Long Island Sound Futures Fund Grants 2023

In December, federal and state environmental agencies and officials from New England and New York, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), announced 39 grants totaling $12 million to organizations and local governments to improve the health of Long Island Sound.

The grants are matched by $8 million from the grantees themselves, resulting in $20 million in total conservation impact for projects in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

An array of Long Island Sound Futures Fund (Futures Fund) 2023 grants will support projects that improve water quality by preventing 2.7 million gallons of stormwater and 101,000 pounds of nitrogen pollution from flowing into Long Island Sound waters.

The projects will also remove 120 tons of marine debris from the sound and support planning for restoration of 880 acres of coastal habitat and 102 miles of river corridor vital to fish and wildlife.

The projects are designed to reach 30,000 people through environmental education programs that increase awareness of how to improve the health and vitality of the Sound.

Funding for the grant program comes from the EPA as part of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), with additional support from FWS, NFWF, and The Zoetis Foundation.

The LISS initiated the Futures Fund in 2005 through EPA’s Long Island Sound Office and NFWF. Since its inception, the Futures Fund has invested $56 million in 640 projects.

The program has generated an additional $65 million in grantee matching funds towards these projects for a total conservation impact of $121 million.

Futures Fund projects have opened 121 river miles for fish passage, restored 842 acres of fish and wildlife habitat, treated 208 million gallons of stormwater pollution, and engaged 5 million people in protection and restoration of the sound.

A complete list of the 2023 Long Island Sound Futures Fund grants recipients is available on the NFWF Long Island Sound Futures Fund website.

Long Island Sound provides economic and recreational benefits to millions of people while also providing habitat for countless numbers of invertebrates, fish, and migratory birds.

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New England Facts

New England Facts

This article includes a variety of facts, statistics, and trivia about New England.

The New England region consists of six U.S. states:  Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Maine is the largest New England state, Rhode Island is the smallest. Massachusetts has the highest population, while Vermont has the least residents.

New England is bordered by the U.S. state of New York. and Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec.

Several deep-draft commercial ports are located in New England including Boston, New Bedford, and Fall River, MA; Tiverton and Providence, RI; New London and Bridgeport, CT.

The Port of Boston is the busiest in New England. More than one million tons of cargo passes through the Port each year. The Port of Providence is New England's second biggest deep water port.

Portland Head Lighthouse Maine | credit: USCG

New England's maritime coast includes the North Atlantic Ocean, numerous estuaries, other natural resources.

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is located about 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. The area is the first and only marine national monument located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Major New England estuaries include the Gulf of Maine, Buzzard's Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, Nantucket Sound, Narragansett Bay, and Long Island Sound.

Important rivers of New England include the Saint John, St. Croix, Penobscot, Kennebec, Charles, Merrimack, Salmon, Sakonnet, Providence, Mystic, and Connecticut.

Located in New England are several world-famous islands including Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island.

Nantucket Barrier Beach and Wildlife Refuge is designated as a National Natural Landmark.

Off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island Wind Farm holds the distinction of being the first commercial offshore wind farm in the USA.

Rhode Island is one of the few states where public access to shorelines is granted by its constitution. In 2023, legislation clarified the law, setting the access line at six feet landward from the recognizable high tide line, also known as the 'wrack line'.

Boston Light is the oldest U.S. lighthouse station. Originally built in 1716, the lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The lighthouse is still an active aid-to-navigation. 

Located in the Maine Highlands Region, Moosehead Lake is the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. The lake is the source of the Kennebec River.

Lake Champlain, the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the United States, separates Vermont from New York.

The New England Region is known for its natural beauty, especially its geography. Many of the largest ski mountains on the East Coast are located in New England.

In New Hampshire, Mount Monadnock is one of the most climbed mountains in the USA. With an elevation of 6,288.2 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States.

Touted as "Home of the World's Worst Weather", the Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is located on the summit of Mount Washington.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail, begins in Georgia and ends in Maine.

The New England National Scenic Trail (NET) is a 215-mile hiking trail route. The NET travels through 41 communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The time in New England is equal to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) minus 5 hours. For Daylight saving time, clocks are advanced 1 hour on the second Sunday of March and are set back to standard time on the first Sunday of November.

Two of the most recognizable styles of American architecture originated in New England; Cape Cod and Saltbox. Both types of homes are common in New England.

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