Policy Progress: Moving Forward from the National Estuary Program to the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act Initiative

Erin Flanagan

Erin Flanagan analyzed the links and impacts between the National Estuaries Program’s (NEP) prescriptive content, the Long Island Sound Study’s problem orientation around land use, and the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act’s (LISSA) proposed solution to the issue of rehabilitating the Long Island Sound ecosystem.  From analyses presented in a class paper, she summarized information into draft fact sheets, describing and explaining descriptive and rehabilitative programs and processes for Long Island Sound. 

The LISSA’s unusual content is the outcome of a unique interplay between the NEP’s policy prescription and the Long Island Sound Study’s problem definition. The paper defines this dynamic as “policy progress.” It explores the interchange between the policy silos of decision process and problem definition and concludes that “policy progress,” like that represented by the LISSA, can be replicated beyond the shores of Long Island Sound.

As restoration activities in Long Island Sound continue, a review and analyses by a disinterested “outsider” of current programs can offer insights into their effectiveness.

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