Plum Island Advocates Set Sail on Benefit Cruise from Groton

GROTON, CT – Conservation enthusiasts set sail from Avery Point Sunday afternoon for a three-hour narrated boat tour around the perimeter of New York’s Plum Island.

The cruise benefited Connecticut Fund for the Environment and its bi-state program Save the Sound in its efforts to preserve Plum Island. The 840-acre, government-owned island in Long Island Sound is known for its federal research facility and as a largely undeveloped sanctuary for wildlife, according to a release.

In spite of gray skies and rough waters, more than two dozen supporters hopped aboard the Enviro-lab III, a stout vessel decorated for the occasion with Plum Island landscape photography by Robert Lorenz and a raw bar serving Long Island Sound oysters. Storytelling from "A World Unto Itself: The Remarkable History of Plum Island, New York," was also passed around to cruise-goers.

According to a release, one guest from West Hartford was so moved by the experience that she decided to plan a virtual tour of Plum Island for her friends. An attendee who summers in East Lyme was also spotted on deck, taking pictures with the island.

As guests socialized in the swaying research ship, seals lounged on the island’s rocky coast while gulls and egrets soared above their sanctuary. Guests got an up-close look at a rare and treasured place in desperate need of protection.

Over 60 wildlife and conservation organizations from around the Sound region have been working together as the Preserve Plum Island Coalition, and thousands of private citizens have signed petitions demanding the island’s conservation. CFE/Save the Sound recently filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration to halt the sale of Plum Island, and is continuing to work closely with allies in the U.S Senate and House of Representatives who are pursuing legislative solutions to the threat against the island.

For information on future events, visit the online events calendar.

Image via Save the Sound.