An editorial in the December 4 New York Times, Clams and Grass to the Rescue, discusses the progress being made by Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) in restoring the waters of Shinnecock Bay. SoMAS received $3 million in funds over five years to restock shellfish, expand existing eelgrass beds, harvest seaweeds to absorb nutrients and inhibit harmful algal blooms, monitor restoration efforts and share the project’s goals and results with stakeholders and the public.
The environmental restoration project is funded in part by a philanthropic gift from the Laurie Landeau Foundation and matched by a gift from the Simons Foundation. Heading the efforts to restore the Bay for SoMAS are Christopher Gobler, whose research focuses on aquatic ecosystems and how their functioning can be effected by man or can affect man, and marine biologist Ellen Pikitch, professor and executive director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook, whose research is focused on ocean conservation, fisheries management, ecosystem-based approaches, endangered fishes, sharks and sturgeon.
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