NYSG’s Fall 2009 New York Coastlines is available as a pdf, both in its full, 12-page version (see sidebar at right) and as individual articles. For individual articles and back issues of New York Coastlines, click here
From the Director
The year 2009 has continued to be busy at New York Sea Grant (NYSG). The National Sea Grant office just approved our new strategic and implementation plans for the next four years. We are well along in the search for a new Associate Director for Extension, located at Cornell University, and hope to complete the process shortly. One of the stalwarts of our I FISH NY program, Malynda Nichol, recently left NYSG to become a middle school science teacher in Westchester County, NY. We congratulate her on her new position, though she will be greatly missed by NYSG and I FISH NY.
As always, the most important recent happenings at NYSG are the research, education, and outreach activities detailed in this issue of New York Coastlines. One of our Communications staffers, Susan Hamill, was on hand at the NYSG booth at NY State Senator Kenneth LaValle’s recent Family Day event, distributing NYSG giveaways and publications to local children and adults (see photo).
The lead article in this issue highlights the results of a recent study on Hudson River Valley tourism which was supported by NYSG and extended by NYSG’s Hudson specialist, Nordica Holochuck. Tourism is an increasingly important industry for the communities in this region, and the results of this study are already being used by one of them to help plan future waterfront renovations.
Harmful algal blooms are an increasing global problem in coastal and estuarine waters, including the waters around Long Island. As described in the pages of this issue, Long Island waters have had a history of brown tides over the last few decades and now face the challenge of red tides as well. These blooms are often related to nitrogen inputs and may cause finfish and shellfish deaths and contribute to long-term declines, especially of shellfish. NYSG has actively supported a number of research projects on brown and red tides, and some of the recent projects and results are described in this issue.
NYSG staff member Mary Penney coordinates the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Steward Program, which is partially supported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This program hires college students to work for the summer as stewards to help promote ecologically responsible uses of this unique natural area. Following experience the previous summer writing a blog aboard ship in Lake Ontario, NYSG Web content manager Paul Focazio helped Mary Penney and the Dune Stewards to develop a blog of their stewardship activities during the summer of 2009. The results are described in the pages of this issue, and this effort helped both the stewards to focus more on the impacts of their activities and the public to become better informed about both the environment and the programs available.
Finally, I would like to highlight the NYSG supported work of Drs. Paul Bowser and James Casey of Cornell University on the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) in fish, detailed in this issue as well. Dr. Bowser recently received a major award for his work on this virus and other fish diseases. VHSV infections have caused significant fish kills in several Great Lakes fish species, and NYSG fisheries specialist Dave MacNeill has been very active in outreach efforts to help limit the spread of this virus. He and Dr. Bowser presented a joint seminar in Washington, DC, last June about VHSV impacts. This issue is one of the best examples of the close connection between research and extension that is a hallmark of many Sea Grant projects and an important reason for the continued effectiveness of Sea Grant efforts.
— James Ammerman
