Conference, Tour Highlights Important Work on Long Island

Even a seven hour drive and a complicated transit through Manhattan could not diminish the benefits and importance of seeing firsthand the important conservation work accomplished on Long Island, New York.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service New York leadership team made the long distance trek to Riverhead, New York, located at the eastern tip of Long Island, for a day-long planning meeting, and site visit to three thriving businesses that have benefitted from NRCS’ technical assistance and conservation programs. Allan Connell, District Conservationist in Riverhead, clearly has done incredible things in this remote area of the state, and lives a cherished life, surrounded by coastal beauty.

The meeting began in the conference room of a local hotel and included topics ranging from operational agreements with soil and water conservation districts, appropriate government purchase card use, and position description updates for 457 series employees. Most importantly was discussion on how to actively recruit student interns from a diverse background and provide them an in-depth curriculum to successfully train them to eventually become soil conservationists. Important take away messages and action items were generated during discussions and a path was set for accomplishing short term goals.

A site visit tour began shortly after lunch and included stops to an ornamental plant nursery, a boutique winery, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Learning Center, which is making great advances with eelgrass. The plant nursery is a multi-family operation, which has been in business for over 50 years. Generations of different families have ensured the viability of the company, and have made advances in conservation and soil sustainability.

Chris Pickerell, a Marine Biologist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Biology Learning Center, shows the successful growth of eelgrass.

“It is a constant enjoyment to come to work,” said David Ascheer, a second generation employee of the Half Hollow Nursery in Jamesport, New York. “It is fantastic to see new generations of family members taking an active role in our company.” The visitors were especially interested in the incredible work that Cornell Cooperative Extension is doing to restore the eelgrass beds along Long Island’s shorelines. They are harvesting eelgrass seeds, growing it in large batches at their laboratory, and then planting it by hand in designated areas. They have had initial success with this technique and hope to expand their operations in the future. Eelgrass is a vital element of marine habitats along the coast of Long Island and has unfortunately been diminishing over the last century.

The leadership team hopes to travel to a different area of the state for each meeting so that local issues can be addressed and team members have an opportunity to see success stories firsthand.

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