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Sandy Pond inlet and barrier beach aerial. Credit: Roy Widrig/NYSG.

Welcome to New York Sea Grant's (NYSG) Summer 2021 New York Coastlines, our program's flagship electronic newsletter.

• Download the “Native Plants for Great Lakes Shorelines Guide” to help you decide the best local plant solution to help restore your shoreline.

• Navigate the regulatory process for sales and marketing through a series of “Seafood Industry Marketing Guides” developed by the Seafood Processing and Marketing Task Force.

Other select opportunities we think you will find of interest in this issue:

• NYSG has just posted three Sustainable and Resilient Community Extension Educator positions and recently advertised for a Long Island Sound Outreach Coordinator. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining our team, check out the posting linked below.

• If you are an educator in the Great Lakes, you might be interested in participating in one of the series of Great Lakes Summer Teacher Workshops.

• Calling on all Suffolk County Commercial Fishermen — help develop an updated profile of the commercial fishing industry by responding to the annual fishing survey.

Finally, we are thrilled to welcome four new members to the NYSG family — Stacy Furgal, Nate Drag, Megan Kocher, and Lauren Scheer. Please take a moment to “meet” them below. And please do read on for many other stories and resources from NYSG’s staff and partners around the State. As always, enjoy!

— Becky Shuford, NYSG's Director

On YouTube: Virtual Reality Game Teaches Beachgoers Hazards of Rip Currents

NYSG-funded investigators at Hofstra University have created a video game simulation to teach beachgoers the hazards of rip currents—narrow channels of fast-moving water that can challenge even skilled swimmers. Read on >>

Also: You're invited to participate in a survey and game to help us learn about people’s understanding of beach hazards.

As part of a joint-research project between NYSG and Hofstra U, you'll be asked a series of questions, play a computer game, and then be asked a second set of questions; this should take no longer than 20 minutes. Learn more >>

And: Surf Hazard Awareness & Research Coordination (SHARC), a network of professionals who work within the sectors of beach hazards and safety. SHARC was created through a partnership between the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System and NYSG.

Three new extension specialists and a new communications specialist have joined in NYSG’s mission of "Bringing Science to the Shore" statewide as part of the cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York. Read on >>

OA is a problem that makes it harder for shellfish such as clams, oysters, and mussels to survive. For example, shellfish grown under harsh OA conditions have a harder time forming shell material, making them more vulnerable to predators. Even if these bivalves can stay alive, it comes with a physiological cost, one we are only now beginning to understand.

Public and private property owners can use NYSG's 28-page "Working with Nature" guide to select the right plant for the right place to revitalize the state's Great Lakes' freshwater shorelines. www.nyseagrant.org/shorelineplants

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid changes have been underway in the seafood industry. A new Seafood Processing and Marketing guide series developed with New York fishermen and aquaculturists in mind helps seafood marketers envision opening up new markets for seafood and seafood products.

In addition to downloading the guides, you can also watch videos on: (a) how to navigate the seafood marketing and processing series; (b) how NY seafood producers can access capital. www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodguides

These guides are a product of a Seafood Processing and Marketing Task Force that NYSG has been leading with Federal, State, and Local agencies, industry groups, and extension personnel to address hurdles and opportunities for alternative marketing strategies for seafood in NY State.

Related: NYSG News Item | Press Release

Also: Video recordings from NYSG’s 2021 Seafood Summit, held this past February, are online. Each year, NYSG and its partners try to highlight some of the State's bountiful seafood supply and introduce participants to the delicious, diverse, and versatile seafood available locally. www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodsummit

In summer 2020, the program provided one student from each partner institution — City University of New York School of Law; Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University; and University at Buffalo School of Law — with an opportunity to collaborate with NYSG and interact with local communities on environmental law and policy projects. Read on >>

This fall, NYSG will share the accomplishments made by this summer’s 2021 law fellows. Stay tuned here: www.nyseagrant.org/lawfellowships

NYSG specialists and a panel of experts joined One Region Forward for a virtual discussion in mid-June about tools to improve community resilience related to coastal threats, which include extreme weather events such as seiches, intense rain, and highly fluctuating water levels in the Great Lakes.

Learn more about "How Can I Prepare My Community for Coastal Hazards?" via the Resources page on NYSG's Coastal Community Development resource site, www.nyseagrant.org/ccd.

Teachers can freely access NYSG’s 2nd Edition of "Enviro-Time Storytime: Recommended Environmental Reading Lists for Children Pre-K to 12"; the "Freedom Seekers: The Underground Railroad, Great Lakes and Science Literacy Activities" curriculum; and the "Lake Sturgeon Intermediate Curriculum" Read on >>

Here's a sampling of other NYSG events, activities, and announcements that are trending through the season, especially on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) ...

Job Announcement: Sustainable and Resilient Community Extension Educators — Application review for three positions — each located at Stony Brook University; Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County; Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County — and two additional Connecticut Sea Grant positions will commence on August 20, 2021. Apply >>

August 18: Great Lakes Summer Teacher Workshops

Educators — join NYSG and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for the final event in this summer series of free workshops in upstate New York.

August 19: Meet Your Oyster Farmers

Join NYSG for the final event in our "Meet Your Oyster Farmers" summer series, which is being held on Long Island. Learn about your local shellfish farmer's work and enjoy some fresh local oysters and beer outside.

August 19: A Spotlight on Long Island Sound Habitats

Showcased during this teacher webinar will be the latest educational tool created by Long Island Sound Study, NYSG and Connecticut Sea Grant — a Next Generation Science Standards-based StoryMap focused on highlighting habitats within the Long Island Sound watershed and some of the ‘phenomena’ observed or work done in those regions.

Watch: Boat NY

Check out some new segments about boating in New York from this monthly conversation hosted by NYSG Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White and Central New York Boat Show Manager Drew Wickham and with support provided by the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York.

Resources: New York Ocean

Now available in English and Spanish:

Sign-up: Shellfish E-Course

Interested in learning the steps involved with establishing a shellfish farming business venture in New York?

NYSG, along with, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others, invite you to enroll in a free e-course highlighting leasing options, permitting, and basic farm operations/management. www.nyseagrant.org/shellfishecourse

Respond: Long Island Fishermen Survey

Suffolk County Commercial Fishermen — Help us develop an updated profile of the industry by completing an anonymous fishing survey. Learn more >>

Information will be used to draft an annual fisheries report that will highlight the needs of local fishermen and characterize the harvesting and processing capacity of the industry, support businesses, and people engaged in this livelihood.

Survey efforts are being coordinated by the Suffolk County Economic Development & Planning, NYSG, Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program, and the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.

The Handbook, a partner effort led by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, was created to help owners and managers of public river access sites adapt their facilities to existing and predicted flooding. By planning and implementing resilience strategies and public outreach plans, managers of such sites can reduce their vulnerability and continue to provide access under changing conditions. | PDF

This handbook serves that effort by providing site owners and managers with guidelines to reduce damage, costs, and other consequences associated with the effects of climate change, and begin planning for resilience.

In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted another active Atlantic hurricane season. In early August, NOAA revised seasonal outlook, saying the Atlantic hurricane season shows no signs of slowing.

In April, NOAA announced that based on its most recent 30-year climate record, an ‘average’ Atlantic hurricane season will reflect more storms.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30.

Also, check out these resources ...

In the photo above: Tropical Storm Elsa, which formed on July 1, became the earliest-forming fifth named storm on record over the Atlantic Ocean. On average, the fifth named storm of the season doesn’t typically form until the end of August. The previous record was set last year when Tropical Storm Edouard formed on July 6, 2020.

Be prepared for seasonal weather hazards with tips from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. National Weather Service's Summer Safety campaign. Learn more: English; Spanish.

Summer is a great time to get outdoors, cool off at the beach or lakeshore, and do all the things you love to do. However, as this summer’s theme implies, “Hazards can escalate quickly." So be alert of, among other things, rough surf and rip currents, lightning strikes, hot vehicles, and tree damage from strong winds, all of which have resulted in lives lost, injuries, and heartbreak. Drought, wildfires, and another potentially active hurricane season require preparation and planning as well.

NOAA National Weather Service’s Rip Current Safety Tool Kit contains presentations, videos, graphics, and brochures that provide NWS/United States Lifesaving Association-approved rip current safety language.

Keep tabs on NYSG's news in between issues of NY Coastlines / Currents via our Web site. Here's a sampling of other stories that have made waves recently in the media, on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and via our site's News and topic-based News Archives ...

New York Coastlines is a product of NYSG project C/PC-13 funded under award NA18OAR4170096 granted to the Research Foundation of SUNY on behalf of NYSG from the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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For an archive of all articles featured in this and previous issues: www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastines.

For more about NYSG, visit www.nyseagrant.org/whatisnysg.

For updates on Sea Grant activities in New York's Great Lakes and marine waters, visit www.nyseagrant.org, where you can subscribe to an RSS news feed and follow NYSG via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

E: nyseagrant@stonybrook.edu / P: 631.632.6905

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More about diversity, equity and inclusion at www.nyseagrant.org/dei.