Volunteers are needed for a new project aimed at restoration of local eelgrass meadows.
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Meadows Program will host a hands-on restoration workshop on October 25 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Marine Environmental Learning Center, located at 3690 Cedar Beach Road, in Southold.
According to Cornell, the habitat restoration that will take place as a result of the workshop will directly lead to an increase in habitat availability for the shellfish and fin fish in local bays.
Cornell has issued a shout out for volunteers of all ages to attend and “play an important part in the restoration of our local eelgrass meadows, whose populations have decreased considerably in recent decades.”
Eelgrass is a type of seagrass — not a seaweed — rooted into the bay bottom and completely submerged underwater, where it serves as essential habitat and spawning grounds for many recreationally and commercially important marine species. In addition, it also protects beaches and shorelines from erosion, and helps keep waters clear of sediment, according to Cornell.
Those who attend the workshop will work alongside CCE’s restoration scientists, learn about the importance of marine habitat to the many fin fish and shellfish that reside in local eelgrass meadows, and play a hands-on role in restoration efforts, by weaving thousands of live eelgrass shoots by hand into specially designed biodegradable planting discs. Following the workshop, CCE’s restoration scientists will plant the discs in local bays for the benefit of species including bay scallops, flounder, and seahorses.
For more information or to register for the workshop — registration is requested but not required to attend — contact Kim Barbour at 631-461-5294 or kp237@cornell.edu. Additional information can also be found at marinemeadows.com or by finding the Marine Meadows Program on Facebook.
SoutholdLOCAL photo by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk.
