Marine Meadows Workshop to be Held Tomorrow At 1PM in Port Jefferson

John Mitty Friday, May 31, 2013

Create “Marine Meadows” with Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn

and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County 

Tomorrow, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn will be partnering with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) and the Long Island Sound Study to offer a Marine Meadows Program Workshop to the public from 1-3pm at the Port Jefferson Village Center.

The Marine Meadows Program is the collaborative, community-based component of CCE’s overall eelgrass restoration effort, funded in part by the Suffolk County Water Quality Protection and Restoration Fund and the Long Island Sound Futures Fund.  By offering Marine Meadows Workshops throughout Long Island, CCE is providing an opportunity for community members to learn about the importance of eelgrass to our marine environment while participating in hands-on activities that help further restoration efforts in the region. 

Chris Pickerell the Director of CCE’s Marine Program said, “We are fortunate to have incredible partners in Suffolk County, Legislator Hahn, the Long Island Sound Study and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to make this important work possible.  I am happy to say that through our combined efforts we will be able to make meaningful and significant strides in bringing back this important species.”

“It is always great to see the excitement and wonder on a youngster’s face when he or she knows that the lesson is exciting and the work is important,” said Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, Chairwoman of the Legislature’s Environment, Planning and Agriculture Committee.  “I am very proud to have this opportunity to work with Cornell Cooperative Extension and engage local youth on ways to improve the health of our waterways because every participant seems to walk away with a new perspective on Long Island’s unique marine ecosystem and ways to personally protect it.”

To date, CCE and various partners have facilitated numerous workshops in which over 600 volunteers have come together to assemble nearly 70,000 shoots of eelgrass into planting discs for use in CCE’s restoration efforts.  The workshop to be held June 1^st will allow for essential marine habitat to be restored in the Long Island Sound and help bolster local eelgrass populations, which have been in decline in recent decades.  Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn has offered her continual support of this important effort. 

During the upcoming workshop, participants will weave eelgrass shoots (harvested from healthy donor meadows in local waters) into burlap planting discs.  Once assembled, these discs will be planted by CCE SCUBA divers, at a later date at a carefully selected restoration site in Long Island Sound near Port Jefferson. These newly created “marine meadows” will serve as important marine habitat for many species of finfish and shellfish. These habitats help enhance the health and productivity of the Sound and serve as important habitat for both fish and shellfish.  

All ages are welcome, although this activity is best suited for ages 7 and up.  Refreshments will be provided compliments of Starbucks.  Registration is free, but suggested in advance as space is limited.  The first 20 registrants will receive a Marine Meadows tote bag, and all participants will be eligible for door prizes including a membership to the Long Island Maritime Explorium.  For more information on the Marine Meadows Program, or to register for this event, please contact Sherryll Jones at sj497@cornell.edu or 631-852-8660 ext. 27. 

To learn more about CCE’s Marine Meadows Program, find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marine-Meadows-Program/210110862383997

For more information on CCE’s overall seagrass conservation efforts, please visit www.seagrassli.org

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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