Above: New York State Senators (from L.) LaValle. Trunzo. Johnson. and Lack get ready to join 17 other legislators and staff for the MSRC legislative cruise aboard the R/V ONRUST and the LORD JIM.
MSRC hosted 25 New York State senators, assemblymen, and staff members aboard the Center’s R/V ONRUST and an accompanying vessel, LORD JIM, in September for the annual Long Island Sound cruise for legislators. The legislators, becoming scientists for a day, assisted MSRC staff and faculty in collecting and analyzing water and bottom samples taken from the Sound.
The cruise gives the legislators a firsthand look at the region’s coastal marine problems and fosters discussion between scientists and law makers to explore problem-solving strategies, including the role of legislation, to conserve this envi.onment. During the cruise, MSRC facuIty discussed and demonstrated research related to key marine environmental issues in the region. Some of these issues are the Long Island Sound Study, brown tide, and the emerging garbage problem.
