Living on the Shore: Rights and Opportunities While people all
over Connecticut have helped “Preserve the Sound” by purchasing
a Long Island Sound license plate, coastal residents are in a
position to make an even greater contribution than their inland
neighbors. What people do in their waterfront back yards can
significantly affect coastal issues relating to tidal wetlands,
navigation, non-point source pollution, and beach and dune
dynamics. Although large-scale projects like marinas or sewage
treatment plant upgrades are carefully evaluated by the
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP)
permit process, small-scale residential land use decisions are
subject to less scrutiny. However, the cumulative impacts of
many small individual actions may ultimately have a greater
effect on the coast that we all share. Many people who must make
decisions about the use of their coastal property have never had
the opportunity to learn why protecting tidal wetlands is
important, why building and rebuildin