1. Fertilize responsibly, if at all. One of the biggest issues that the Peconic Estuary faces is nutrient pollution. Fertilizer uses nitrogen and phosphorus to help plants grow on land, but it also feeds algae if it runs off the land into water. This can lead to harmful algal blooms, which use up oxygen and suffocate marine life, shade underwater plants, and can be toxic to people. We must be careful about our fertilizer use. There are a few ways you can do this:
2. Clean up after your dog. Similar to the effects of fertilizer, pet waste can contribute excess nutrients to surrounding water bodies. They can also contain pathogens that could cause diseases in humans or other dogs. A common response to this problem might be, “What about the wild animals that live around the estuary ?” The difference with wild animals is that they inhabit our natural environment, however, humans are responsible for the extra waste left behind from our dogs, so we must clean up after them to help reduce the amount of nutrients entering our waterbodies. If we have the power to help, then we should take part in the effort. Plus, it’s the law!
3. Pick up litter from the streets, trails, and beach. Rainwater and snow melt carry more than just nutrients and pollutants. They also carry litter from the streets to surrounding waters through storm drains. Did you know that over 90% of storm drains on the East End discharge directly to the local bays without being treated? So, even if you’re not close to water, you can prevent marine debris by picking up litter from the ground (and refrain from creating it yourself, of course!) If you find any fishing line along the way, you can bring it to one of the fishing line recycling receptacles on the East End.
4. Upgrade your septic system or cesspool. Another big contributor to harmful algal blooms are outdated septic systems and cesspools. Just like lawn fertilizer and pet waste, human sewage is creating problems for water quality in the Peconic Estuary. Because most residents do not have access to sewers, many use on-site systems which are outdated and do little to reduce the amount of nitrogen that leaves the system. Excess nitrogen can get into our groundwater, which travels to surrounding estuary surface waters and our drinking water. Wastewater is the largest land-based source of nitrogen (50%) to the Peconic Estuary. It is very important that local residents take action and upgrade their sewage systems. Suffolk County is offering grants through their Reclaim Our Water Initiative.
5. Plant native plants or install a rain garden or rain barrel. Native plants are adapted to our climate, so they are relatively low-maintenance and do not require pesticides or herbicides. A rain garden is designed to catch excess stormwater and can use native plants to filter runoff through the soils. Similarly, rain barrels help collect water that would normally run from a gutter onto driveways and pavement, carrying pollutants to our estuary. Instead, that water can be collected and used to water gardens or wash a car over grass. Learn more about how to create a Peconic-friendly yard.
6. Use natural cleaning products and return hazardous materials through a S.T.O.P. program. Although our wastewater treatment plants can remove many chemical compounds from water, they aren’t able to remove everything. You can read more about this topic here.It’s best for our environment and our health to use non-toxic, natural cleaning and personal products. However, hazardous materials can’t always be avoided – you can return your car batteries, pharmaceuticals, lawn, pool and household chemicals to a S.T.O.P. collection site near you. Never flush old medications; if your recycling center does not collect them, they can be accepted at police stations.
7. Boaters: use pump-out services, avoid eelgrass beds, and abide by no-wake zones. All these practices help to reduce disturbance to natural habitats, which are crucial to aquatic life. Be a Peconic-friendly boater!
8. Stay on marked trails when exploring. This will prevent disturbing native flora. Make sure to also carry out whatever you may carry in.
9. Get involved. The Peconic Estuary Program has many opportunities to volunteer and be active participants in your community, including our Citizens’ Advisory Committee and various citizen science projects like monitoring for horseshoe crabs and diamondback terrapin turtles.
10. Participate in the #iheartestuaries campaign. There are many reasons to love our estuaries. Share our articles with the hashtag #iheartestuaries or tell us your own reasons for loving your estuary!
Abigail Costigan, PEP Marine Conservation and Policy Fellow Continue reading→
Plastic bag ban is an instrumental step to making our environment cleaner and our wildlife safer. Continue reading→
Watch this PEP presentation to learn about the projects we do and how you can get involved. During National Estuaries Week, we celebrate Estuary Day with Long Island Sound Study and South Shore Estuary Reserve to bring awareness to the work that we do as the Estuary Programs on Long Island and how you can... Continue reading→
Suffolk County presents a workshop on the Septic Improvement Program at PEP’s August 2020 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting. Learn what the program entails, how to apply, and feel equipped to take the next steps in upgrading your cesspool or septic system for cleaner water quality.
We at the Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) have taken time over the past few months to reflect on how we, as a partnership of scientists, educators, public and private institutions, can act to change the racial disparity in our own small corner of the world and contribute to this change in the wider world. As... Continue reading→
The Peconic Estuary Partnership, Seatuck Environmental Association, and Dr. Russell Burke of the Jamaica Bay Terrapin Project of Hofstra University hosted a virtual terrapin monitoring workshop where attendees learned about the importance of monitoring and how to identify terrapins and evidence of their activity. The workshop concluded with the unveiling of Seatuck’s Diamondback Terrapin Watch, which is an online survey... Continue reading→
Watch our May 2020 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting co-hosted with Group for the East End, with guest speaker Rusty Schmidt, President of Long Island Native Plant Initiative (LINPI). Learn all about native plant species, where you can buy native plants, and how to get started on your garden. Native plants do not require fertilizer or... Continue reading→
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the PEP offices are closed and all in-person meetings, events and activities are postponed until further notice to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. PEP staff are working remotely and can be contacted via email. As always, we will continue to share information about the Peconic Estuary through our... Continue reading→
2020 brings exciting news for the Peconic Estuary Program – a new name that better reflects the program and a soon-to-be launched revised Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan that includes fresh goals and actions for the next decade. As a National Estuary Program, the PEP brings together all members of the community – Federal, State and... Continue reading→
The Peconic Estuary Partnership, in response to the adult scallop die-off in the Peconic Bays convened a group of scientists, regulators and experts to assess the known and unknown factors that may have contributed to the demise of the Peconic Bay scallops in 2019 in the Peconic Estuary. This group, the Peconic Bay Scallop Technical... Continue reading→
Sign up for News, Events and Information straight to your inbox.
Notifications
