Kevin McAllister, President, Peconic Baykeeper
Mr. McAllister, president of
Peconic Baykeepers, will provide a perspective with regard to the ecological advantages of additional sustained flow between the ocean and Great South Bay.
Peconic Baykeeper is the only independent not-for-profit advocate solely dedicated to the protection and improvement of the aquatic ecosystems of Peconic and South Shore estuaries of Long Island. As sprawl development continues to harden the island's landscape, pollution threatens the vitality and health of our bays. Their recovery depends on kinds of enlightened costal management policies and responsible development practices that can be adopted when citizens and communities are informed and engaged in decision making.
Charlie Flagg, Ph.D, Research Professor, SoMA (School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences) at Stony Brook SoMA
Mr. Flagg will share his perspective as a research scientist and will provide a slide presentation of images of the breach at Old Inlet taken during his numerous observation flights over the area. Mr. Flagg has been studying the circulation of the costal lagoons of southern Long Island using a combination of numerical modeling and observation. Currently he is looking at the impact that breaches in Fire Island might have on circulation and salinity distribution in Great South Bay and how bathymetric changes have altered the circulation and sediment transport in Jamaica Bay. Mr Flagg will share
data collected from the Soma research buoy in Great South Bay that has been measuring distinct changes since Sandy.
Additional guests include:
Elected officials and representatives from shoreline communities, commissions, and organizations who will share their perspectives with regard to the actual effects that the breach is having on their communities.
Shoreline residents property owners are urged to attend and will have an opportunity to share their perspectives during the public comment period.
Please arrive 15 minutes early if you wish to sign up for the public comment period.