News Release

Contact:
Art Flanagan,
Manager, Public Relations/Communications
631-244-3181

Research at South Shore Estuary Discussed At Dowling Symposium
Seventh Annual Event Features Workshops, High School Student Research

OAKDALE, NY . The 7th annual Symposium on the South Shore Estuary will be held on Thursday May 29, 2003 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dowling College.s Rudolph Campus in Oakdale. Among the activities planned are discussions by researchers about their work in the estuary, an environmental science research poster competition, teacher workshops, a clambake and canoeing on the Connetquot River.

Scientists will present an overview of South Shore Estuary monitoring and management, and will discuss results of recent estuarine monitoring projects.

An environmental science research poster competition will display the work of more than 100 area high school students throughout the day in Fortunoff Hall. The research projects will be judged by members of the Dowling College faculty, and scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratories, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Fire Island National Seashore, New York Sea Grant, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of State, Seatuck Environmental Association, Suffolk County Department of Health Services, the Towns of Brookhaven and Hempstead, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey.

At noon participants are invited to partake in a clambake on the Great Lawn and canoeing on the adjacent Connetquot River.

The event, which is sponsored by the College.s Departments of Chemistry and Earth and Marine Sciences and the Field Biology Club in cooperation with New York State Department of State Division of Coastal Resources and Management, is free and open to the public.
About The South Shore Estuary
The South Shore Estuary consists of a series of shallow interconnected bays, streams, and wetlands along the south shore of Long Island, that stretch for more than 70 miles from the western boundary of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County to the eastern boundary of Shinnecock Bay in Suffolk County. In 1993, recognizing the need to manage the resources of this complex system as a single integrated estuary, the New York State Legislature adopted the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Act and declared the estuary to be a system of unique biological, economic, and social value that must be preserved.
About Dowling College

Located on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves 6,900 students and offers Bachelor.s, Master.s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.