Peconic Estuary Program 2017 Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring Program

This report presents the data and observations collected during The Peconic Estuary Program’s Long Term Eelgrass Monitoring Program in 2017. In 2017, the PEP Long-term Eelgrass Monitoring Program (PEP LTEMP) underwent significant changes. With the approval of the PEP Natural Resources Committee, it was decided that 2017 would be the last year that LTEMP sites no longer supporting eelgrass (Northwest Harbor, Orient Harbor, Southold Bay, and Three Mile Harbor) would be removed from annual monitoring and, instead, moved to a monitoring schedule of every 3-5 years. In place of the 4 sites, 4 new sites, with extant eelgrass meadows, were selected as replacements. Theses sites include Coecles Harbor (Shelter Island), Fort Pond Bay (East Hampton), Napeague Harbor (East Hampton), and Sag Harbor Bay (East Hampton and Shelter Island).