Long Island Sound Topics Featured in National Coastal and Estuarine Summit

Area scientists and resource managers involved in the restoration of Long Island Sound are well represented in this year’s National Coastal and Estuarine Summit.

The Sept 29-Oct. 1 event, organized by Restore America’s Estuaries, is the largest international gathering of coastal professionals. More than 300 expert panels, presentations, and posters have been selected and more than 30 sponsors have already committed to support the Summit, which is being held virtually because of the pandemic.  

The On-Demand sessions, recorded sessions that will continue to be available for nine months following the Summit, include several Long Island Sound-specific topics. They cover: a session moderated by Dr. Jim Ammerman, the Long Island Sound Science Coordinator, on monitoring nitrogen levels in Long Island Sound, and its embayments and tributaries; a session moderated by Katie O’Brien Clayton, an environmental analyst at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, on emerging trends concerning hypoxia (depleted oxygen levels) in Long Island Sound; and Vicky O’Neill, the Long Island Sound Study’s New York Habitat Restoration and Stewardship Coordinator, on innovative methods to restore tidal wetlands.

Other Long Island Sound professionals at the Summit include:

• Dr. Jennifer Mattei, a biologist at Sacred Heart University, who is on a panel on: Design Challenges, Construction Shortcomings, and Growing Pains with Living Shorelines. Mattei’s project to create a living shoreline project at Stratford Point in Connecticut has received funding from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
• Holly Drinkuth, of The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, who will be moderating a session on: Accelerating Adoption of Advanced Onsite Wastewater Treatment Technologies for Estuarine Recovery.
• Dr. Julie Rose, a NOAA scientist and Science and Technical Advisory Committee member, who is on a panel on: Emerging Tools and Approaches to Accelerate Coastal Ecosystem Restoration and Management.
• Brian Thompson, Director of CT DEEP’s Land and Resources division and a Long Island Sound Study Management Committee member, is on a panel on: Resilience Lessons Learned: Federal, State, and Local Coastal Managers Share Their Stories.
• Dr. Juliana Barrett, an extension educator at Connecticut Sea Grant and a member of the Long Island Sound Study Climate Change and Sentinel Monitoring work group, is on a panel on: Collaborative Programs to Enhance the Resilience of Communities and Ecosystems to Climate Change.
• Dr. Chris Elphick, a biologist at the University of Connecticut is on a panel on: Habitat Restoration for Estuarine-Dependent Birds. Dr. Elphick has received funding from the Long Island Sound Study for his research on protecting the saltmarsh sparrow and other estuarine-dependent birds along the Connecticut shoreline.

More information on these and other Summit topics, and information on how to register, is on the Restore America’s Estuaries website at: https://estuaries.org/summit/about/.