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The various projects, which are funded through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, will open up 12.2 miles of rivers for passage of native fish and restore 50 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat, including intertidal marshes, coastal forests, grasslands and freshwater wetlands.
More than 989,000 citizens will be reached by environmental and conservation programs supported by the grants. Nearly 600,000 gallons of storm water will be treated through the development of water pollution control projects.
This public-private grant program pools funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative.
The grants will fund projects at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, the Norwalk River, the Nature Conservancy on the Aspetuck River in Westport, Sasco Brook Estuary in Westport and Fairfield and more.
“This funding represents a sustained commitment to restoration and preservation of the Long Island Sound-one of our region’s most precious natural resources," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. said in a statement. "I will continue to fight to ensure Connecticut receives the funding and support it needs to ensure all of our ecosystems remain vibrant and healthy, not only for the health of our environment, but for the enjoyment of future generations to come."
The Fairfield County grants include:
- Keeping the Sound Healthy, Stormwater Social Marketing, with a $34,929 EPA grant awarded to the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk to be matched by $35,268 in other grants : The aquarium will use two manned interactive exhibits called Water Quality Station and Flotable Debris Station to present information and provide educational experiences to visitors. This project, “Keeping the Sound Healthy,” focuses on such activities as reuse and recycling; car washing and lawn care.
- A water quality monitoring grant called Track Down Water Quality Survey of Sasco Brook Estuary was awarded to Earthplace – The Nature Discovery Center in Westport. The EPA grant is for $31,343 to be matched by $10,474 in other grants. Earthplace will conduct “track down” water quality monitoring to determine the sources of pollution to the Sasco Brook Estuary in Westport and Fairfield. Once pollution sources are identified, town agencies will be notified to foster remediation of pollution.
- A planning grant of $60,000 awarded to the Connecticut Fund for the Environment for the Housatonic Community College Green Infrastructure Project with a matching grant of $63,486. It will develop a design to be used for construction of green infrastructure practices to increase the capture, retention and infiltration of stormwater runoff at the HCC Campus to improve water quality in the Pequennock River and Long Island Sound.
- The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science will receive a grant of $135,568, to be used with matching funds of $50,702 to develop a Long Island Sound Ecosystem Health Report Card System for two local embayments, the Norwalk River and Hempstead Harbor, N.Y.
- A $69,744.01 grant, with matching grants of $62,286.32 for a project by the National Audubon Society to Conserve Coastal Birds through Stewardship and Outreach at Connecticut and New York beaches. Staff will train 135 people to steward beach nesting bird sites, monitor fenced areas and serve as beach docents during busy beach-use days. The project will also provide am Audubon education program that teaches students in 30 classrooms about priority birds and habitats in Bridgeport and Greenwich schools.
- The Nature Conservancy earned an EPA grant of $72,435.83, with a matching grant of $59,797, for three fish passage projects, including on the Aspetuck River in Westport. A low-head dam will be modified to restore passage for native fish. The Newman dam footings in Westport will be constructed for the entrance and exit of a pool and a weir allowing fish to bypass the dam. This fishway will also be designed with field stone and wooden weirs opening up 1.2 miles of stream channel and associated wetlands on the Aspetuck River.
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