New York Coastlines — June 2026 • Volume 54, No. 2

NY Coastlines—New York Sea Grant (NYSG)'s flagship publication—and its news archive, Currents, highlight news, events and other activities from our coastal program's various research, extension and education endeavors throughout New York's marine and Great Lakes waters.


Long Beach, NY. Credit: R.J. Anderson, Cornell Cooperative Extension

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Letter from the Director

Greetings!

With the arrival of summer, I hope you all are as excited as I am to get outside and enjoy time in and along New York’s waters! This edition of NY Coastlines is chock full of great NYSG activities and programs for you to participate in. In the “Save the Date” section you’ll find such opportunities as beach clean ups, diverse educator and shoreline management workshops, seafood (HACCP) training sessions, and more.

In recognition of the National “Plastic Free July” initiative, featured “In the Spotlight” are NYSG and partner efforts addressing topics on marine litter. This includes a link to MyCoast NY’s newest addition – Litter Watch  – where you can play an active role in helping researchers at Columbia University train an AI system designed to remove debris from our waters, or just simply to help record marine litter you see in your neighborhood. (Note – as always, you can also use MyCoast NY to document storm, flooding, and erosion impacts.)

Finally, stop by the “What’s Trending” section to find helpful resources to keep you safe and sound while you boat or beach this summer, meet NYSG’s 2026 Knauss Fellows, learn about the latest set of NYSG supported research,; and peruse the “Program Highlights” section at the end for some educational shoreside summer reading.

Look forward to seeing you all out there!

Best fishes,

Becky

Adam Charboneau, left, and daughter Leah, both of Port Jefferson, NY, pick up debris at West Meadow Park. Credit: Rose Weldon

In the Spotlight

Feature

Marine Debris:
Resources for #PlasticFreeJuly and Beyond

NYSG is partnering with Columbia University to build a robotic boat that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and remove plastic from water. To train the AI system, we need real-world photos of human-made litter (like plastic) taken from above with surrounding water.  More info →

Photos can be submitted to MyCoast.org/NY/LitterWatch, via the MyCoast app, or to Catherine Prunella at cip275@cornell.edu. 

More on NYSG's marine debris efforts…


Rachael Miller uses a UV light to look for microfibers on a volunteer during a NYSG microfibers event. Credit: Sumayyah Uddin

How Microfibers Enter the Environment More info →
Microfibers are a major contributor to marine debris. How do they get into waterways in the first place? Resources compiled by NYSG fellows and specialists reveal how this pollutant enters the environment and efforts to mitigate it.


(L to R) Catherine Prunella (NYSG) and Rachael Zoe Miller (Rozalia Project). Credit: Sumayyah Uddin

NYSG and Rozalia Project Partner for SUNY FIT Microfibers Workshop More info →
Catherine Prunella (NYSG) and Rachael Zoe Miller (The Rozalia Project) presented a joint microfiber workshop to students, staff, and designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology in April 2026. 


A Connecticut beach covered in trash, marine debris, and rocks. Credit: Judy Benson, Connecticut Sea Grant

Long Island Sound Marine Debris Action Plan More info →
A bi-state collaborative team created this plan to address a growing marine debris problem. The team will work to facilitate the plan and record its progress over five years (2023-2027).


New York educators at the MOLLUSCA Workshop at Cornell University’s Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake in August 2025. Credit: Nate Drag

MOLLUSCA Project More info →
The MOLLUSCA Project is a three-year program that will create a microplastic collecting robot. Educators and teachers are invited to participate in creating curriculum and robots to incorporate into classrooms.


An image highlighting how billions of plastic particles have been found in different areas of the Great Lakes. Credit: Plastic Pollution and You

Plastic Pollution and You More info →
This 15-lesson curriculum created through a partnership between multiple Sea Grant programs, DEC, NOAA, and a Suffolk County legislator helps educators introduce K-12 students to the dangers of plastic pollution.


NYSG Currents

Save the Date

Read about upcoming events and deadlines throughout the NY Sea Grant network ...

• Project Privthi Beach Cleanup: Interested volunteers are encouraged to pre-register and bring a bottle of water. Cleaning materials will be provided. Registration required. 6/20. East Kayak Launch at North Channel Bridge, NY.  More info →

• Shoreline Erosion Workshop: Property owners, learn about nature-based shoreline management options, state permitting and coastal consistency review programs. 6/23. Chaumont, NY. More info →

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: Lake Ontario Ships Past & Present. 7/9-10 (10 am - 4 pm; 9 am - 3 pm). Oswego, NY. Recommended Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, High. Subjects: Social Studies, STEM, Earth Science. More info →

• Office Hours Series: NYSG's 2026 seafood and aquaculture-focused webinars continue, with the next virtual event scheduled for 7/16. More info → 

• Microplastics Clean-Up and Workshop: Join NYSG and NYC Parks for coastal cleaning and a microplastics workshop in Soundview Park. Space is limited and registration is required. 7/18. Bronx, NY. More info → 

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: Community Action for Stormwater Clean-Up and Debris Elimination (CASCADE) Curriculum. 7/22 (10 am - 4 pm). Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. Recommended Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, High. Subjects: Living Environment, Biology, Environmental Science, STEM. More info →

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: NY’s Great Lakes Species in a Changing Environment: Crayfish. 7/23 (9 am - 4 pm).  Rice Creek Field Station, Oswego, NY. Recommended Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, High. Subjects: Living Environment, Biology, Environmental Science. More info → 

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: NY’s Great Lakes Species in a Changing Environment: Crayfish. 7/24 (9 am - 4 pm).  Buffalo State University Great Lakes Center, Buffalo, NY. Recommended Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, High. Subjects: Living Environment, Biology, Environmental Science. More info →

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: Mollusca Robot Curriculum. 7/29 (9 am - 4 pm). Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Recommended Grade Levels: Middle, High. Subjects: STEM, Technology, Living Environment, Biology, Environmental Science. More info → 

• Summer 2026 Educator Workshop Series: Mollusca Robot Curriculum. 7/31  (9 am - 4 pm). Newton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Visitor Center, Brooklyn, NY.  Recommended Grade Levels: Middle, High. Subjects: STEM, Technology, Living Environment, Biology, Environmental Science. More info → 

• 2026 Seafood HACCP Trainings: 8/11 (Stony Brook Innovation and Discovery Center, Stony Brook, NY); 12/8 (Virtual). Registration required. More info →

What's Trending
Read a sampling of stories that have made waves recently in the media, on our social channels, and with our partners.

• New Studies: $1.5+M for NYSG Research on NY’s Coastal Environment, Economies, and Communities More info → 

• Awards: NYSG specialists were celebrated for expertise and career success by? ?the Great Lakes Sea Grant network (Roy, Mary, Megan) and the Hudson River Watershed Alliance (Jess).

• Safe Boating: Here’s what you need to know when boating on New York Waters. More info →

• #BEachSAFEly: This award-winning campaign promotes safe beachgoing, from resources on escaping rip currents to avoiding common beach hazards. More info → 

• Help Document Flood Impacts: In early May, NYSG provided its seasonal reminder to residents in New York's Great Lakes and marine regions about information resources they can use to document flood impacts and to recover after a flood event. More info → 

• NOAA's 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook: On May 21st, forecasters with NOAA’s National Weather Service predicted a below-normal hurricane season for the Atlantic basin this year. More info →

• Marine Field Trip: Children ages 8-12 can connect with marine and coastal educational resources, seine to identify marine life, explore coastal habitat and more this summer at the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center. More info → 

• Cornell Chronicle: CCE appoints environmental systems critical issue lead. Kathy Bunting-Howarth will continue to serve as an assistant director for CCE and as associate director of NYSG. More info → 

• 2026 Seafood Summit: View recordings and presentations from the downstate (3/27), midstate (4/8), and upstate (4/9) events; See an article from the downstate event More info →  

• Publication: 2025 New York Aquaculture Producer Report The latest edition of NYSG’s 2025 annual aquaculture industry survey was issued in March 2026. More info →


Program Highlights

Note: Read more NYSG research, extension, and education highlights via NYSG’s news archive→ 

Research


Harmony Borchardt-Weir (Manager, Hare Laboratory) deploys two shell bags at Ash Creek, a tidal creek and intertidal wetland, in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Credit: Matt Hare/Cornell DNRE

Farmed oysters may boost NY’s dwindling wild populations (Cornell Chronicle) More info →  

Related: $10.4+ Million in Funds for Over a Dozen LI Sound Research Studies (May ‘25) More info →

 

Extension


Attendees of the Nassau County LIS Coastal Resilience Forum pose on the beach near a resiliency project in Sands Point, NY. Credit: Sumayyah Uddin

LI Sound Coastal Resilience Forum More info →

Publication: Why Do Alewife Die? More info →
Understanding mass die-offs in the Great Lakes

On YouTube: NY Aquaculture Webinars — Manna Seafood Blockchain More info →

Education
  

2025 NYSG CEI Fellow Miradyn Feist breaks up algae with a spatula, part of her duties at Hart’s Hatchery on Long Island. Credit: Sumayyah Uddin

Hart’s Hatchery (SBU News) More info →

H. Lee White Maritime Museum (Oswego News) More info →

Great Lakes Fisheries; Microplastic Pollution (ESF News) More info →


Vol. 14, No. 2

Keep tabs on NYSG's news in between issues of NY Coastlines / Currents via our Web site (www.nyseagrant.org).

The items below represent a sampling of other stories that have made waves recently in the media, on our social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, BlueSky, Instagram, YouTube) and via our site's News (www.nyseagrant.org/currents) and topic-based News Archives (www.nyseagrant.org/currentsarchive) sections ...
 
NYSG Extension and Education > Marine Waters

NYSG and NYSDEC Announce $85K Available for Marine and Coastal Small Grants Projects
Applications from New York non-profit organizations for conservation, education, and research small grants were due May 19, 2026 More info →

NYSG Extension and Education > Great Lakes Waters

Great Lakes Shoreline Erosion Assistance
Are Natural, Nature-Based or Hard Structures Needed to Remediate Erosion Along New York’s Great Lakes Shoreline? Free Assistance from Sea Grant Helps Landowners Identify Options More info →

From Planning to Action: Municipal Training Series
A two-part Coastal Community Development 2026 webinar series, which begins on Tuesday, May 26th and ends on Tuesday, June 9th, for municipal leaders involved with land use management planning and implementation along New York's Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. More info →

Sea Grant Research Helps Inform Communities and Their Residents About PFAS Risks
NYSG supported a Pennsylvania Sea Grant-led project whose principal investigator, Pennsylvania State University agricultural economist Ruohao Zhang, oversaw an effort to develop an online risk assessment tool to help residents of Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania get a better understanding of their exposure to PFAS related to their location and personal choices. The team created the PFAS Exposure Risk Dashboard, which helps viewers create an individualized exposure risk. The assessment factors include a person’s zip code, in terms of nearby industry and the public water system; where they recreate and how often; and their typical diet. The dashboard is also full of general information to help users understand PFAS, exposure pathways, and actions to reduce exposure. More info →

New York's Great Lakes and River Charter Captains Workshops To Focus On Fisheries, Research, and Safety 
NYSG presents Spring 2026 Charter Captains workshops with a focus on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River fisheries, research, and safety on April 29th in Oswego and May 7th in Clayton. More info →

Three Dozen Volunteers Join Salmon River Cleanup Day
New York Sea Grant and Oswego County Tourism partnered to host a Salmon River Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 11th. Nearly 40 volunteers gathered to collect trash and debris from the banks of the Salmon River and surrounding areas. More info → 

2026 Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival

• Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival Set For Oswego On June 6th
Special Features: WWII Historic D-Day Tugboat Activity For Kids, Ham Operators Talking With Museum Ships Worldwide. More info →

• Happy Pirates, Toy Boat Races & More Family Fun Announced
Costumes are encouraged! Under the big tent, children may create a maritime themed t-shirt (one per child). More info →

• Learn About Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
Enjoy Underwater Videos, Maritime History Activities for Kids, Summer Camp Opportunity for Oswego County 4th and 5th Graders. More info →

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Sea Grant is a national network of 34 university-based programs whose research, extension and outreach programs promote better understanding, conservation and use of America's coastal resources. New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has been "Bringing Science to the Shore" since 1971 as a joint program of the State University of New York (SUNY) and Cornell University.

New York Coastlines is a product of NYSG project C/PC-15 funded under award NA24OARX417C0158-T1-01 granted to the Research Foundation for SUNY on behalf of NYSG from the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.