, Reviving Species:

Fish Monitoring and Ecosystem Resiliency in Long Island Sound

Alewife is a small fish—but it’s incredibly important to the Sound ecosystem because it’s at the bottom of the food chain and feeds other fish, mammals, and birds. A type of river herring, alewife must migrate from the Sound into river habitats to reproduce. Dams that block their way can cause alewife populations to crash (along with populations of other Sound species that also need access to rivers for parts of their life cycles).

Since 2005, Save the Sound has opened 107 river miles through dam removal and fishway installation projects in the Long Island Sound region. But the true measure of ecological impact comes from fish monitoring before and after a restoration project, a task that falls into the hands of Fish Biologist Jon Vander Werff.

“We need to understand how fish are using a system before we change the system,” says Jon. “We trap and release fish to estimate the number of species and of fish that are using the river as a highway—traveling upstream and downstream—or as a home. If the numbers are lower than expected, those findings can help initiate and guide restoration efforts.”

Monitoring after the removal of a dam is important too. “After our removal of Pond Lily Dam on New Haven’s West River in 2016, our monitoring efforts have shown alewife, sea lamprey, and gizzard shad migrating into spawning habitat upstream of the former dam site,” says Jon. So far this year, our fish trap has caught more than 57 alewives, indicating another year of habitat utilization since we removed the Pond Lily Dam. “This river has made a remarkable recovery and is a terrific example of ecosystem resiliency.”

Dam Removal for Ecological Renewal

Save the Sound and the Town of Wilton, CT, are removing Dana Dam, also known as Strong Pond Dam, in Merwin Meadows Park. The dam was breached in mid-May as one of the first steps in removing this barrier to fish passage on the Norwalk River. Removal

is expected to be completed this fall.

The dam is the first barrier upstream of Long Island Sound and blocks passage for migrating fish such as alewife, blueback herring, and sea lamprey in their search for suitable habitat to reproduce. The removal will reconnect 10 miles of habitat along the main stem and tributaries of the Norwalk River for migratory and resident fish and restore the riverine ecosystem for native plants and animals.

“The main purpose of removing a dam is environmental restoration,” says Alex Krofta, ecological restoration project manager at Save the Sound. “Dams trap sediment that would normally flow downstream to create riverbed habitat. Dams block

Above: Fish Biologist Jon Vander Werff and Seasonal Technician Nico Acuna Perales installed a funnel-style fish trap in the West River in Woodbridge, CT, and have been monitoring it throughout this year’s fish run.

Above: In May 2023, our contractor removed a small section of Dana the breach. This gradually “dewaters” the area above the dam to allow fully removed.

Our Work to Help River Herring

Addressing River Herring Bycatch in Our Region

For alewife populations to return to Connecticut rivers, where they can be monitored, counted, and released to enjoy the many unobstructed miles we have worked to provide them, we must first make sure the fish are making it home to the rivers of Long Island Sound.

A peer-reviewed paper published in November showed that a significant number of river herring are ending up as bycatch, collateral casualties of mid-water trawls for Atlantic herring and mackerel. Genetic data outlined in the study determined that between 2012 and 2015, 22% of the bycatch along the entire eastern seaboard came from Long Island Sound; 34% came from Block Island Sound. Another brand-new paper has released maps showing the areas on the eastern seaboard where interception of shad and river herring is most likely. These two sets of information can now be brought together to effectively reduce the bycatch of our regional fish.

Dam, also known as Strong Pond Dam, allowing water to flow through allow for river channel restoration work to begin even before the dam is

Renewal and Restoration

the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms. Dams impair water quality by creating large, stagnant impoundments holding water with low oxygen levels and high temperatures, which are harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Removing a dam has many benefits.”

Alewife

The removal of Dana Dam is just one project in a larger effort to free Long Island Sound’s tributaries. Connecticut has more than 5,000 structures disrupting the flow of our rivers—the most per river mile in the country. Most no longer serve any purpose, and their lack of maintenance results in an increased risk of flooding due to dam breach or failure.

Dana Dam’s removal will eliminate the flooding risk

from a dam failure, improve water quality, and restore habitat for fish and wildlife to the benefit of both the local Wilton community and the greater Long Island Sound community.

“Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent restoring hundreds of miles of fish passage in Connecticut and New York for fish that aren’t making it back to rivers and streams to spawn,” said Long Island Soundkeeper Bill Lucey, who is serving on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Shad and River Herring Advisory Panel.

Fortunately, the New England Fisheries Management Council voted in December to add the issue of low observer coverage on river herring bycatch reporting to its priorities for 2023, which means resources would be officially dedicated to exploring solutions. Bill testified to the NEFMC in April, calling the situation “critical,” and planned to provide testimony at the late-June Council meeting, where the notion of a buffer zone—an area in which fishing for Atlantic herring and mackerel would be prohibited, minimizing the risk of river herring bycatch—would again be discussed.

Fish Trap Data From the West River in Woodbridge, CT

Above: This chart depicts the total number of fish caught in Save the Sound’s fish trap in the West River in Woodbridge, CT. Fish biodiversity and number of individuals has increased since the removal of Pond Lily Dam in 2016.

(pictured left) is a forage fish and a keystone species.

“Many other predators depend on alewife as a staple food resource. If they were deleted from the food web, it could quite literally crash an entire ecosystem.”

- Jon Vander Werff, Save the Sound’s fish biologist

Brewing with Purpose: The Story of Save the Sound Light Lager

Raising glasses for Long Island Sound conservation

passion for clean water is not limited to beer production. “We are situated on the banks of the Branford River, which flows into the Sound saying that the health of the Sound is important to us is an understatement,” explains President Ed Crowley, Jr. “We are very proud that the majority of our neighbors love the water as much as we do.” In fact, the brewery and taproom were built on a brownfield site that had lain unused and polluted for four decades. The Crowley family’s remediation efforts improved nearby water quality, transformed the land, and launched their brewing legacy.

perfect accompaniment for warm summer days spent by the water. The brewery donates a portion of the proceeds from every purchase to Save the Sound.

Ever since Peggy and Ed Crowley, Sr. founded Stony Creek Brewery in 2010, the brewery has garnered a well-deserved reputation for its refreshing craft beer. However, what truly sets them apart is their deep-rooted connection to Long Island Sound.

As any beer aficionado knows, water is the lifeblood of brewing. Stony Creek Brewery’s

In 2021, the brewery’s Ed Crowley, Sr., reached out to a neighbor serving on Save the Sound’s board of directors, offering support through his team’s expertise in brewing. “Both organizations love the outdoors and care deeply about the Long Island Sound shoreline. It was an easy match from the beginning,” says Ed Crowley, Jr. This collaboration birthed the Save the Sound Light Lager, a Helles lager crafted with floor-malted German malts and balanced with a touch of earthy Tettnanger hops. It is a bright, crisp beer, making it the

Since the beer’s launch in May 2022, it has raised more than $10,000 to protect and preserve Long Island Sound’s water quality. Distribution has now expanded across every New England state, plus New York, so it’s easy to give this refreshing beverage a (responsible) try. As glasses are raised in celebration, the partnership toasts to a promising future where more organizations collaborate to build a more sustainable environment—one sip at a time. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Stony Creek Brewery for their support!

Driving Towards a Sustainable Future Can California’s vehicle requirements help Connecticut achieve climate targets?

Clean cars are essential to meeting Connecticut’s climate commitments. In April, Save the Sound released a study showing that adopting California’s Advanced Clean Cars II Zero-Emissions Vehicle requirements would not only help Connecticut meet its mandate of reducing greenhouse gas emissions—to 45 percent below 2001 levels by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050—but that the policy would also be good for the economy.

The Connecticut Electric Vehicle Policy Impact Study, conducted by international climate change consulting firm EBP, observes that “the absence of the policy would jeopardize achieving Connecticut’s clean air and carbon emission reduction goals and efforts to improve public health.” Moreover, it concludes that the economic and societal benefits of adopting California’s standards

are “compelling and significant.”

Among those anticipated benefits:

• $25.7 billion of value added to Connecticut’s GDP

• $40.1 billion increase in net business income

• 128,200 net new job-years in Connecticut

• 137 million metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided, the equivalent of planting 3.5 billion trees

Our own climate and energy attorney,

Charles Rothenberger, says: “This report makes it clear that, in addition to the obvious environmental benefits of transitioning to clean vehicles, there are significant economic benefits as well. Given the current and growing impacts of climate change, we know that inaction will be more costly than action. Connecticut should act this year to fully adopt the standards approved by the General Assembly in 2022 to keep our state in a leadership position on clean cars.”

Above: Stony Creek Brewery located in Branford, CT.

Seeking Swimmable Waters Across New York City

Addressing sewage overflows and upholding the Clean Water Act

Fifty-plus years ago, the Clean Water Act established a goal that “wherever attainable” the nation’s waters be protected for fish, shellfish, and wildlife to propagate, and to provide for conditions suitable for “recreation in and on the water.”

We are still striving toward that standard, known now as “fishable and swimmable.” Especially when it comes to ensuring the strongest water quality standards for New York City waters.

In June, we submitted comments responding to amendments proposed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). DEC’s proposals were part of a process that began in 2017, when we, along with our partners Riverkeeper and Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a lawsuit through Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic asking to compel the EPA to adopt public

health-based standards that would override DEC’s inadequate existing standards. Our suit was rooted in the Clean Water Act’s fishable, swimmable standards, and sought to address the massive problem of New York City’s sewer overflows, which result in 20 billion gallons of raw sewage entering coastal waters across all five boroughs every year.

We are pleased with DEC’s proposed standards as far as defining what would constitute water safe for primary contact

Connecticut Cleanup Report: Revealing the Impact of Litter

Inspiring action for a cleaner and healthier region

Our first Connecticut Cleanup Report highlights the scale and impact of litter in Connecticut and is intended to be a resource for helping change the way we consume single-use plastics and other disposables. The data in this report, which include types of trash, number of pieces, and total weight, are used to advocate for policy change in Connecticut and beyond to stop trash at its source.

Cigarette butts, food wrappers, and small plastic pieces have been the top three most common trash types recovered by our cleanup volunteers for the past six years. The data also show Styrofoam and balloons as persistent trash types on the ground and in the Sound. On average, Connecticut Cleanup volunteers collect more than 100 pieces of Styrofoam trash at each cleanup and more than 400 Mylar or rubber balloons each year.

“All of these trash types pose serious threats to human and animal health, including ingestion, suffocation, and chemical leaching,” says Ecological Restoration Administrator and Volunteer Coordinator Annalisa Paltauf. “Additionally, any plastic trash contributes to the growing abundance of microplastics as they break up into smaller and smaller pieces that become increasingly difficult to remove from the environment.

I am excited to use the report to inspire more people to join cleanups and remove these hazards from our parks, rivers, and beaches.”

(swimming, or any activity where you may become submerged in or potentially ingest the water) and secondary contact (kayaking, paddling, boating, etc.). But the proposed amendments failed to apply swimmable standards to all waterbodies. Some would be classified into categories that would set criteria below that level.

That’s unacceptable to us. We will continue to fight for New York City waters to be protected by the strongest possible standards.

Save the Dates!

Northport Yacht Club Sustainability Regatta

Sunday, July 23

The Northport Yacht Club is hosting its 3rd annual Regatta to benefit Save the Sound and Northport Yacht Club Sustainability Initiative. The regatta is a friendly, pursuitstyle race with two classes: spinnaker and non-spin. Reception to follow. Register here: regattanetwork.com/event/26613

Paddle for the Sound

Saturday, July 29 to Sunday, August 6

Do you enjoy kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding? Join us at the end of July for our annual fundraising event to protect your region’s environment. Learn more: savethesound.org/paddle

Northport Yacht Club Gala

Saturday, October 28

Join us for a special event hosted by the Northport Yacht Club, which will benefit Save the Sound. Learn more: savethesound.org/northportgala

Read the 2023 Long Island Sound Beach Report here: savethesound.org/beach-report

Sights Are Set on Plum Island Preservation

Help keep the wind in our sails!

of the nation’s land and waters by 2030; declaring more national monuments is one way to meet that goal.

President Biden has declared two national monuments this year, and Plum Island has been mentioned publicly among several

other properties believed to be on his short list. The President’s America the Beautiful initiative aims to conserve 30%

Plum Island has garnered support from Senators Schumer, Murphy, Blumenthal, and Gillibrand—a New York and Connecticut power team—and Representative Nick LaLota (R-NY) recently introduced the Plum Island National Monument Act. In the last year, more than 2,000 citizens representing every state in the union have written to President Biden, imploring him to declare Plum Island a national monument. Meanwhile, local, state, and federal elected officials and regional and national nonprofits have urged the same in letters of their own, and key players in the drive for preservation are meeting with the Plum Island Animal Disease Center’s leadership to tour the island. The wind is in our sails as we point the prow toward preservation!

Lead positive environmental change in our region—give today!

What We Do

Protecting clean water through hands-on science and community collaboration, legislative advocacy, and legal action for your rivers, lakes, and the Sound.

Taking bold climate action through policy leadership that helps your neighborhoods adapt to escalating climate threats.

Preserving our region’s lands—the threatened forests, islands, and riverfronts that give us quiet places to enjoy and sustain wildlife.

Restoring habitats using nature-based solutions to create lasting physical change, benefiting wildlife and people.

Above: The iconic Plum Island Lighthouse (1869) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the island’s Fort Terry (1897) army barracks and weapons batteries. Photo: Robert Lorenz