The Long Island Sound Study (LISS), sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states of Connecticut and New York, is a partnership of federal, state, and local agencies, universities, businesses, and environmental and community groups. Its mission is to restore and protect Long Island Sound, an ecologically vital coastal body of water where fresh water draining from the Sounds large watershed mixes with salt water from the ocean. Its principles are to be adaptable, collaborative, effective, and efficient in the implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan that will lead to improved water quality, restored habitats to protect marine life and shore birds, and increased opportunities for human use.