State of the Bays 2022

State of the Bays 2022

Every year in April, Dr. Christopher Gobler, Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation and director of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, delivers his “State of the Bays” talk. This year, the topic is “Watershed of...
Orient Water Project Update #2

Orient Water Project Update #2

Now that we are a few months into the Orient water project, I wanted to give you an update on our progress.As you know, we started this project with the goal of assessing, now and in the future:
  1. Ground water quantity
  2. Ground water quality
  3. Surface water health
In each case, we wanted to know whether there are steps that should be taken to improve and protect our water resources. 
Join The Orient Water Project

Join The Orient Water Project

Orient sits atop a single, thin, freshwater aquifer and is surrounded by beautiful, productive bays and estuaries.  Unfortunately, both our groundwater and our surface waters have been degraded over the past half-century, and both face significant threats going forward.

Water is the lifeblood of this community, so the OA believes it is critical to understand and confront these threats.  We are therefore working on developing a comprehensive plan for remediating and protecting the hamlet’s ground and surface waters.  The plan will cover three areas:

  1. Situation assessment
  2. Prioritization of actions to be taken
  3. Activation (identification of funding and responsible party–Suffolk County Government, NYC DEC, EPA, etc.)
Broad Meadows/Narrow River Restoration and our Changing Shoreline

Broad Meadows/Narrow River Restoration and our Changing Shoreline

A presentation about the future of Broad Meadows in Orient, NY and proposed restoration of the marsh area to the east of Narrow River Road. Elizabeth Hornstein, State Coordinator for the Peconic Estuary Partnership, will share plans to the Orient Community and answer questions about the future of Broad Meadows.

Peconic Estuary Partnership, Town of Southold and Ducks Unlimited presents on the restoration plans for Broad Meadows Marsh located in Orient, NY, immediately south of Route 25 and east of Narrow River Road. The marsh is currently dominated by the invasive plant Phragmites due to restricted tidal flow. Restoration is needed to improve tidal flow to the marsh and promote the re-establishment of native marsh vegetation. The proposed restoration work will result in improved habitat for wildlife and increase resiliency to rising seas.