Florida expert joining Long Island Sound preservation

A Florida marine sciences expert is the new director of The Nature Conservancy's Long Island Sound program in New York and Connecticut.

Chantal Collier most recently oversaw the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's program for conserving coral reefs. In her new position, she will split her time between The Nature Conservancy's chapters in New Haven and on Long Island.

Collier says she spent many of her childhood summers on the coasts of Connecticut and Long Island, and that those experiences inspired her to pursue a career in marine conservation.

The Nature Conservancy's Long Island Sound program focuses on revitalizing and preserving the urban estuary amid pressures from population growth, development and climate change.