New York, NY, May 15, 2012 - New York Sea Grant staff will be in attendance at the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance's (MWA) 2012 Waterfront Conference. The focus of the event, which takes place this Friday and Saturday in New York City, is towards implementing many of the ideas and initiatives put forth for the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary at previous conferences.

"We're continuing to work together with our partners on efforts to clean our waters, provide better access, green the port and waterfront industry, create waterfront jobs, and prepare for the new challenge of sea level rise," says Cortney Worrall, MWA's Chief Operating Officer. Worrall is also a member of New York Sea Grant's Program Advisory Council, whose members provide input on the program's Strategic Planning process and funded research.

New York Sea Grant's Associate Director Kathy Bunting-Howarth, Hudson River Esutary Specialist Nordica Holochuck, and Web Content Manager Paul C. Focazio will represent the program at the MWA conference. The event will include a Friday morning boat tour  along the New Jersey and New York City waterfront with discussions on restoration, environment and jobs. There will also be an evening cruise and tour of the Hornblower Hybrid, the nation’s first vessel powered by diesel, hydrogen, batteries, wind and solar energy. In between the cruises, NYSG and other partner organizations will have an opportunity to network, provide registrants with content via table displays, and attend plenary and panel sessions.

A new fact sheet by New York Sea Grant highlights some of the program's efforts in and around the New York City region (pdf). For more, also see NYSG's New York City resource site, www.nyseagrant.org/nyc.

Friday morning's plenary session will lay the foundation for the conference's theme, "Our Harbor: An Environmental Engine and Economic Resource." Panel discussions include strategies for adapting to climate change, incentives for environmentally-minded waterfront design, and further steps toward comprehensive waterfront planning. For more details on the conference, visit the MWA's Web site.

Positioned at the confluence of the Hudson River and many smaller rivers such as the East, Hackensack, and Raritan, the New York-New Jersey Estuary opens into the New York Bight and Long Island Sound. One of the main focus areas in the New York City region for New York Sea Grant research, extension and education efforts is the Hudson River. Long Island Sound is another main focus area for Sea Grant, via a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency's Long Island Sound Study.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 32 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.