Provide assistance to connecticut sea grant (university of connecticut) to implement its project to support the long island sound comprehensive conservation and management plan to protect and…

The University of Connecticut received a $2.8 million Project Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Region 1) under the Geographic Programs – Long Island Sound Program (CFDA 66.437) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. Connecticut Sea Grant, in partnership with New York Sea Grant, will administer a competitive research program designed to support implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The award funds the joint administration of a biennial competitive research solicitation process, including development of research priorities in consultation with the Long Island Sound Partnership Science and Technical Advisory Committee, issuance of a Request for Proposals, and hosting of the biennial Long Island Sound Research Conference to disseminate findings and facilitate knowledge sharing among researchers and resource managers.

Subaward funding will support actionable, science-based research projects that address identified information gaps and build decision-making capacity for Long Island Sound managers. The funded research activities will focus on preventing, reducing, or mitigating anthropogenic stressors while enhancing the health and sustainability of Long Island Sound's water quality, habitat, and living resources. Specific research subawards have not yet been selected; these will be competitively awarded through the RFP process and will generate integrated scientific information to inform management actions consistent with CCMP goals and objectives.

Description

The purpose of this agreement is to provide assistance to connecticut sea grant (university of connecticut) to implement its project to support the long island sound comprehensive conservation and management plan to protect and restore long island sound by administering a competitive research program to address the needs of the long island sound partnership.activities:the new york and connecticut sea grant programs (nysg and ctsg) propose to jointly administer a competitive research program to address the needs of the long island sound partnership (lisp). These needs are derived from the liss comprehensive conservation and management plan (ccmp) and prioritized for developing a request for proposals (RFP) with input from the liss science and technical advisory committee (stac) and the science coordinator. During this cycle, ctsg, in partnership with nysg, will serve as lead host of the biennial long island sound research conference, to facilitate the sharing of knowledge towards more effective management of long island sound, and will thus also request funding for the conference.subrecipient:subawards under this assistance agreement have not been selected. Subaward activities will further the development of new science-based information to inform decision-making and actions toward reaching the comprehensive conservation and management plan vision and goals for the long island sound. The purpose of the subawards is to support actionable research that produces and integrates information which fills identified gaps in our understanding and extends the ability of managers to make informed decisions and take appropriate management actions to prevent, reduce, or mitigate anthropogenic stressors and enhance the health and sustainability of the sound.outcomes:under this grant agreement the recipient will: 1) develop a priority list of topics for the call for pre-proposals with input from the science and technical advisory committee and science coordinator; 2) distribute the call for pre-proposals; 3) convene a review panel for pre-proposals. Invite highest scoring projects to submit full proposals; 4) convene review panel for full proposals to select projects for funding; 5) administer grant funds to selected research projects and track and evaluate progress; 6) with new york sea grant, identify a venue, program, and manage the logistics leading to and for a biennial long island sound research conference. For this funding action, the agency will receive results of innovative and timely applied research that will fill some of the most critical remaining science gaps, thereby facilitating and maximizing the effectiveness of the activities and accomplishments needed to restore and protect long island sound, an excellent investment for long-term environmental and economic benefits for long island sound. This is especially impactful given the $9.4B estimated local economic value the sound provides and to ensure its long-term health continues to support robust and vibrant coastal economies and communities. Research to best understand the sound, its resources, and associated societal benefits offers a significant return on investment to stakeholders through the provision of enhanced ecosystem services, and economic and societal benefits of a healthy and productive long island sound. Direct beneficiaries of this program include the general population in the new york portion of the long island sound watershed and its surrounding areas, schools, universities and other institutions of learning, environmental managers and policy makers and the participants in the long island sound partnership. This work aligns with the current administration's executive orders, with pillar 1 (clean air, land, and water for every american) of EPA's 'powering the great american comeback', and with section 119 (long island sound) of the clean water act.