On Saturday, David Abreu, our clean water advocacy specialist, and students from the Port Chester Youth Bureau will install a rain garden at William James Memorial Gateway Park to redirect stormwater runoff from the roof of the pump station before it reaches the Byram River. 1/2

Science has to start somewhere. That’s why members of our water quality team have been busy collecting fecal samples—deposits from geese in a local park, a donation from Fitz the dog, and raw sewage from the Bridgeport WPCA West Side Treatment Facility. 1/3

David Ansel, VP of our Center for Water Protection, joined Sen. Harckham, AM Otis, @amdanalevenberg.bsky.social, and other environmental leaders from the New York Clean Water Coalition today in calling on Gov. Hochul to maintain the funding for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act at $500m in FY2027.

Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our staff, seasonal staff, and 16 volunteer community scientists, we were able to collect and process 745 water samples from 66 locations in the western Long Island Sound during our 2025 bacteria monitoring season. 1/2

At the end of a stormy Thursday last week, Emily Bulmer, our environmental analyst, went to City Island to check on our boat. She found this waiting for her. If you're going to put a bow on the end of the 2025 Unified Water Study season, a full rainbow over Long Island Sound is the way to do it.

Behold the Coffin Box Bryozoan, a filter-feeding invasive species perfectly nicknamed for Halloween. 1/2

Elena Colón, our lab manager, spent time recently taking the very beginning steps of preparing plasmid-derived DNA Standard Reference Material, which is used to quantify how much target DNA is in a water sample. This is an important part of the process of Microbial Source Tracking ... 1/2

Emily Bulmer, our new Environmental Analyst, has spent much of her first month at Save the Sound getting familiar with her new territory. She recently explored the Western Narrows of Long Island Sound with Peter Linderoth, our director of healthy waters and lands, aboard the Terry Backer I.

It was great to see our friends from @nylcv.bsky.social, who visited our Larchmont office Thursday to discuss environmental priorities for Westchester County and NYS and to check out our John and Daria Barry Foundation Water Quality Lab.

Save the Sound works with Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs across Long Island Sound. Oysters are a powerful resilience tool because they can grow up and adapt to rising sea levels while helping prevent coastal erosion. #restorationisresilience

David Ansel, VP of our Center for Water Protection, spoke at a press conference Tuesday in Northport, urging Gov. Hochul to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act. Encourage the Governor to provide the same protections for horseshoe crabs in NY that are already in place in CT in two ways: 1/2

You’re invited! Join Save the Sound’s Annual Meeting & reception on Nov. 2 at the Larchmont Yacht Club. Connect, celebrate, and hear updates from President Leah Lopez. Members will also vote for the Board. Free for members; $25 non-members: www.savethesound.org/annualmeeting/

Last month a federal court lifted the administration’s stop work order on Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm that will begin delivering power to Connecticut next year. We must keep up momentum on this renewable energy source that will offer clean, reliable, and affordable power to our region.

We've had a lot to talk about this week regarding water quality in Westchester. David Ansel, VP of our Center for Water Protection, and associate Soundkeeper Allison Rugila took Assemblywoman Amy Paulin through New Rochelle Harbor to discuss water quality challenges in + around her district. 1/2

(1/2) This week is CT Sustainability and Resilience Week! Living shorelines are a key piece to resilience in coastal communities. Each living shoreline is customizable to match the challenges of specific locations.

In September, the Six Lakes Park Coalition and the Town of Hamden co-hosted a movie night in Hamden and collected more responses to our community visioning survey to help shape the future of a Six Lakes Park!

Save the Sound was disappointed by the Community Advisory Committee vote this morning that allowed Bally's application to develop a casino complex in Ferry Point Park to advance to the final stage of the licensing process. Read our full statement: www.savethesound.org/2025/09/29/p...

We're gathering data, mapping fish-blocking structures, and ranking which to remove or retrofit first with the Westchester Stream Barrier Inventory. The result? Data-backed plans to reconnect rivers and build resilience, transforming data into resilient communities. #restorationisresilience

Obsolete dams threaten communities, providing no flood control and posing a hazard in the event of a breach. As storms get stronger and aging infrastructure falters, dam removal isn’t just restoration—it’s climate adaptation. #restorationisresilience

Thanks to our donors and matching supporter, we’ve reached our goal and doubled our impact to protect Long Island Sound. This funding boosts our Soundkeeper team and supports efforts to fight water pollution, defend the coast, protect wildlife, and safeguard the lands and waters we love.

Rain gardens are quietly transforming how we manage runoff. By capturing water before it floods our streets or drains into rivers, these gardens act as natural filters, trapping pollutants and replenishing groundwater. #restorationisresilience

Nico Acuna Perales from our Soundkeeper team heads out weekly on the Terry Backer II to collect data that tracks water quality in eelgrass restoration areas. Support this work through our Soundkeeper Match—every gift doubled through Sept. 15, up to $25K: www.savethesound.org/match

Time is running out to share your concerns over the proposed casino complex in Ferry Point Park. You can: * Testify at the Community Advisory Committee public hearing Tuesday: nycasinos.ny.gov/event/ballys... * Submit comments related to the environmental impact of the project: p2a.co/iVQs8Ig

By the end of the month, the Community Advisory Committee will vote to decide whether there's support for Bally's casino complex in Ferry Point Park in the Bronx. There's still time to share your concerns about the project with the CAC! 1/2

At Sunken Meadow State Park, we led a restoration effort to re-establish native salt marsh and retrofit the parking lot with bioswales and wetland features. These upgrades reduce pollution, restore coastal habitat, improve water quality, and make the park more resilient. #restorationisresilience

We worked with LMC Media Center on the latest episode of its podcast, LMC Cast: lmcmedia.org/2025/08/19/s... The episode, released to coincide with #NationalWaterQualityMonth, focuses on creating awareness of water quality challenges along the Sound Shore of Westchester County.

When the last three samples from the Mamaroneck River were delivered to our Larchmont office on Wednesday afternoon, Nadine Zeidan, our water quality field intern, celebrated the end of the 12th season of our bacteria monitoring program. 1/2

We're in the final week of our 12-week bacteria monitoring season in the western Sound. Check out the interactive map and full results from Week 11: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

Support your Long Island Soundkeeper! A generous supporter will match every donation up to $25,000. Your gift helps Save the Sound fight water pollution, protect wildlife, and defend our coast from rising seas. Give today and make your support go twice as far: savethesound.org/match

Did your local youth group organize a river cleanup to protect water quality and habitats? Did your neighbor lead an effort to remove invasive species from your local park? Save the Sound is seeking to recognize environmental champions in our region. Nominate today! forms.gle/CBZxBQrwMoE6...

David Abreu, our clean water advocacy specialist, testified Tuesday at the public hearing of the Community Advisory Committee for the proposed casino project in Ferry Point Park. He reiterated our concerns with the environmental impacts of this development. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfB_... (31:01)

Four straight weeks without a water sample being collected under wet weather conditions. Check out the full results from Week 10 in our bacteria monitoring program in the Western Sound: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

A group of student marine biologists helped the New England Science & Sailing Foundation on a macrophyte outing in Stonington Harbor last week, part of data collection for the Unified Water Study. #NationalWaterQualityMonth

For the third week in a row, every water sample taken in our bacteria monitoring program in the western Sound was collected under dry conditions (meaning < 1/2" of rain in the 72 hours prior to collection). Check out the full results for Week 9: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

We want to recognize environmental changemakers in our region! Did your local youth group organize a river cleanup to protect water quality and habitats? Did your student organize a lobby day for clean air? Nominate them for the Sound Environment Changemaker award! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

The second season of our Sound Advocates program, a partnership with the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound, wraps up this week. Read more about the program and its mission to introduce stewardship to young sailors in WindCheck Magazine: www.windcheckmagazine.com/article/seco...

Paddle for the Sound is on now, join in through Aug 10! 🚣‍♀️ Raise funds to protect Long Island Sound by paddling or supporting a participant. Sign up: savethesound.org/paddle Donate: justgiving.com/campaign/paddle2025

For the 2nd straight week, all samples in our bacteria monitoring program were collected under dry conditions. And for the 2nd straight week, samples from at least 30 locations in the western Sound passed. Check out our interactive map for all Week 8 results: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

Time to hit the paws button and celebrate the #DogDaysofSummer on and around Long Island Sound. Feel free to add photos of your favorite pooch enjoying themselves out in nature, anywhere across the region. We'll share more happy faces every Saturday in August.

Happy 1st day of #NationalWaterQualityMonth to all who celebrate! Our bacteria monitoring program & Unified Water Study seasons are well underway. Throughout this month, we'll spotlight our work in the field and in the lab to analyze and better understand water quality challenges around the Sound.

Meet Soundkeeper Bill Lucey—testing water, stopping pollution, and defending Long Island Sound every day. Your support powers his work. Now through Sept 15, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000. Double your impact for clean water: www.savethesound.org/match

All samples were collected under dry conditions in Week 7 of our bacteria monitoring program in the western Sound, likely factoring into what turned out to be the best results of the 2025 season. Thirty-three of the 66 samples passed. Full results: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

It's been a busy week on the Terry Backer II boat for our Soundkeeper team! This week they tested a new USV to check on eelgrass growth and harvested seeds for the next round of gluing eelgrass seeds to clams.

Ep. 5 of Clean Water Ways, a series produced in partnership b/w Groton Municipal TV + Save the Sound, features an extended discussion with Nicole Davis, our watersheds project manager, about the ways communities can reduce the polluting impact of stormwater runoff. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LCt...

Only 14 of 66 samples collected last week in our bacteria monitoring program met the state safe-swimming criteria. Indian Harbor in Greenwich was one of those that passed. Check out our interactive map of full results for Week 6: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

In a joint press release issued earlier this week, Save the Sound and Westchester County announced a collaborative agreement in a Clean Water Act case dating back to 2015. www.savethesound.org/2025/07/16/p... 1/2

The EPA wants to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, claiming that these emissions don’t contribute to air pollution. Take action before August 7: Tell the EPA to protect communities, not polluters. www.regulations.gov/document/EPA...

Sixty-six samples were collected during Week 5 of our bacteria monitoring program in the western Sound: 22 passed 22 failed 22 failed to meet the safe-swimming criteria by 10x or more Check out the interactive map of all results from Wk 5: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

It's always nice to see green dots on the map. For the second time this season, all four samples collected along the Greenwich coast met safe-swimming criteria, including at Byram Park. Results from Wk 4 of our bacteria monitoring program in the western Sound: www.savethesound.org/what-we-do/h...

This week Governor Lamont signed HB 5004 (now PA 25-125). This new law will study ways to expand heat pump access and energy-saving upgrades and improve renter access to energy efficiency programs. We applaud the legislators who worked on this first step toward our climate goals!