Since 2016, Cornell Cooperative Extension has been restoring eelgrass to an area in Sag Harbor designated for restoration based on improving conditions and nearby naturally existing eelgrass. Each planting is marked by labeled stakes to map where new and old plantings meet. The oldest plantings have become dense eelgrass, indistinguishable from nearby natural eelgrass meadows. Bay scallops, hard clams, whelks, northern puffer, sea bass and other species are frequently encountered here in the eelgrass. This restoration site has become our best success story in the Peconics, and was the initially sponsored by the Great Peconic Race on Shelter Island followed by PEP, LICF, DEC and others up until 2022. In 2023, the Sag Harbor community came together to raise funds to enable a Marine Meadows Workshop and subsequent eelgrass planting to take place in November 2023 and we need your help to keep progress going in 2024 and beyond!

In order to continually expand our Back to the Bays Stewardship Sites, we are also seeking support required to officially adopt this location into our long term restoration network. A fundraising drive is currently in effect to make this happen, and if we meet our target we will be able to both continue and expand our eelgrass restoration efforts; begin work to establish a new spat-on-shell oyster reef in this area; as well as conduct shellfish population enhancement seedings to bolster local bay scallop and hard clam populations in the waters off of Sag Harbor in 2024. Check out the slide presentation below, and donate today or contact Kimberly Barbour at kp237@cornell.edu for more information.