Contact:

Larissa Graham, Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, NYSG, E: ljg85@cornell.edu; P: 631.632.9216

Stony Brook, NY, August 25, 2010 - Long Island Sound Study's latest issue of Sound Update focuses on oil spills - whether oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill will reach the Sound, and our preparedness to handle such events.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico certainly makes us wonder if a similar situation could happen here and, if it did, how we would respond," says NYSG's Long Island Sound Educator Larissa Graham, writer of the issue's lead article, "Oil Spills: Common, Even in the Sound."

Long Island Sound is not like the Gulf of Mexico; our shorelines are not peppered with oil and gas rigs," Graham writes. "In fact, there isn’t any offshore drilling within Long Island Sound. However, this does not mean that oil spills are not a threat; in fact oil spills are very common in our estuary, too."

In addition to Graham's article, other features address some common concerns, including: Will the oil spill in the Gulf reach the Sound? And, How will the Gulf oil spill affect sea turtles in Long Island Sound? 

While major oil spills of 10,000 gallons or more are a rare occurrence in Long Island Sound, spills do happen in this nationally-designated estuary. As a result, an “Area Contingency Plan” for Long Island Sound is in place to help guide the response of federal, state and local authorities. This plan is outlined in another feature article inside the issue.

Sound Update's Summer 2010 issue spotlights the citizen role in spills and also includes eight simple ways to keep oil out of Long Island Sound in "What Can I Do?" This includes tips on recycling, adjusting some common practices to make a big impact, and ideas on donating time and money to relief and educational efforts.

"There was a lot of interest from non-profits and citizens groups to both inform and empower the public about this timely issue and how people could help," says Graham.

To request hard copies of Sound Update for yourself or to distribute to the public, please send an email to Larissa Graham at ljg85@cornell.edu.

If you would like to receive Long Island Sound Study's newsletter, please visit their homepage and sign up for the "print newsletter" under the "Stay Connected" box.

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Long Island Sound is one of 28 nationally-designated estuaries under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program, established by Congress in 1987 to improve the quality of Long Island Sound and other places where rivers meet the sea.

New York Sea Grant is part of a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work with coastal communities. The National Sea Grant College Program engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources.