Connecticut

Aspetuck Land Trust
Fish Passage on the Bulkley Pond Dam (CT)
Remove a barrier to fish passage at Bulkley Pond Dam, Sasco Brook in Fairfield and Westport, Connecticut. Project will open 3.75 miles of river corridor benefiting river herring, sea lamprey and American eel that migrate between rivers and Long Island Sound.
$143,300

City of New London
City of New London Watershed Management Plan — II (CT)
Complete development of a watershed management plan in for New London, Connecticut. Project will ensure that the causes and sources of pollution are identified, key stakeholders are involved in the planning, and restoration and protection strategies are identified that address local and Long Island Sound water quality problems.
$50,000

Connecticut Audubon Society
Restoration of Coastal Forest and Dune at the Smith Hubbell Wildlife Sanctuary (CT)
Restore coastal beach/dune and forest habitat at the Smith Hubbell Wildlife Sanctuary, Milford Point, Connecticut. Project will enhance biodiversity, establish a long-term framework to fight back against invasive plants and provide education and stewardship experiences about Long Island Sound to the public.
$44,468

Connecticut Fund for the Environment
Planning for a Nature-Like Fishway for Long Pond Dam (CT)
Develop a plan to install fish passage on Long Pond Dam, Whitford Brook, Ledyard, Connecticut. Project will set the stage to restore access to 1.8 miles of migratory riverine corridor for blueback herring, American shad, American eel, sea lamprey and resident brook trout to Long Island Sound.
$172,000

Connecticut River Watershed Council
Hepburn Living Shoreline Project — II (CT)
Construct a living shoreline along a barrier spit on Long Island Sound in Fenwick, Connecticut. Project will provide protection for the nearby community and a 10-acre tidal marsh from storms and rising waters.
$226,025

Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center
Water Quality Monitoring to Improve Fairfield County Waterways and Long Island Sound — VI (CT)
Conduct water quality monitoring to help improve nine waterways affected by pollution in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Project will utilize water quality data to inform local government actions to reduce sewage pollution into Long Island Sound.
$73,890

Highstead
A Partnership Approach to Watershed Restoration and Community Engagement (CT, NY)
Restore 10 acres of urban watershed habitat and prevent 1,200 pounds of trash from entering waterways in efforts to improve watershed, wildlife and community health. Project will engage 2,100 community members, volunteers and students in stewardship opportunities and reach 10,000 people through outreach events, workshops, and online communications with information, opportunities for action and exchange of best practices in watershed restoration.
$49,525

Housatonic Valley Association
Developing a Municipal Culvert Cooperative to Improve Fish Passage in the Housatonic River (CT, MA)
Create a municipal culvert cooperative that builds on years of road-stream crossing assessments and replacement planning work in the Housatonic River of western Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. Project will complete 10 shovel-ready culvert designs and utilize two demonstration sites to show other municipalities best practices for stream restoration that benefit native brook trout and reduce flood hazard risks.
$151,510

National Audubon Society
Restoring Great Meadows Marsh on Long Island Sound (CT)
Restore 40 acres of salt marsh and other coastal habitats at Great Meadows Marsh in the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Stratford, Connecticut. Project will restore marsh hydrology, increase wildlife habitat and enhance public access to Long Island Sound.
$499,975

National Audubon Society
Share the Shore with Shorebirds: A Coastal Stewardship Program (CT)
Provide education and deliver targeted stewardship of American oystercatcher and other migratory shorebirds and habitat along the Long Island Sound coastline of Connecticut and New York. Project will increase awareness about the value of sharing the shore with birds among recreational users and local government and reduce disturbance to the birds’ breeding and roosting sites.
$75,286

Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven
Community Conservation Stewardship in New Haven (CT)
Conduct environmental education and community stewardship projects in Newhallville, New Haven, Connecticut. Project will stimulate public engagement in the stewardship of the West River watershed and Long Island Sound.
$17,813

New Haven Ecology Project
Green Jobs Corps: Growing the Urban Refuge Partnership (CT)
Engage a diverse group of high school students to restore and bring best management practices to schoolyard habitats, urban green spaces coastal preserves and National Wildlife Refuge land across the City of New Haven and surrounding communities. Project will engage 8,610 students through outdoor days and teacher-led lessons and hire 53 student interns to plant 40 street trees and restore 3 acres through invasive removal, native plantings and improved management practices.
$29,943

Sacred Heart University
Planning for a Living Shoreline at the Mouth of the Housatonic River (CT)
Create a permit-ready design for a living shoreline at the mouth of the Housatonic River in Stratford, Connecticut. Project will ultimately provide for restoration of 900 linear feet of shoreline, 2 acres of salt marsh and oyster reef providing habitat for fish and wildlife and buffering nearby communities from storms.
$65,080

Sea Research Foundation
A Plastic Free Long Island Sound Program (CT)
Conduct a Long Island sound-based educational program about the impact of plastic pollution at the Mystic Aquarium, Connecticut. Project will increase awareness about actions people can take to reduce plastic pollution on shorelines, local waterways, and the sound.
$48,043

Town of Brookfield
Still River Watershed Plan Implementation: Brookfield Public Works Stormwater Retrofit (CT)
Develop design plans and secure permits for a green infrastructure retrofit at the public works facility in Brookfield, Connecticut. Project will ultimately remove 3.3 acres of impervious paved area to reduce nitrogen into the Still River and downstream to Long Island Sound.
$24,299

Town of Newtown
Watershed Planning to Reduce Water Pollution in the Pootatuck River Basin of Long Island Sound (CT)
Develop a watershed plan for the Pootatuck watershed in Newtown, Connecticut. Project will ensure that the causes and sources of nonpoint source pollution are identified, key stakeholders are involved in the planning, and restoration and protection strategies are identified that address local and Long Island Sound water quality problems.
$29,216

University of Connecticut
Ensuring a Resilient Coastal Forest to Address Changing Climate in Connecticut (CT)
Deliver a comprehensive strategy of coastal forest management at the Hoffman Evergreen Preserve in Stonington, Connecticut. Project will deploy an innovative program designed to respond to the projected impacts of climate change to make forests in southeastern Connecticut more resilient using guidance such as from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis for the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
$57,144

University of Connecticut
Rapid Action Plans to Deliver Green Infrastructure in Coastal Connecticut Communities — II (CT)
Develop and implement five green infrastructure projects and provide guidance to local government about overcoming barriers to deployment of green infrastructure in communities of the South Central Basin of Connecticut. Project will reduce 500,000 gallons of stormwater pollution into Long Island Sound and increase green infrastructure projects around it.
$272,375

Wildlife Management Institute
Enhancing Forest Habitat for New England Cottontails, Golden-Winged Warbler and American Woodcock (multiple states)
Enhance participation in Farm Bill programs by supporting habitat biologists and outreach specialists to interface with private landowners to provide young forest habitat for more than 50 species of conservation need in New England. Project will develop forest management plans, develop healthy diverse forest age classes, and protect riparian habitat values, improving management on 200 acres.
$156,290