Connecticut

Connecticut Audubon Society
Creating Thriving Habitats for the Coastal Birds of Long Island Sound-VIII (CT)
Deliver targeted stewardship and provide education on American oystercatcher and other migratory shorebirds and habitat along the Long Island Sound coastline of Connecticut. Project will increase public awareness about the value of sharing the shore with these birds among recreational users and reduce disturbance to the birds’ breeding and roosting sites on the Sound.
$105,809

Connecticut Audubon Society
Restoring the Headwaters of Sasco Brook to Improve the Health Long Island Sound (CT)
Restore 14.5 acres of coastal forest and meadow at the Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary in Fairfield, Connecticut. Project improve the environment of coastal forest an important habitat of Long Island Sound.
$147,388

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
Reducing Marine Debris by Removing Derelict Lobster Gear from Long Island Sound-II (CT, NY)
Remove derelict lobster pots from 18 square miles of marine waters in Connecticut and New York. Project will collect 43.5 metric tons of marine debris, restoring the marine environment of Long Island Sound.
$115,841

Ducks Unlimited
Restoring Hammock River Marsh through Improved Hydrologic Flow Management (CT)
Develop a design to restore 185 acres of saltmarsh at Hammock River by installing self regulating tide gates in conjunction with the removal of a large tidal restriction to improve the restricted hydrological flow in the tidal system. Project will enhance fish and wildlife habitats and help ensure the community can recover from a flood event by developing a project design to allow the wetland system to store water and fully drain.
$520,453

Earthplace - The Nature Discovery Center
Engaging Student Community Scientists for Long Island Sound-V (CT)
Engage 92 student citizen scientists in six experiential learning programs about water quality and Long Island Sound ecology using rivers, harbors, and the Sound as outdoor classrooms in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Project will expose students to careers in conservation science, and improve public knowledge and understanding of the Sound.
$52,614

Earthplace - The Nature Discovery Center Water Quality Monitoring to Improve 
Fairfield County Waterways and Long Island Sound-VII (CT)
Conduct water quality monitoring to help improve waters affected by pollution in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Project data will be used by local government to reduce sewage pollution in communities with waters that drain into Long Island Sound.
$99,964

Eastern Connecticut Conservation District
From Rain Gardens to Riparian Buffers: Pollinator Pathways for a Healthy Long Island Sound (CT)
Install rain gardens and riparian waterway buffers along two pollinator pathways through Groton, Stonington, Ledyard and Preston, Connecticut. Project will engage 6,400 community members with educational workshops, create habitat for native pollinators, and improve the quality of waters flowing into Long Island Sound.
$136,160

Eastern Connecticut Conservation District
Improving Water Quality Through Nature-based Infrastructure in Quanaduck Cove and Long Island Sound (CT)
Install nature-based infrastructure and apply other stormwater management tools at a coastal condominium complex in Quanaduck Cove, Stonington, Connecticut. Project will prevent 43,560 gallons of stormwater pollution from entering Stonington Harbor and Long Island Sound annually.
$59,493

Housatonic Valley Association
Improving Water Quality with Nature-based Infrastructure (CT)
Install rain gardens at five Housatonic Habitat for Humanity homes and one community facility and conduct multilingual education about nature-based infrastructure in western Connecticut. Project will showcase nature-based infrastructure that improves water quality as well as  actions individuals can take to contribute to healthier local waters and the Long Island Sound.
$86,640

Long Island Community Foundation
Delivery of the Long Island Sound Community Stewardship Fund Program-IV (CT, NY)
Deliver the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund of the Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative (LISFC) in the Long Island Sound Study boundaries of Connecticut and New York. Project will enhance the partnership between LISFC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency around the common mission of restoring and protecting the health and living resources of the Sound
$150,000

Manomet
Western Atlantic Flyway Whimbrel Conservation Program (Multiple States)
Expand on efforts to coordinate conservation and monitor declining whimbrel populations using the western Atlantic Flyway. Project will increase coordination of whimbrel partners working throughout the flyway, address information gaps on whimbrel ecology and demography, and continue development of a monitoring program built around night roosts.
$120,000

National Audubon Society
Native Plants for a Bird-friendly New Haven (CT)
Enhance 6 acres in New Haven, Connecticut by engaging youth and other residents in hands-on, outdoor conservation experiences, building awareness and knowledge of how to cultivate urban public green spaces particularly for pollinators and birds. Project will employ youth and create native habitat for neo-tropical migratory songbird species and pollinators.
$42,992

National Audubon Society
Urban Youth Stewardship of Great Meadows Marsh on Long Island Sound (CT)
Employ urban youth to restore habitat at Great Meadows Marsh at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Stratford, Connecticut. Project will result in stewardship activities that improve marshes, and increase both species diversity and the diversity of future conservation professionals for Long Island Sound.
$59,742

North Central Conservation District
Planning to Reduce Water Pollution in the North Branch Park River Watershed (CT)
Enhance a watershed management plan by developing nature-based infrastructure designs, in the North Branch Park River watershed in Hartford, Connecticut. Project will advance the delivery of on-the-ground projects to improve water quality upstream in the river and downstream to Long Island Sound.
$307,154

Save the Sound
Fish-Friendly and Flood Resilient Road-Stream Crossings in the Naugatuck Valley-II (CT)
Create six Road-Stream Crossing Management Plans in the Naugatuck Valley watershed, Connecticut. Project will be developed in concert with each town and serve as a basis for securing financing for future projects to benefit these communities and fisheries of the watershed and Long Island Sound.
$109,618

Southwest Conservation District
Partnering with Communities to Enhance Stewardship of Long Island Sound (CT)
Collaborate with four Conservation Districts in internal environmental training and partner with local communities to identify five water quality projects of value to Long Island Sound, Connecticut. Project will increase awareness and understanding of diversity, equity, and environmental justice issues, increase capacity for future water quality project work, and enhance stewardship of local waters.
$90,415

The Nature Conservancy
Community-driven Stormwater Nature-based Infrastructure Design in Bridgeport (CT)
Develop a Green Stormwater Infrastructure Action Plan with community-driven design in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Project will identify a portfolio of projects in collaboration with Bridgeport youth and local community members to improve the water quality of Long Island Sound.
$174,363

The Nature Conservancy
Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network (CT, NY)
Grow the Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network, a collaborative workspace for members to share resources, best practices, and innovative ideas and build capacity advance local and regional strategies that target pollution from sewage, stormwater, fertilizers, and marine debris. Project will deliver programs that foster shared learning about ways to address pollution problems and engage members of the community, promoting cleaner, healthier waters in Long Island Sound.
$215,000

The Trust for Public Land
Planning for Greening the Yellow Mill Channel to Improve Water Quality in the Long Island Sound (CT)
Develop a collaborative community-driven analysis to select the preferred types of nature-based infrastructure to be used at a waterfront site, Bridgeport Connecticut. Project will set the stage for improving water quality and enhancing community resilience to storms and floods in an urban coastal community of Long Island Sound.
$120,509

Town of Clinton
Restoring Fish Passage at the Upper Mill Pond Dam (CT)
Develop a plan to install a fishway at the Upper Mill Pond Dam in Clinton, Connecticut. Project will set the stage to restore access to 5.2 miles of riverine corridor for river herring and American eel spawning and migration to Long Island Sound.
$58,850

Town of Groton
Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Plan for the Mystic Waterfront (CT)
Develop a resiliency and sustainability plan for Mystic, Connecticut. Project will produce a strategy to address sea-level rise and climate change in this coastal community of Long Island Sound.
$90,000

Town of Stonington
Designing a Living Shoreline to Restore Chippechaug Cove Marsh (CT)
Complete a project design to restore and expand the coastal natural systems with a living shoreline and a wet rock sill. Project will maintain marsh habitat in Chippechaug Cove and build resilience for the community against rising sea levels by buffering Chippechaug Trail roadway.
$41,966

Town of Waterford
Renovate to Restore Fish Passage at the Jordan Millpond Dam Fishway (CT)
Renovate a damaged fishway to restore fish passage at Jordan Millpond dam, Waterford, Connecticut. Project will reconnect 2.75 miles of river corridor benefiting alewives that migrate between rivers and Long Island Sound.
$60,000

University of Connecticut
Shell Recycling Planning to Restore Long Island Sound Oyster Reefs and Shorelines (CT)
Develop a local shell recycling program in Groton and Mystic, Connecticut. Project will engage local restaurants to generate shell for future habitat restoration projects around Long Island Sound.
$155,890

University of New Haven
Citizen Opportunities for Accessing Science Training on the Sound (COASTS) (CT)
Deliver community environmental training and education about the marine environment of Long Island Sound in New Haven and West Haven, Connecticut. Project will equip community members with knowledge to share about their “blue backyard” of local waters and Long Island Sound.
$74,215