Session 1 | 12:45-1:20 pm

1. Communicating Clean Water Success and Progress with Dr. Christine Gilbert, Stony Brook University

2. Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Competitive Funding Opportunities with Elizabeth Hornstein & Sarah Schaefer-Brown, NY Sea Grant

3. Trash Trapping Technologies with Amanda Dauman, Cornell Cooperative Extension

4. Gardening by the Sea with Roxanne Zimmerman, Cornell Cooperative Extension

5. Rain Gardens, Bioswales, and More: Implementing Municipal Green Stormwater Infrastructure Projects with Drew Goldsman & Tim Clark, The Nature Conservancy

Session 2 | 1:30-2:05 pm

1. Communicating Clean Water Success and Progress with Dr. Christine Gilbert, Stony Brook University

2. Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Competitive Funding Opportunities with Elizabeth Hornstein & Sarah Schaefer-Brown, NY Sea Grant

3. Rain Garden Practices: Planting and Maintenance with Maureen Murphy, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Rusty Schmidt, Waterdrop Design Consulting

4. Using Floating Islands for Nutrient Absorption and Habitat Improvement with Donald Kehoe and Ken Coenen, Midoke Environmental LLC

Communicating Clean Water Success and Progress

During this roundtable, Dr. Gilbert will serve as a communication expert in conversation with individuals/organizations about how they are (or are not) effectively communicating their message to their stakeholders. Topics of conversation may include how to raise public awareness of a clean water project, how to interact with stakeholders at public meetings, and/or how to deal with uncertainty and public fear through communication.

Roundtable Moderator

Dr. Christine Gilbert

Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University

Dr. Christine Gilbert is an assistant professor at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment in the School of Communication and Journalism and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Gilbert is a social scientist who researches public perceptions of scientific topics such as climate change, renewable energy, and extreme weather events. Her work is focused on improving communication about uncertainty between scientists and the public.

Gardening by the Sea

During this round table, Roxanne Zimmer will provide an overview of the recently developed Cornell Cooperative Extension Coastal Gardening course and lead discussion about approaches for keeping residential fertilizers and other pollutants from entering ground and surface waters. Increasing the awareness is key for making a direct, positive impact on our water and waterways. Alternate gardening practices such as rethinking the lawn, irrigation, fertilizers, compost, incorporating native and pollinator plants, rain gardens and bioswales, can contribute to the health of our local green and blue environment.

Roundtable Moderator

Roxanne Zimmer

Community Horticulture, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Suffolk County

Roxanne Zimmer, Ph.D., enjoys spreading the word about best garden practices. In her role for Cornell Cooperative Extension, Suffolk County, Roxanne offers programs about pollinator and native plant gardens, organic vegetable gardening, and the key role of healthy soil. In the spring, she trains Master Gardeners. In the fall, she offers the Joy of Gardening for home gardeners. She recently launched the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators, a coalition of local groups building a pollinator corridor on Long Island. As part of a grant award from the Long Island Sound Study, Roxanne will be offering a Coastal Gardening course for area residents this year.

As a college professor, she’s provided courses exploring environmental issues such as fresh water and global food. When not weeding, Roxanne can be found raising oysters in Peconic Bay with the Cornell Marine program.

Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Competitive Funding Opportunities

The Long Island Sound Sustainable and Resilient Communities team will share information on an exciting new program we launched in fall 2022: Long Island Sound Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program. The intent of the program is to reduce staffing and capacity barriers that municipalities and community organizations face when applying for competitive funding opportunities. We will discuss barriers to accessing competitive funding opportunities and additional assistance that may be needed to overcome those barriers.

Roundtable Moderators

Elizabeth Hornstein

LISS Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) Extension Professional, Nassau County, New York Sea Grant

Elizabeth has a master’s degree in marine science from Stony Brook University. She has over ten years of experience working in the marine and environmental conservation fields on a range of issues, including fisheries, habitat restoration and climate adaptation. Before coming to NYSG, she was state coordinator for the Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP), collaborating with government organizations, academic institutions, environmental groups, and community members to protect and restore the Peconic Estuary.

Sarah Schaefer-Brown

LISS Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) Extension Professional, Nassau County, New York Sea Grant

Elizabeth has a master’s degree in marine science from Stony Brook University. She has over ten years of experience working in the marine and environmental conservation fields on a range of issues, including fisheries, habitat restoration and climate adaptation. Before coming to NYSG, she was state coordinator for the Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP), collaborating with government organizations, academic institutions, environmental groups, and community members to protect and restore the Peconic Estuary.

In their current roles with New York Sea Grant, Elizabeth and Sarah support Long Island Sound communities with resilience planning and implementation of projects. The goal of this work is to help communities anticipate and overcome disturbances, induced by sea level rise, extreme events, and other impacts.

Rain Gardens, Bioswales, and more: Implementing Municipal Green Stormwater Infrastructure Projects

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects are providing municipalities with the opportunity to reduce local flooding, enhance community aesthetics, and reduce stormwater pollution that enters Long Island Sound. In collaboration with the City of Bridgeport, community members, and local organizations, The Nature Conservancy is developing a Green Stormwater Infrastructure Action Plan and are identifying a portfolio of GSI project designs—including bioswales—to improve the Long Island Sound water quality.

During this workshop, Summit attendees will be encouraged to discuss their own local green stormwater infrastructure projects, challenges and opportunities, tools and resources, and share strategies for municipal collaboration for successful projects.

Roundtable Moderators

Drew Goldsman

Urban Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy CT

Drew Goldsman is The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut’s Urban Conservation Director. He is responsible for leading the chapter’s work at the intersection of climate adaptation, environmental justice and land-use planning. Drew collaborates with community partners to leverage the Connecticut chapter’s extensive experience in natural systems management and resilience planning in a way that harnesses nature-based tools to reinforce Connecticut cities’ strengths and mitigates their challenges.

Tim Clark

Resilient Southeastern Connecticut Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy CT

Rain Garden Practices: Planting and Maintenance

In 2022 the Northport Yacht Club, Village of Northport, Northport residents and Citizens Campaign for the Environment all worked together to plan and construct a series of 3 rain gardens in the Village of Northport.

Rain gardens are designed to capture and treat polluted stormwater before entering into the local bay. These rain gardens were designed and installed with rain garden expert Rusty Schmidt.

Roundtable Moderators

Maureen Murphy

Executive Programs Manager, Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Maureen is the Executive Programs Manager with Citizens Campaign for the Environment. She is a graduate of Siena College with a degree in Psychology and Environmental studies. She has been with the Citizens Campaign for the Environment since 2001. She works on a number of local, state, and federal campaigns to advance renewable energy, reduce pesticide use, protect drinking water, increase recycling and restore our ocean and estuaries. She has been an active member of the Long Island Sound Study since 2003. She also chairs the South Shore Estuary Reserve Citizens Advisory Committee.

Rusty Schmidt

Landscape Ecologist, Nelzon, Pope & Voorhis, LLC

Rusty Schmidt is a landscape ecologist employed by Nelson Pope and Voorhis in Melville, NY, and is an Adjunct Professor with the Horticulture Department at Farmingdale State College. Mr. Schmidt designs and constructs alternative methods for managing storm water runoff and has created hundreds of designs for habitat restorations, rain gardens, and sustainable landscaping ranging in the size from small backyards to large scale multi-acre sized campuses and parks throughout the nation. Mr. Schmidt is a co-author for three books, two on plant selections for storm water management and a homeowner guide to rain gardens.

Trash Trapping Technologies

Technology is one of our best assets to aid in the reduction of marine debris, the solid components of our trash, some of which travel on ocean currents and pollute even the most remote places in Earth’s oceans. The Collec’Thor Project, initiated in Oyster Bay, NY, seeks to address this issue by not only capturing floating debris, but capturing the attention of local and visitors alike to the issues surrounding marine debris. During the workshop, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and the Town of Oyster Bay will explain the project thus far and how the technology works to keep our waters clean.

Roundtable Moderator

Amanda Dauman

Fisheries Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

Amanda Dauman is a Fisheries Specialist working with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) on Long Island, NY. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Marine Vertebrate Biology and Master of Arts in Marine Conservation and Policy from Stony Brook University before spending time at sea as a Northeast Fisheries Observer. Solutions-oriented research towards human and wildlife coexistence is a major facet of the work Amanda does at CCE. The Collec’Thor Project is just one of many projects Amanda works on towards that goal.

Using Floating Islands for Nutrient Absorption and Habitat Improvement

Natural coastal wetlands are amongst the most productive and ecologically important habitats, providing multiple benefits. Don Kehoe and Ken Coenen (Midoke Environmental) will lead discussion on how properly sized and sited man-made floating treatment wetlands (or floating islands) can absorb excess nutrients through planting of wetland vegetation and can improve habitat for a variety of important marine species.

Roundtable Moderators

Donald Kehoe

Vice President of Sales, Midoke Environmental LLC

Ken Coenen

Midoke Environmental LLC

Ken Coenen is a graduate of Long Island University, Southampton College with a degree in Environmental Studies. Ken interned with the Group for America's South Fork and was eventually hired as the Research Director there, a position he held for several years. Ken concentrated on Environmental Planning and was employed by several Consulting firms where he qualified and received his Certified Planner credentials.

Ken eventually migrated to the Construction field where he worked for more than 30 years and where he specialized in building infrastructure projects, including expansions of wastewater treatment facilities, rehabilitation of neglected schools in NYC and various hospital and University projects in New York State.

Semi-retired from the construction industry, Ken has concentrated his efforts with Midoke Environmental, LLC, where he represents environmentally sound products that can alleviate many impacts to our waterways.