At the last Trustee meeting, Rob Vasiluth of SAVE Environmental was granted permission and a letter of support to seed Napeague Harbor with eelgrass. This will be the second season he will do this with the assistance of the Director of the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery, John “Barley” Dunne.
Mr. Vasiluth anticipates a more robust planting of the eelgrass with the assistance of the Peconic Baykeeper, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Save the Sound. In addition, as he did last year, Mr. Vasiluth will reach out to the East Hampton High School’s Environmental Awareness Group led by the school’s social worker, Aubrey Peterson. Last year, the students affixed eelgrass seeds to clams with glue and planted them. This coming June will determine the success of the effort.
Eelgrass provides an important habitat for marine species and absorbs carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, it has all but disappeared in our communities waters. Vasiluth is determined to return eelgrass to our waterways with his novel invention- he glues the eelgrass seeds to clam shells that have been distributed in the Great South Bay.
Click on the link below for the full article in The East Hampton Star by Christopher Walsh.