The New London Day 12/14/2024 By Carrie Czerwinski Stonington— With the help of the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District and a new state grant, the town will begin addressing water quality in Wequetequock Cove. The $545,000 grant from the Connecticut Department…

The New London Day 10/10/2024 By Kimberly DrelichDay Staff Writer [email protected] Groton ― The eastern part of Long Island Sound has received a top grade for water quality, while Mystic Harbor and outer Stonington Harbor ranked among the top five bays…

Save the Sound 10/10/2024 Nitrogen Pollution Management Leads to Improvement in Open Water Grades; Water Quality in Many Sound Bays Raises Concern The regional nonprofit environmental organization Save the Sound has released findings of its 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card. The…

Save the Sound 10/10/2024 Long Island Sound Report Card Using science to tell stories and inspire change Click here to get your copy of the 2024 LIS Report Card! Download past LIS Report Cards: 2022 – 2020 – 2018 – 2016 The Long Island Sound Report Card…

Long Island Sound Study 8/27/2024 This manual was developed for the Long Island Sound Futures Fund project Improving Water Quality through Green Infrastructure in Quanaduck Cove and Long Island Sound (CT), aimed at implementing Stormwater Management Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices.…

Save the Sound 8/19/2024 How’s the water?  It’s the question our water quality team is asked more than any other. And as with most simple-sounding questions, there’s no easy answer. There are about 18 trillion gallons of water in Long…

The New London Day 4/22/2024 By Daniel DrainvilleDay Staff Writer [email protected] Stonington ― Maggie Favretti, first chair director of the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed, said Sunday she sees “at most” six or seven river herring when counting them in…

The New London Day 3/28/2024 By Steve Fagin Kevin Job’s favorite memories of growing up in Norwich involved fishing for stripers with his dad in spring, when enormous schools of alewives would swim upriver. “We’d see 10,000 in one night. The…

STORIES IN CONNECTICUT Saving Seagrass See what we’re doing to protect seagrass in Long Island Sound. July 01, 2018 | Last updated January 25, 2024 SHARE A diver off Fishers Island—a roughly 4-square-mile island off the eastern end of New York’s Long…

Town of Groton 2/2/2024 Downtown Mystic is one of the quintessential historical and cultural resources of New England. Although its location along the banks of the Mystic River has helped the area prosper, it also makes Mystic vulnerable to climate…

Blumenthal, local officials urge action during tour of Groton sites vulnerable to flooding Groton Town Manager John Burt (left) and Megan Granato, the Town of Groton’s sustainability and resilience manager (right), talk with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., (center) Monday,…

The New London Day 1/7/2024 Groton ― Improvements to the stormwater system, rain gardens, and a study of raising low-level roads are among potential solutions to help protect downtown Mystic from increased flooding in the face of climate change. Draft…

The New London Day 12/27/2023 By Kimberly DrelichDay Staff Writer [email protected] Groton ― After more than a year of studying the vulnerability of downtown Mystic to climate change and ways to make it more resilient, project leaders will present potential strategies to the…

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231130/stonington-cove-gets-an-f-in-water-quality-report/

The New London Day 10/27/2023 Environmental advocacy group releases scorecard of legislators’ votes 

WindCheck Magazine – Save The Sound Dispatch 10/2023. Water sample MR-0.24 starts its journey at a precise set of coordinates on New York’s Mamaroneck River.   © SavetheSound.org Over the 12 weeks of its 2023 bacteria monitoring season, Save the Sound…

The New London Day 8/30/2023 By Carrie Czerwinski, Special to The Day Stonington ― Residents of the Wequetequock Cove area want to know how fecal coliform bacteria and other harmful contaminants are getting into their wells and the cove. In addition,…

Long Island Sound Study 6/8/2023 Every 10 days from mid-spring to mid-fall George Hoffman gets up early in the morning to meet three of his colleagues with the Setauket Harbor Task Force. At the harbor around 5:45 am, they join…

Harbor Happenings Newsletter—Volume 12Spring/Summer 2023 Click on graphic to read. https://www.stonington-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3851/f/pages/2023_harbor_newsletter_final_5-11-23.pdf

The New London Day 5/4/2023 Mystic ― Chad Frost has noticed more flooding during rainstorms and significantly more tidal flooding over the past 20 years that he has worked in Mystic. Frost, a landscape architect with Kent + Frost Landscape…

Save the Sound It all starts with the footwork. “Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, maybe a little wider,” said Ameera Khan, who went on to detail the proper placement of the dominant hand, and the non-dominant hand, the…

The New London Day 4/26/2023 Mystic ― The Town of Groton is inviting people to attend an open house on the downtown Mystic resiliency and sustainability plan on May 2 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Union Baptist Church. The…

New London Day Hartford ― A bill being considered in the General Assembly would create a working group to study strategies for restoring ecologically important eelgrass along the shoreline. “Eelgrass is an important fish habitat that has declined markedly,” State…

The New London Day SCOTT GAGER OBITUARY Stonington – Scott Freeman Gager of Stonington passed away Jan. 14, 2023. Scott was born Jan. 20, 1959. He graduated from Stonington High School and attended Thames Valley Community College. He worked for…

Connecticut Post eEdition Progress cited in individual bays and near open Atlantic Ocean, overall trend indicates plateau or decline in water quality By Vincent Gabrielle BRIDGEPORT — Regional nonprofit environmental organization Save the Sound released its biennial Long Island Sound…

Stamford Advocate, Vincent Gabrielle Nov. 18, 2022 BRIDGEPORT- Regional nonprofit environmental organization Save the Sound released its biennial Long Island Sound Report Card this week at Captain’s Cove Marina. The report combines 14 years of water testing results in Long…

Save the Sound Modest Signs of Improvement in NYC, Even as Many Area Bays Struggle LARCHMONT, New York/NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — November 17, 2022 – Regional nonprofit environmental organization Save the Sound released the findings of its 2022 Long Island Sound Report…

Kimberly Drelich – theday.com Groton ― As the town seeks answers on how to better protect downtown Mystic from the effects of sea level rise and climate change, people on Tuesday can share their own experiences and learn more about…

ctexaminer.com — Cate Hewitt, 10.26.2022 STONINGTON — Water quality in the Eastern Basin of Long Island Sound receives generally high marks for cleanliness and health in a 2020 report by Save the Sound, but for one glaring exception on the far eastern…

Guidance for Community Decision Makers Communities depend upon clean, coastal waters for recreation, tourism, boating, fishing and plentiful seafood. By setting and meeting nitrogen limits in coastal rivers, harbors and bays, we can restore and sustain healthy conditions now and…

By Marissa Kaika, Special to The New London Day Stonington — The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District will be installing a variety of stormwater management components at a condominium complex in Quanaduck Cove to help prevent contaminated water from flowing into Stonington…

It’s easy to see how raw sewage or chemical runoff flowing directly into Long Island Sound is bad for the water and for all of us. But it can be harder to see how the chemicals and practices you employ…

In response to ever-increasing pressures on our local horseshoe crab populations, we have established a long-term partnership with Charles River Laboratory to provide multiple opportunities to engage in horseshoe crab conservation. In 2018 we expanded our crab monitoring and tagging…

Clean Up Sound and Harbors (CUSH)The mission of CUSH, Inc. is to clean up and protect Fishers Island Sound and its coves, inlets, bays, rivers, and harbors. Their mission is pursued through sustained water quality monitoring and by promoting environmental stewardship through…

“Save the River-Save the Hills” whole-heartedly endorses the ideas that Peter Harris offered in his letter to the editor, “A better way to achieve a healthy lawn,” (March 24). Everyone lives in a watershed and everything you do to your…

December 3, 2021 – More than $100 million in federal infrastructure funds will go towards protecting and preserving Long Island Sound. Hear from Soundkeeper Bill Lucey about spending plans, Save the Sound’s priorities, and why oysters are so unique. Plus,…

The Rotary Club of Mystic has announced the nine area 501(c)3 organizations awarded grants from their 2021 Fall Grant Cycle. Each year the Rotary Club of Mystic conducts two grant cycles (spring and fall) for which area 501(c)3 organizations are eligible…

Eastern Connecticut Conservation DistrictAnguilla Brook/Inner Wequetequock Cove Watershed-Based Plan

December 08. 2020 Ledyard — The design stage for a new migratory fishway on Whitford Brook will begin early next year, thanks to an award from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund.The $172,000 grant was awarded to Save the Sound…

The New London Day 10/12/2020 Save the Sound, a nonprofit that in various forms has made waves about the health of Long Island Sound waters for decades, recently issued its 2020 report card on the state of the Sound. This time, however,…

By Kimberly DrelichThe New London Day 10/10/2020 The eastern basin of Long Island Sound ranks high for water quality, as it benefits from lower population density in the region and natural tidal flushing from the ocean, according to the 2020 Long Island…

Sea Grant Connecticut Annual Report 2019 Nutrient contributions of the Westerly and Pawcatuck wastewater treatment plants to Little Narragansett Bay and the Pawcatuck River are quantified to understand their role in the proliferation of theinvasive macroalgae Cladophora. Collaborating with the…

Connecticut DEEP 7/2019 All estuarine waters were re-assessed for this reporting cycle using the most recent available information. Dissolved oxygen data collected during the summers of 2016-2017 were used for this reporting cycle assessments. Beach closure information obtained from CT…

The New London Day 6/10/2019 Stonington — Clean up Sound and Harbors will present Chip Osborne of Osborne Organics, a nationally recognized expert on organic land care, with its SEA STAR award at its annual meeting from 10:30 a.m. to noon…

Connecticut DEEP 4/5/2019 Celebrating 20 Years of Volunteer Water Monitoring in CT The 2019 Volunteer Water Monitoring Conference was held on April 5, 2019 at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT.  The conference was the second such conference to be organized…

Story and photos by Judy BensonSea Grant Connecticut 11/30/2018 Popular for boating, fishing and swimming, Little Narragansett Bay has been plagued in recent years by a nuisance green algae, Cladophora, that spreads across the sea floor in blankets up to three feet…

By Joe WojtasThe New London Day 8/22/2018 Stonington — The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday appointed most of the members of a task force that will look into banning plastic bags used by retail stores, and straws and takeout containers used by…

The New London Day 6/3/2018 Stonington — Clean Up Sounds and Harbors will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, June 9, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Latitude 41 restaurant in Mystic. At the meeting the organization is scheduled…

Sea Grant Connecticut 4/6/2018 Long Island Sound’s marine life and water quality will be the focus of five two-year research projects Connecticut Sea Grant will support in 2018. Proposals by four research teams from the University of Connecticut and one…

By Joe Wojtas The New London Day 4/4/2018 Stonington — A group of marine scientists from the University of Connecticut at Avery Point are preparing to begin a $225,000 study to determine if the discharge of nitrogen from the Westerly and Pawcatuck sewer…

By Catherine HewittThe Westerly Sun 10/30/2017 MYSTIC — Clean Up Sound & Harbor, a nonprofit community group working to clean up and protect Fishers Island Sound and its coves, inlets, bays, rivers and harbors, is marking its 10th anniversary with…

By Brooke ConstanceThe Westerly Sun 10/30/2017 STONINGTON — In 1993, when Gracelyn Guyol received a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, she started taking an antidepressant and immediately developed rapid-growth breast cysts and tumors. At first, Guyol, a Stonington resident, didn’t…

By Joe WojtasThe New London Day 8/26/2017 Mystic — Volunteers from local schools and businesses led by Mystic Aquarium will once again spend eight hours cleaning debris from a 10-mile stretch of Mystic River shorefront and surrounding areas on Monday. The Mystic…

By Judy BensonThe New London Day 6/30/2017 Stonington — With a sterile glass jar in her gloved hand, Sally Cogan leaned over the side of her small open motor boat Friday morning to scoop some water from the mouth of Wequetequock Cove.…

The New London Day 5/30/2017 Save the Sound recently announced that it has launched a new water testing program that will dramatically increase available data on the health of Long Island Sound. The bi-state nonprofit organization already issues an annual “report…

The New London Day 5/7/2017 Mystic — Clean Up Sound & Harbors will celebrate its 10th anniversary from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 13 at Latitude 41 Restaurant. The organization’s mission is to clean up and protect Fisher’s Island Sound,…

By CUSH, Inc. 3/27/2017 LISFF awarded $24,000 Grant to Mystic Aquarium and CUSH Stonington Harbors Water Quality Study and Public Engagement Project We are very excited to be collaborating with Mystic Aquarium on this Long Island Sound Futures Fund project!…

By CUSH, Inc. 3/27/2017 Annual Meeting 2016 At our Annual Meeting in December, CUSH Founding President Gracelyn Guyol expressed her gratitude for all the hard work, dedication, enthusiasm, and generosity that has enabled CUSH to grow, thrive and survive through…

By CUSH, Inc. 3/24/2017 What’s up, or almost up? Dandelions!!!! It’s nearly time for our second annual dandelion dig at the Stonington High School baseball field. Stay posted – we’ll be talking to the coaches and watching for the first…

By CUSH, Inc. 2/25/2017 DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT Download High Resolution PDF (4.9 MB)  > Download Low Resolution PDF (1 MB)  > This report adds monitoring results for 2014 to those contained in our previous report,“Water Quality of Four Estuaries in Coastal Stonington…

By CUSH, Inc. 2/2/2017 Please support CUSH as we celebrate our 10th year promoting clean healthy water in and around Stonington and Mystic. Please Support CUSH As We Celebrate Our 10th Year! (PDF)

By Cush, Inc. 12/5/2016 2016 Sea Star Awards for Environmental Excellence 2016 Sea Star Awards for Environmental Excellence were presented to Elizabeth Herron and Linda Green of URI Watershed Watch for “decades of award-winning service to the environment and indispensable…

By Groton Open Space Association GOSA Instant! News Alert • 12/15/2016 As many as 40 acres may be damaged. Learn more. Make your opinion known! Airport Plans to Cut Bluff Point Trees (PDF)

The New London Day 7/19/2016 New London — More than $400,000 in grants for animal welfare and environmental projects in New London County will be awarded to 22 nonprofit organizations, thanks to the bequest of former North Stonington resident Peter Letz.…

By Martha ShanahanThe New London Day 3/16/2016 Mystic — Surrounded by tanks of tropical fish Wednesday, University of Connecticut marine sciences researcher Jamie Vaudrey showed the audience a photo of a dark green algae that coats the deep water in Narragansett Bay. “Algae is…

The New London Day 3/7/2016 Mystic — Concerns about water quality in our local area will be the topic of a panel discussion from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 16 at Mystic Aquarium. The forum, titled “Water Quality: From Ground to…

By CUSH, Inc. 11/13/2015 CUSH Annual Meeting and celebration of recent accomplishment and honoring of the 2015 CUSH Sear Star Award recipients. CUSH Annual Meeting and Sea Star Award Presentation 2015 (PDF)

The New London Day 11/9/2015 Stonington — CUSH (Clean Up Sound and Harbors) will host its annual meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at the La Grua Center, 32 Water St. During the meeting, CUSH leaders will present the…

By Rivers Alliance of Connecticut 11/9/2015 We reported two weeks ago a spotty drought and widespread dry conditions. As you may have guessed, conditions have worsened. Streamflows in Connecticut Have Worsened (PDF)

By FRANK CARINI ecoRI News • 7/21/2015 ABOARD THE ELIZABETH MORRIS — Little Narragansett Bay is quietly tucked away between its noisier neighbors — Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound. But this watershed on the Rhode Island-Connecticut border plays a…

By Judy BensonThe New London Day 7/18/2015 Wagging their wide tails as Kait Maginel and David Prescott tossed them back overboard, two lobsters that had shared a wire trap overnight with four spider crabs and a whelk had just been…

By Judy Benson The Day • 7/18/2015 Wagging their wide tails as Kait Maginel and David Prescott tossed them back overboard, two lobsters that had shared a wire trap overnight with four spider crabs and a whelk had just been…

By Judy Benson The Day • 7/16/2015 Westerly — Little Narragansett Bay and the lower Pawcatuck River are plagued with high bacteria and nutrient levels, poor tidal flushing, decreased dissolved oxygen levels and thick mats of nuisance algae, prompting a “call…

By Joe WojtasThe New London Day 6/24/2015 Stonington — First Selectman George Crouse said Wednesday that the town will test the use of organic materials on one its athletic fields this fall, and if the pilot project is successful it…

By Tristan Kading Wrack Lines • 6/24/2015 “You know, our bacteria counts have not been too good for this site, so don’t get any of that water in your mouth!” Claire Gavin shouted to me from the shore. One Community’s…

Wrack Lines Spring/Summer 2015 Clean Up Sound and Harbors (CUSH) is a grassroots environmental organization that operates out of Stonington, Connecticut, with a mission to improve the quality of the local waters. CUSH was founded in 2007 by Stonington author…

By Michael Souza The Mystic River Press • 4/21/2015 STONINGTON — It’s time for a new way of thinking when it comes to taking care of turf. For years, amateurs and professionals alike have relied on chemical fertilizers and herbicides…

Connecticut General Assembly March 11, 2015 Another very important group in Connecticut that has taken on this same kind of dual mission is Clean Up Sound and Harbors (CUSH), based in Stonington. As the name implies, CUSH is focused on…

The New London Day 2/17/2015 Clean Up Sound and Harbors (CUSH) is hosting a full-day training workshop for municipal and school district officials, landscape professionals and residents from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Holiday Inn, 10 Laura…

By Judy BensonThe New London Day 1/20/2015 Five years of water quality testing at four estuaries in Mystic and Stonington have revealed that Wequetequock and Pequotsepos coves are particularly stressed by high levels of polluted runoff and low dissolved oxygen in…

By Judy Benson The Day • 1/20/2015 Five years of water quality testing at four estuaries in Mystic and Stonington have revealed that Wequetequock and Pequotsepos coves are particularly stressed by high levels of polluted runoff and low dissolved oxygen…

By Michael Souza The Westerly Sun • 1/19/2015 STONINGTON — Water quality in Fishers Island Sound is strongly impacted by tidal flushing, according to a study from one local environmental group. Clean Up Sound and Harbors’ six-year study of water…

The New London Day 11/12/2014 A program about oyster farming in the Mystic River will be presented as part of the annual meeting for CUSH (Clean Up Sound and Harbors) at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at the LaGrua Center, 32…

The New London Day 10/27/2014 Stonington — Clean Up Sound and Harbor’s annual meeting on Nov. 19 will feature a presentation on the revival of oyster farming in the Mystic River.The meeting, which is free and open to the public,…

The New London Day 9/10/2014 Workers from Gwenmor Marine on Tuesday begin to remove a large rotting coal barge that for decades has been part of the Route 27 landscape behind Twisters Ice Cream on the Mystic River. The project…

By Photo by Sean D. Elliot The Day • 9/9/2014 Mystic – The large rotting coal barge that for decades has been part of the Route 27 landscape behind Twisters Ice Cream is slated to be removed today and Wednesday…

The New London Day 4/30/2014 Stonington – CUSH (Clean Up Sound and Harbors) will host a free workshop about natural lawn and turf care to keep play areas safe from 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 14 at Stonington High School.…

The New London Day 3/19/2014 Mystic — CUSH, Clean Up Sound and Harbors, will host, “From the Ground to the Sound: Earth-Friendly Landscaping for Cleaner Water,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 25 at the Mystic Arts Center, 9 Water…

The New London Day 3/17/2014 Stonington – Clean up Sound and Harbors will sponsor a free workshop on March 25 about how to create rain gardens, coastal buffers and landscaping that protect area waters from pollution. The presentation will be held…

By David Collins The Day • 2/4/2014 When I first heard of plans to remove the remains of a rotting barge from a shore of the Mystic River, I felt a small pang, a loss. No doubt this was from…

Gayle Oko MysticThe New London Day 11/9/2013 The Union Baptist Church of Mystic Team partnered with Clean Up Sound and Harbors (CUSH), Stonington to clean up the Mystic River coastal areas. The amount of trash and garbage that 15 people…

The Norwich Bulletin 10/14/2013 Clean Up Sound and Harbors collected just under 200 lbs. of trash and debris during International Coastal Clean Up Day on Sept. 21. Members and volunteers cleaned the shoreline around Williams Beach in Mystic. For more information, visit cushinc.org.

By Judy BensonThe New London Day 9/12/2013 Stonington – With the increasing presence of invasive species such as Japanese shrimp and sea squirts and signs of declining water quality, continued monitoring of conditions in the Mystic River has perhaps never been more…

By Judy Benson The Day • 9/12/2013 Stonington – With the increasing presence of invasive species such as Japanese shrimp and sea squirts and signs of declining water quality, continued monitoring of conditions in the Mystic River has perhaps never…

By Joe Wojtas The Times • 8/22/2013 For decades anyone aboard a boat on the Mystic River or driving along Route 27 has seen a large rotting coal barge behind what was Kitchen Little and is now Twisters Ice Cream.…

Dedicated Volunteers Create Storehouse Of Valuable Data By Leslie Rovetti The Westerly Sun • 8/18/2013 On water-testing day, it’s good to be the coastkeeper. Twice a month between May and October, Save the Bay coastkeeper David Prescott goes out on…

The Newport Daily News • 8/12/2013 The nonprofit organization, Clean Up Sound and Harbors, which seems to be growing at an exponential rate, is doing something to keep our waterways busy and clean. Group Helps To Protect Our Greatest Asset…

By Phil Butta Mystic River Press • 7/31/2013 MYSTIC — Two new visitors to Mystic were bicycling down Isham Street one day last week, and as the man and woman rounded the corner to Bay Street, the woman came to…

The New London Day 4/30/2013 Stonington – As part of its “Sound Friendly Gardening” program, CUSH, Clean Up Sound and Harbors, is bringing Charles “Chip” Osborne to Stonington to conduct a third round of workshops on May 14 on transitioning from…