The Nature Conservancy
Nature's Real Estate Agent

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) (http://www.tnc.org) acts to preserve habitats and species by buying the lands and waters they need to survive. Through Iroquois' Land Preservation and Enhancement Program (LPEP), TNC has developed its Conservation Biology Research Program for the study of tidally influenced portions of the Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers; improved access to the Hudson River Valley's 95-acre Lewis A. Swyer Preserve; purchased New York's Hellman Parcel to preserve the unique natural community of the globally significant Albany Pine Buch Preserve; and secured 73 acres of vital wetland habitat within the Bonaparte Swamp in Lewis County, New York.

Ducks Unlimited
World Leader in Wetlands Preservation

Ducks Unlimited (http://www.ducksunlimited.com) is the world's largest nonprofit wetlands, waterfowl, and wildlife conservation organization. DU's projects nurture waterfowl and 900 species of other wildlife throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico, and have conserved nearly 8 million acres of waterfowl habitat across North America. Locally, DU undertakes projects such as the restoration and protection of Long Island Sound's ecosystem. Its project at Fletcher Creek serves as a model for other clean-up programs in the Northeast and nationwide.

Soundkeeper
The Long Island Soundkeeper Fund

Soundkeeper (http://www.soundkeeper.org) was founded in 1987 by citizens who were concerned about the progressive pollution and destruction of habitat in the Sound. The "keeper" concept was borrowed from an old English tradition of assigning stewards to monitor the king's waterbodies. Terry Backer was appointed as the first "Soundkeeper." He is a third generation fisherman and past president of the Connecticut Coastal Fishermen's Association. Under the leadership of Terry, the Long Island Soundkeeper Fund has been honored by the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Renew America Environmental Achievement Award, and The Nature Conservancy.

Reviewed 6/20/06