Throughout our region, there are so many beautiful places you have helped save by supporting Save the Sound. This year for Valentine’s Day, skip the non-recyclable cards and gifts for something more sustainable and ever-lasting: memories together in the beautiful region you help protect every day! Plus, send your Valentine a scenic e-card to let them know you’re thinking about them.
So get outside and explore the places you’ve protected – and send a matching e-card for your favorite one – at www.savethesound.org/ValentinesDay.
Looking for suggestions? Check out our top picks for a scenic outdoor Valentine’s Day date:
1. Sunken Meadow State Park – Kings Park, NY
If you love New York, make sure you check out our largest-ever restoration project, located on Long Island, where we improved the equivalent of over 102 football fields of critical marsh habitat. Once a fractured ecosystem devastated by Hurricane Sandy, Sunken Meadow State Park is now a vibrant and resilient habitat.
In 2015, we joined with numerous other organizations to continue restoration work. It took many years and completion of a three phase project that included marsh restoration, environmental education and stewardship, and the installation of green infrastructure to capture and treat stormwater—but now Sunken Meadow is well on its way to recovery. While you’re there, make sure you stop by the eight installed bioswales and two constructed wetlands that collectively capture and treat 8.5 million gallons of stormwater every year.
Sunken Meadow is a beautiful location we know you’ll love, and love to share with that someone special.
2. Pond Lily Nature Preserve– New Haven, CT
A thriving wetland ecosystem of nearly 100 species of native grasses, shrubs, and trees welcomes visitors to the Pond Lily Nature Preserve on the banks of the West River in New Haven.
Save the Sound, along with numerous partner organizations, removed the Pond Lily Dam in 2016. When a dam is removed, its impoundment (the ponded area created by blocking the river) drains as the river once again flows free. The ground is then re-exposed to sunlight and air, and native seeds that have lain dormant spring forth creating lush habitat and landscapes, like the emergent wetland at this site.
In time, Pond Lily is expected to transform into a young forest, providing shelter and habitat for wildlife and community members alike. Grab your Valentine for a walk along the restored river – make it an annual hike and watch the forest (and your love) grow!
3. The Preserve – Old Saybrook, Essex, and Westbrook, CT
While you can’t explore all 1,000 acres of The Preserve in one day, you’re sure to find incredible views, flowing water, and vibrant native plants wherever you end up. Located near the mouth of the Connecticut River, The Preserve offers a coastal forest habitat with wetlands and vernal pools that offer a home to native species like the northern dusky salamander and the red-spotted newt.
In the early 2000s, your legal team spent a decade working to permanently preserve this incredible gem, and after years of advocacy it finally happened in 2015. Before it was protected through a conservation sale, the land was passed between various land holding companies. Time and again, developers proposed projects that would have turned trees into condos and woodland ponds into sand traps. Instead, The Preserve now stands tall and will continue to offer a home to the communities around it for generations to come.
There is no shortage of beautiful glades and vistas to snap a romantic selfie with your Valentine at The Preserve!
4. Kelda Lands – Newtown, CT
Right in the heart of Fairfield County lies 15,000 acres of lush green forest and thriving wetlands. But over ten years ago this beautiful natural area was almost stolen from us!
As an organization, our first big coalition was the Endangered Lands Coalition, founded in 2001 to save the property owned at the time by the Kelda Corporation. They had purchased Connecticut’s largest private water company lands, putting thousands of acres of forests and wetlands that filter the public water supply at risk. We stepped in to protect your clean water and open spaces. Luckily, with an inspiring amount of community support and grassroots organizing, the Kelda lands were saved and preserved forever.
Now, you can spend your Valentine’s Day among the trees, listening to the soothing sounds of running water nearby, and relax without a care in the world.
5. Explore the beaches around the Sound
Long Island Sound is the ecological and cultural heart of our region. Both Connecticut and New York have incredible beaches and waterways that are open to the public year-round—and thanks to your help seals, turtles, and other native wildlife are returning to the Sound!
Clean water is a precious resource that needs to be protected. From your Soundkeeper monitoring the Sound and waterways that feed into it to stop pollution, to our water quality team analyzing data, to volunteer-led cleanup efforts throughout CT, to the many advocacy efforts throughout the region – we’re fighting for your clean water and pristine beaches.
So spend your Valentine’s Day on the water doing what you love, whether it’s fishing, kayaking on your favorite river, or just taking a romantic stroll along your local beach or river.
Who needs expensive dates and over-priced chocolates when you’re surrounded by so much incredible beauty right in your backyard? Send your e-valentine now at www.savethesound.org/ValentinesDay to let your loved ones know where you’re taking them this Valentine’s Day!
Cover photo credit: Bob Lorenz / The Preserve