Green Guru Network

Important measure will keep people working to improve water quality and habitat throughout the region

On the heels of an approved Federal Budget for 2012, Congressional leaders from New York and Connecticut introduced new legislation to ensure future funding continues to flow for the restoration of Long Island Sound.  This measure, the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act, is essential to advancing critically important water quality restoration and habitat protection efforts in the region, providing meaningful reforms to the programs management, and maintaining investments that create jobs.  Just this week, sixty organizations, municipalities and businesses sent a letter (attached) to the New York and Connecticut Delegations in support of the measure, and urging its swift passage.

 

“The waters and wildlife of Long Island Sound don’t recognize geographic and political boundaries, and we are fortunate that, when it comes to the Sound, our political leaders do not either,” said Albert E. Caccese and Tom Baptist, Executive Directors of Audubon New York and Connecticut. “We applaud the Long Island Sound Congressional Caucus, especially Senators Gillibrand, Lieberman, Schumer and Blumenthal, and Congressman Israel and Congresswoman DeLauro for leading the charge to keep people working on desperately needed water quality improvements, habitat protection initiatives, and enhanced public access opportunities so that future generations will be able to enjoy a cleaner, healthier Long Island Sound. We urge Congress to act quickly on this important bill.”

 

Long Island Sound is a national treasure whose watershed covers all or part of six states. Because of its significant and unique ecological and economic value, the Sound was one of the first three estuaries recognized in 1985 under the National Estuary Program. The Sound contributes more than $8 billion per year to the regional economy from commercial and recreational fishing, ecotourism and other water dependent businesses. More than 28 million people, or nearly 10 percent of the population of the United States, live within 50 miles of Long Island Sound, and the resultant development has led to increasingly poor ecosystem health.

 For more information contact: Sean Mahar – Audubon New York – 518-253-7000 / smahar@audubon.org, or Sandy Breslin – Audubon Connecticut – 203-804-0488 / sbreslin@audubon.org .