The SoMAS Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program received a major “shot-in-the-arm” recently with the decision of the Landeau Foundation to provide $1.5 million in support of the program’s efforts to restore the environmental condition and integrity of Shinnecock Bay. The Bay is the easternmost of the string of shallow coastal embayments that line Long Island’s South Shore. Over the last decade, the aquatic environment of Shinnecock Bay has deteriorated. The decline in water quality, habitat conditions and fish and shellfish populations has significant and far ranging implications for other marine animals and seabirds, as well as for people who live or work on eastern Long Island. The Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program uses science, public outreach and partnerships to return the Bay to a healthier and more productive condition.
Shinnecock Bay on Long Island’s South Fork.
Laurie Landeau and Bob Maze of the Laurie Landeau Foundation.
The Landeau Foundation gift will be matched by the $1.5 million from the Simons Foundation, for a total gift of $3 million. The joint gift was officially announced at a ceremony on the grounds of the SoMAS Southampton Marine Station. Says SoMAS Dean Minghua Zhang, “The support to the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences from the Laurie Landau Foundation and the Simons Foundation will enable SoMAS to become a leader in education and research on coastal ecosystem and its restoration”.
See the press announcement for additional information on the Landeau Foundation gift and the specific activities in the restoration program that it will support.
