Outreach by, and outcomes of, the Stony Brook - Southampton Coastal and Estuarine Research Program (SCERP)


Since a major objective of SCERP is to conduct research which will improve the health of, and services provided by, coastal ecosystems, SCERP has formed a series of partnerships with government and non-government organizations including:

Politicians: Senator Charles Schumer, Representatives Israel and Bishop.

Governing bodies: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk County Department of Health, Southampton Town, East Hampton Town, Brookhaven Town, Southampton Village, Peconic Estuary Program, South Shore Estuary Reserve.

Non-government organizations: The Nature Conservancy, Peconic Bay Keeper, Cornell Cooperative Extension, East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery, Atlantis Marine World, Riverhead Foundation, Lake Agawam Conservation Association, Eastern Long Island Coastal Conservation Alliance, Save the Forge, Mill Pond and Little Fresh Pond citizen groups, and citizens.

These partnerships have lead to policy changes including drafting of a Fisheries Disaster Declaration for Great South Bay with Senator Charles Schumer’s office, the placement of multiple estuaries on New York State's impaired water bodies list, to closure of water bodies unsafe for human use, and the development of management strategies to improve coastal water quality. Finally, research conducted by SCERP has been published in many of the world's top, international, peer-reviewed journals (see publications page)