On October 15, 2008, NYSG welcomed its new director, Dr. James Ammerman, an aquatic microbial ecologist and biogeochemist who received his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Prior to Ammerman coming ashore at New York Sea Grant, our Associate Director, Cornelia Schlenk, served as acting director. Schlenk, who was in the role since NYSG’s former director, Jack Mattice, retired in late 2007, wrote the “From the Director” letter that appears in the Fall 2008 issue of Coastlines.
NYSG’s Fall 2008 Coastlines is available as a pdf, both in its full, 12-page version (see sidebar at right) and as individual articles. For individual articles and back issues of Coastlines, click here.
From the Acting Director
Since our last issue of Coastlines, the summer of 2008 passed quickly, filled with many activities, accomplishments, and changes. You will learn in this issue about some of NYSG’s recent advances in valuable, cutting-edge research on breakwater design and storm surge forecasting, in teacher training on Lake Ontario and the estuarine environments of the NY/ NJ Harbor, and relative to New York State’s new commitments towards addressing marine animal diseases and invasive species.
There are many other noteworthy items, some of which you will likely hear more about in future issues. We completed our peer-reviewed selection of research to be undertaken in 2009-2010. Provided that the federal budget holds steady for NOAA Sea Grant, we anticipate starting more than $2M worth of new, urgently needed projects focusing on issues from Lake Erie to Peconic Bay. With special funds from the EPA Long Island Sound Study, we are working with CT Sea Grant to identify and support $800K of additional research, specific to that extraordinary water body. The Hard Clam Research Initiative culminated in an information session for shellfish managers and others, and will release a state of knowledge synthesis about the factors affecting hard clams in Long Island’s south shore bays. We are working with others to pilot a pharmaceutical take-back program, to coordinate a film festival exploring how maritime traditions are depicted, to run an Atlantic states-focused workshop on the devastating fish disease VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia), and more.
At the national level, a bill reauthorizing the National Sea Grant College Program has been passed by Congress and is awaiting the President’s signature. New organizational mechanisms will help further highlight Sea Grant’s impacts across the country. And, an increased emphasis is being placed on regional collaborations and approaches to help maximize expertise and resources. Nevertheless, each coastal Sea Grant program must and will continue to serve the unique needs of its home state. Finally, the past months brought several personnel changes to NYSG. Two staff members have moved on: Nim Lee of the NYS DEC–NYSG I FISH NY program and John Herring of our Coastal Communities program. In addition, our long-time Associate Director for Extension, Dale Baker, will be retiring at the end of the year. We and others will miss working with these folks. On the bright side, however, we have recruited several outstanding new individuals. Darin Alberry and Ann TeNyenhuis have joined the popular I FISH NY effort as program aides. Most importantly, we are very excited to have attracted the eminently qualified Dr. James Ammerman as New York Sea Grant’s new director. Please join us in welcoming him as he takes the helm in mid-October.
Cornelia Schlenk
