The View From Bonac, October 1

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Marine Meadows Program will be part of the celebration at the East Hampton Town Trustees 25th annual Largest Clam Contest next Sunday at American Legion Hall in Amagansett.The CCE works with towns to develop strategies to minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff, water from rain or melting snow that doesn’t soak into the ground but runs off into waterways. Runoff includes nutrients, harmful bacteria, sediments, hydrocarbons and pesticides.

In turn, water quality impacts the local economy via commercial and recreational fishery landings, tourism, shellfish harvest restrictions and public beach closures, not to mention our quality of life. Unfortunately, seventy-percent of water bodies in Suffolk County are negatively impacted by pathogens or nutrients.

The team at CCE uses cutting edge DNA technology and has developed a way to track the animal source of bacteria in our waters. They’re tracking nitrogen-laden groundwater seepage into Pussy’s Pond right now and they have a new project in Three Mile Harbor to address stormwater and groundwater inputs of nitrogen.

Christopher Pickerell, Marine Program Director, will discuss East Hampton’s long-standing relationship with CCE at the Trustee event. These include many water quality, shellfish aquaculture, habitat restoration and commercial fishing related projects, ranging from eelgrass and salt marsh restoration in various harbors and creeks to helping to support the commercial fishing fleet out of Lake Montauk.

“I am excited to discuss our current and recently completed projects and future possibilities,” he said, “I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration with the Trustees and Natural Resources Department.”

Mr. Pickerell and I have a mutual distaste for phragmites, the invasive reed that seems to be taking over all of our native wetland plants. I’ve seen a strong surge the past couple of years around Accabonac and Mr. Pickerell is an expert.

“It was something that I worked on 20 years ago and I don’t want to say that it defeated me, but I didn’t make very much headway,” he said, “I have some ideas that I have not had time to pursue. I am very familiar with its growth habit and how to control it in certain situations, but not all.”

If I had one dream, it would be that he work with the town to help preserve Accabonac Harbor. Phragmites grow so tall that they take away the view of the water and they suffocate the native plants, such as spartina grass.

Another Marine Program initiative involves collecting seed heads from Spartina alterniflora (marsh grass) plants for use in restoration work. “With the help of volunteers, our restoration scientists collect these seeds, process them over the winter and then grow out plants using these seeds,” said Kimberly Barbour, Marine Program Outreach Manager. “The plants are then cared for at our coastal plant greenhouse, and by other community partners, until they are ready to be planted at our restoration sites.”

The collection event timing is largely based on seed matureness, which varies slightly from year to year, so the exact timing of these events will be posted on marinemeadows.org and on the Marine Meadows Facebook page.

It was great to catch up with Mr. Pickerell and Ms. Barbour at their Back to the Bays benefit held at the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) last week. I even won a Back to the Bays sweatshirt because I correctly guessed that the organization planted 14,870 shoots of eelgrass in local waters since 2013. Ok, I came close.

Another way they get the public involved is by holding workshops where people weave eelgrass shoots into burlap discs which the team then plants in the bottom of the bays. The chemicals we put on our lawns to kill weeds and bugs, also kill eelgrass when stormwater runoff enters the waterways. This is bad for young fish and bivalves that find protection in the underwater meadows. Without eelgrass, we would have no bay scallops. They hide from predators like crabs by attaching to the vegetation.

Thanks to their effort in restoring eelgrass meadows, the Marine Program estimates that the increased bay scallop revenue between 2008 and 2014 is $15 million. The 2014 harvest of bay scallops was over 100,000 pounds. Let’s hope this year’s harvest is even better.

In addition to restoring eelgrass meadows, the CCE staff developed a floating shellfish nursery system that has been adopted by shellfish farmers all over the country. Over the past 30 years, they have produced millions of scallops, clams and oysters at their hatchery in Southold.

The organization also trains people to be part of the only community run hatchery in the country, under their Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training, or SPAT program. Mr. Pickerell’s father, Howard Pickerell, trained with the oyster program 15 years ago.

The elder Pickerell now owns Pickerell Oyster Company and donated his oysters to the benefit. Boy, were they good. Joe Tremblay, the owner of Bay Burger in Sag Harbor, was on hand to shuck the oysters.

If you’re craving some fresh shellfish, head over to the American Legion Hall on Sunday, October 4, at noon, for freshly shucked clams, and to vote for the best homemade clam chowder.

Other upcoming Marine Program events include Hops for Habitat, a marine-themed art exhibit at Montauk Brewing Company from 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday October 2. The following day, they’ll hold an eelgrass workshop at SOFO from 10 a.m. to noon and another one on October 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Canal Café in Hampton Bays.