Peconic Estuary Program Press Releases

Peconics in the News

		EPA Approves Nitrogen Total Maximum Daily Loading Document for Peconic Estuary, 9/07: The recently approved TMDL will ensure that impaired waterbodies meet NYS dissolved oxygen standards. Learn more...

Pet Shops Join PEP to Prevent Exotic Plant and Animal Invasions, 4/27/06: A new outreach effort is asking Peconic residents to have a Habitattitude. Don't dump unwanted pets and aquatic plants! Learn more...

Town of Riverhead Awarded Grant to Restore Fish Migration on the Peconic River , 4/25/06: Supervisor Phil Cardinale announced that the Town was awarded a $25,000 American Rivers/NOAA Community- B ased Habitat Restoration Program Partnership. Funds will go toward restoring passage of alewife and American eel over the Grangebel Park dam. Learn more...

New York State Announces Funding for Water Quality Improvements & Habitat Restoration, 11/3/05: Over $2.5 million was awarded for projects in the Peconic watershed. Funds will support a system to use the effluent from the Riverhead Sewage Treatment Plant to irrigate the adjacent Indian Island Golf Course, fish passage restoration on the Peconic River and stormwater management. Learn more...

North Sea Landfill Removed From Superfund List, 10/5/05: After nearly 2 decades on the Federal Superfund List due to groundwater quality concerns, the North Sea Municipal Landfill in Southampton, NY has been cleaned up by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and removed from its National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites. Learn more...

NYS Acts to Protect Depleted Bay Scallop Populations, 9/29/05: The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation postponed the start of the 2005 scallop season and established minimum size requirements for harvest in an effort to restore the severely depleted bay scallop population in the Peconic Estuary. Learn more...

The Poop on the No Discharge Zone, 7/11/05: A new public education campaign is underway to inform boaters about the Peconic NDZ, or No Discharge Zone. The 2002 designation leads to cleaner and healthier waters by making it illegal for boaters to discharge treated or untreated wastes into any and all waters of the estuary. Learn more...

State of the Bays Science Conference, 4/25/05: On April 29, 2005, the PEP brought together 18 scientists from all over the Northeast to spearhead a day of scientific exploration. Nearly 100 attendees gathered to learn about the scientists' current research in the Peconics. The goal? To answer the question, "What is the environmental state of the bays? Learn more...

Water Quality Improvement Projects Completed, 10/28/04: The PEP teamed with DOT and others to improve wetlands and shorelines and to mitigate stormwater runoff at 14 locations in the estuary. The $2.06 million project also funded a new canoe launch on the Peconic River. Learn more...

Nitrogen Management Challenge for Golf Courses, 9/22/04: The PEP teamed with East End golf courses, the U.S. Golf Association and Cornell University in an effort to reduce nitrogen inputs to the estuary that may result from fertilizing fairways and greens. Learn more...

EstuaryLive, 9/23/04: On September 23rd, students from across the country took a virtual field trip to the Peconic Estuary, simply by visiting a website. They saw hairy sea cucumbers and horseshoe crabs and learned about eelgrass, shellfish aquaculture and algae. Learn more...

PEP Mini-Grants, 7/16/04: In July, the PEP announced the funding of four different projects to sponsor marine education activities and improve water quality. A total of $7,999 was awarded to local towns and schools. Learn more...

The PEP's recent invasive species initiatives have been highlighted on television and in print. Check out the coverage here...
The Suffolk Times, May 4, 2006
The News-Review, May 4, 2006
News 12 Long Island, May 10, 2006
Suffolk Life, May 17, 2006
Newsday, June 10, 2006
Newsday, June 11, 2006
Suffolk Life, June 21, 2006