In the News
Read articles featuring CCE Marine Program and Back to the Bays Initiative
Southold Town Board evaluates housing program tied to state grants - North Fork Sun
Aquaculture experts, Kate Rossi-Snook and Mike Patricio, from the CCE Marine Program’s Back to the Bays initiative delivered an annual report outlining a busy 2025 season of shellfish seeding and long-term restoration planning aimed at improving local water quality and sustaining the East End’s shellfishing traditions.
North Fork Polar Bears and Back to the Bays seed 130,000 clams in Cedar Beach Creek - North Fork Sun
Last Sunday morning, a coalition of North Fork Polar Bears and the team of aquaculture experts at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program’s ‘Back to the Bays’ initiative planted about 130,000 baby clams — and a couple dozen humans — in the waters off Cedar Beach in Southold.
Buoys for the Bays Painting Workshop- Dan’s Papers
Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program’s Back to the Bays and Borghese Vineyard present a Buoys for the Bays Art + Awareness Event. Through this initiative artwork will be created on reclaimed fishing buoys, curated into an exhibit in the vineyard’s gallery, and auctioned off to raise funds for CCE Marine Program.
Back to the Bays turns 10 — with a Brand-New Field Guide and their very own Rosé ~ Northforker
“A beautiful new Long Island field guide and a refreshing rosé made by Borghese Vineyard & Winery have just been released in support of the Back to the Bays initiative, part of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Marine Program.”
Long Island Marine and Coastal Field Guide: A Trusty Companion on Land and at Sea- The Southampton Press
The Long Island Marine and Coastal Field Guide was created by Back to the Bays staff Carolyn Munaco and Hazel Wodehouse. Carolyn painted over 250 species for the field guide and Hazel classified each organism and wrote all of the information about each species, as well as detailed descriptions of Long Island's diverse marine habitats.
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‘Seahorse hotels’ to anchor new Southold coastal restoration project - North Fork Sun
At a May 7 workshop at Cedar Beach, Back to the Bays aquaculture specialist and stewardship site manager Kate Rossi-Snook described the bigger picture — a future stitched together by dozens of strategically-chosen restoration zones throughout the East End estuary.
Polar bears dive into eelgrass restoration project - The Suffolk Times
The Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine program held a coastal resiliency workshop recently to teach community members how to restore local waters by creating and planting eelgrass meadows in the waters off the North Fork.
North Fork Polar Bears ‘Splash for CAST’ plunge returns Jan. 28 - The Suffolk Times
The North Fork Polar Bears, a winter swimming group with more than 130 members, will host its second annual Splash for CAST on Sunday, Jan 28. The event benefits the nonprofit Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation in Southold, CAST, as well as CCE Marine Program’s Back to the Bays Initiative.
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Biologists express renewed optimism for Peconic Bay scallops - WSHU Public Radio
After multiple consecutive years of seasonal dieoffs among the bay scallop populations, a small subset expressing strong survivability has been documented. The CCE Marine researchers and hatchery team will be working to assess those genetics and is embarking on a series of spawns using those adults as broodstock.
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Scientists Scramble to Help Bay Scallops Survive Climate Change - Civil Eats
Researchers at Stony Brook University and CCE have joined forces and begun to selectively breed Peconic Bay scallops in an effort to help them resist the effects of climate change and restore their populations.
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New effort by Cornell Cooperative Extension fights for bay scallops’ survival - The Suffolk Times
A new project has been launched to ensure the long-term survival of the Peconic Bay scallop by shifting spawning from summer to fall at Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Southold hatchery.
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Greenport Shellabration returns for the 11th year - Northforker
Greenport Shellabration is back for its 11th year on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 from Noon to 4 p.m. This year, the event is back to the full 1,500 “Shellabrant” capacity.
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Seahorse Paint Night at Strong’s Water Club to Benefit Cornell Marine Program - Northforker
Please join us for an ArtSea night out! Our crowd pleasing ArtSea Create Sip events allow guests to learn about local species and habitats while creating marine themed art. Proceeds directly support CCE Marine’s work.
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Back to the Bays initiative continues to make a difference in local waters - Northforker
If you’ve ordered the Peconic Gold Oysters Rockefeller from Windamere at Strong’s Marine in Mattituck, you’ve contributed to a good cause with perhaps not even realizing.
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More archived news coming soon!