Protecting & Restoring Long Island's Peconic Bays
Watch these videos to see the Peconic Estuary in action and our initiatives come to life.
Partners of the Peconic Estuary Partnership share why PEP’s new management plan will guide crucial work towards a brighter future as we all work together. Our partnership is our greatest tool to help us achieve our mission of protecting and restoring the Peconic Estuary and its watershed. Special thanks to our partners who shared their thoughts in our video (in order of appearance):
Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Executive
Alison Branco, Ph.D., Director of Coastal Programs, The Nature Conservancy, New York
Katie Petronis, Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources, NYSDEC
Mike Bottini, Wildlife Biologist, Seatuck Environmental Association
John Pavacic, Former Executive Director, Central Pine Barrens Commission
Matthew Sclafani, Ph.D., Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County & PEP Technical Advisory Committee Chair
Jim Gilmore, Director, Division of Marine Resources, NYSDEC
Byron Young, Retired Fisheries Biologist, NYSDEC
Fred Thiele, New York State Assemblyman
Aisha Sexton-Sims, Ph.D., Chief, State Revolving Fund Program Section, Water Division, Region 2 U.S. EPA & Former PEP Management Committee Chair
Pete Lopez, Former Regional Administrator, Region 2 U.S. EPA
Peter Van Scoyoc, East Hampton Town Supervisor
John Bouvier, Southampton Town Councilman
Ed Romaine, Brookhaven Town Supervisor
Javier Laureano, Ph.D., Director, Water Division, Region 2 U.S. EPA & PEP Policy Committee Chair
Al Krupski, Suffolk County Legislator, District 1
Bridget Fleming, Suffolk County Legislator, District 2
¿Disfrutas la pesca? ¿O quieres empezar a participar en esta divertida actividad? Este video en español da una introducción a los entresijos legales y logísticos de la pesca en Long Island. Esta es la primera parte de dos videos que compartiremos. Esté atento para la segunda parte, donde discutiremos cómo ser un pescador ecológico, daremos algunas FAQ sobre la pesca e incluso destacaremos especies locales increíbles.
Do you enjoy fishing? Or want to begin doing this fun activity? Check out our Fishing 101 video in Spanish about the legal and logistical ins and outs of fishing on Long Island. This is part 1 of two videos we will be sharing. Keep an eye out for part 2 where we will discuss how to be an environmentally conscious fisher, give some cool fishing FAQs, and even highlight some awesome local species.
Watch this PEP presentation to learn about the projects we do and how you can get involved. During National Estuaries Week, we celebrate Estuary Day with Long Island Sound Study and South Shore Estuary Reserve to bring awareness to the work that we do as the Estuary Programs on Long Island and how you can get involved with our work to protect and restore our natural resources and treasured ecosystems.
Suffolk County presents a workshop on the Septic Improvement Program at PEP’s August 2020 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting. Learn what the program entails, how to apply, and feel equipped to take the next steps in upgrading your cesspool or septic system for cleaner water quality.
Training citizen scientists for terrapin monitoring and habitat protection. June 2020 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting co-hosted with Seatuck Environmental Association and Dr. Russell Burke of the Jamaica Bay Terrapin Project of Hofstra University. Click here for the Diamondback Terrapin Watch online survey to record your sightings of terrapins and evidence of their activity.
May 2020 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting co-hosted with Group for the East End, with guest speaker Rusty Schmidt, President of Long Island Native Plant Initiative (LINPI). Click here for native plant resources from LINPI.
Understanding the threats for eelgrass and suitable areas for its restoration.
The Peconic Estuary Partnership, in coordination with the NYSDEC, Seatuck Environmental Association, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and the Town of Riverhead monitored the Grangebel Park Fishway during the Spring 2019 and 2020 Alewife migration season to record the number of Alewife traveling up the Peconic River to spawn in freshwater habitat. See the video for a view of Alewife moving up the fishway and through the camera view!
Captain Peter Haskell of Haskell’s Seafood tells us how the health of the Peconic Estuary is important for his business and provides sustainable fishing practices that protect our bays for the future.
We created a video in Spanish (with English subtitles) about the importance of the Peconic Estuary. Check it out! Hemos creado un video en español (con subtítulos en inglés) sobre la importancia del estuario Pecónico. ¡Échenle un vistazo!
Woodhull Dam, is located on the Little River, a tributary of the Peconic River. This dam currently prevents the largest population of river herring on Long Island from reaching critical spawning habitat. Approximately 50,000 – 80,000 fish spawn below the dam each year in a stalled effort to reach upstream habitat.
