Why Monitor Eelgrass?

The basic purpose of a monitoring program is to collect data on a regularly scheduled basis to develop a basic understanding of the ecology of the target species.  Long-term eelgrass monitoring on Long Island began in 1997 to establish baseline data for eelgrass in the Peconic Estuary and monitor trends in eelgrass parameters for management and restoration activities.  Since that time, the monitoring methodologies have been refined to provide non-destructive sampling, with enough replication to provide data that is statistically rigorous, and expanded to include a monitoring site in eastern Long Island Sound.  Future monitoring efforts will expand into Shinnecock, Moriches and Great South Bays.  As the population dynamics of eelgrass vary with the estuary in which they reside, the monitoring protocols may be modified slightly to accommodate the differences encountered.  The links below detail the monitoring efforts for each of the estuaries and include brief program histories and maps indicating the locations of the monitoring sites.

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