Speaker Series: Eel Grass Restoration and the Great South Bay

3 Consuelo Place,Oakdale NY 11769

24 February, 2023

Description

Long Island's eel grass beds have been decimated over the past two decades. Eel grass provides habitat and feeding grounds for fish and invertebrates along with food for migratory waterfowl and turtles. This superhero of the Bay also produces oxygen, improves water quality by filtering polluted runoff, absorbs excess nutrients, stores greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and protects the shoreline from erosion. Unfortunately, eel grass beds have been decimated over the past decades. The health of the Bay depends upon their restoration. Learn from our panel of experts how we can move the needle on the restoration of eel grass in the Bay and restore its important ecosystem functions. Join the conversation as Save The Great South Bay teams up with Friends of Bellport Bay to explore how we can restore this important species in the Bay at our next Speaker Series: Eel Grass Restoration and the Great South Bay on Friday, February 24, 2023 from 8 AM - 10 AM at the View in Oakdale. Distinguished Panelists/Moderator Chris Pickerell, Eel Grass Expert, Cornell Cooperative Extension. Steve Schott, Marine Botany/Habitat Restoration Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension Brad Petersen/Steven Heck, Stony Brook School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Robert Vasiluth, Eel Grass Planting Innovator Michael Mission, Great South Bay Oyster Farmer Agenda 8:00-9:00 AM Networking over continental breakfast 9:00 -9:45 AM Panel Discussion moderated by Chris Pickerell 9:45-10:00 AM Audience Q&A Coffee and continental breakfast will be served. Email us at [email protected] or call 646.827.0733 with any questions. About Save The Great South Bay Save The Great South Bay is a 501(c)e environmental non-profit whose mission is to to protect and improve the water quality of Long Island’s Great South Bay using scientific expertise and grassroots collaboration to bring people together, benefiting our environment for current and future generations to enjoy. About Friends of Bellport Bay Friends of Bellport Bay is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to help improve the water quality of Bellport Bay. We are committed to educating the public on pollution problems and on strategies to improve the quality of the water in the bay. Our strategies include communicating the importance of the breach at Old Inlet, the planting of shellfish to filter the water of Bellport Bay, and the education of neighbors and residents to alternatives for high nitrogen lawn fertilizers.