Christine Suter, a 'friend' to Oyster Bay, takes helm of local environmental nonprofit
Christine Suter, pictured Thursday in Oyster Bay, is the new executive director of the environment nonprofit Friends of the Bay. Credit: Newsday/Kendall Rodriguez
Christine Suter said she didn’t go to church growing up — not a conventional one, at least.
“My mother was really a nature person. So, instead of going to church on Sundays she brought us on nature walks,” Suter said recently in an interview. “She called it the church of nature.”
Those morning walks would serve as the start of a passion for the environment that led Suter, 40, to her new role as executive director of Friends of the Bay, a nonprofit centered on protecting the waters of Oyster Bay.
The organization began a search for a new executive director last month after Heather Johnson, who previously held the position, accepted a new role as executive director at Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead.
Suter, an Oyster Bay resident, joined Friends of the Bay in 2021 as its assistant director and was the interim executive director after Johnson's departure. She previously worked as an outreach coordinator for The Long Island Violin Shop in Huntington.
Eric Swenson, Friends of the Bay's secretary and a member of its hiring committee, said Suter was appointed Feb. 13 and picked for her mix of passion and experience.
“I think that those two together are a great combination to guide the organization over the next several years,” Swenson added.
The nonprofit's annual budget is around $210,000 and it has a volunteer board of 16 members, according to the organization.
Suter recently discussed her journey as an environmental advocate with Newsday. The interview was edited for clarity and length.
How did you get interested in environmental advocacy?
I became more involved in civic engagement while growing up in Huntington, and specifically with regard to advocating for environmentally friendly and sustainable development there. It woke something in me.
What did you study in school?
I got a master's degree in marine conservation and policy from Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 2020. As part of the degree, I did an internship project with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society analyzing data on debris ingestion and entanglement among sea turtles in New York. They do necropsies on animals that wash up in the area. I analyzed three years' worth of data for them.
What work have you been involved in at Friends of the Bay up until now?
I was responsible for managing our large volunteer base. Also, I played a big role in the past year helping to coordinate our efforts in the Unified Water Study. It's a program run by Save the Sound in Connecticut. It's a bunch of different organizations surrounding Long Island Sound that all use the same methods to take water quality readings and nutrient samples, and then all of that data is sent back for a biennial report card.
What opportunities do you see ahead?
This past year we were involved with a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. We’re working with two different professors from Adelphi who are monitoring the bay for Oyster Bay habitat suitability and recruitment sites, basically where oysters would establish themselves and reproduce. There's also a big Stony Brook grant we're involved with over the next couple of years, as well, to try to rebuild the oyster population in Oyster Bay.
What are some challenges you want to tackle in Oyster Bay?
The challenge up to date has been trying to reestablish a healthy stock of oysters in Oyster Bay because we really barely have any more left in the bay. Rebuilding a healthy stock of oysters in the bay is really exciting. Especially since this is Oyster Bay — this is our namesake.
Christine Suter said she didn’t go to church growing up — not a conventional one, at least.
“My mother was really a nature person. So, instead of going to church on Sundays she brought us on nature walks,” Suter said recently in an interview. “She called it the church of nature.”
Those morning walks would serve as the start of a passion for the environment that led Suter, 40, to her new role as executive director of Friends of the Bay, a nonprofit centered on protecting the waters of Oyster Bay.
The organization began a search for a new executive director last month after Heather Johnson, who previously held the position, accepted a new role as executive director at Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead.
Suter, an Oyster Bay resident, joined Friends of the Bay in 2021 as its assistant director and was the interim executive director after Johnson's departure. She previously worked as an outreach coordinator for The Long Island Violin Shop in Huntington.
Eric Swenson, Friends of the Bay's secretary and a member of its hiring committee, said Suter was appointed Feb. 13 and picked for her mix of passion and experience.
“I think that those two together are a great combination to guide the organization over the next several years,” Swenson added.
The nonprofit's annual budget is around $210,000 and it has a volunteer board of 16 members, according to the organization.
Suter recently discussed her journey as an environmental advocate with Newsday. The interview was edited for clarity and length.
How did you get interested in environmental advocacy?
I became more involved in civic engagement while growing up in Huntington, and specifically with regard to advocating for environmentally friendly and sustainable development there. It woke something in me.
What did you study in school?
I got a master's degree in marine conservation and policy from Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 2020. As part of the degree, I did an internship project with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society analyzing data on debris ingestion and entanglement among sea turtles in New York. They do necropsies on animals that wash up in the area. I analyzed three years' worth of data for them.
What work have you been involved in at Friends of the Bay up until now?
I was responsible for managing our large volunteer base. Also, I played a big role in the past year helping to coordinate our efforts in the Unified Water Study. It's a program run by Save the Sound in Connecticut. It's a bunch of different organizations surrounding Long Island Sound that all use the same methods to take water quality readings and nutrient samples, and then all of that data is sent back for a biennial report card.
What opportunities do you see ahead?
This past year we were involved with a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. We’re working with two different professors from Adelphi who are monitoring the bay for Oyster Bay habitat suitability and recruitment sites, basically where oysters would establish themselves and reproduce. There's also a big Stony Brook grant we're involved with over the next couple of years, as well, to try to rebuild the oyster population in Oyster Bay.
What are some challenges you want to tackle in Oyster Bay?
The challenge up to date has been trying to reestablish a healthy stock of oysters in Oyster Bay because we really barely have any more left in the bay. Rebuilding a healthy stock of oysters in the bay is really exciting. Especially since this is Oyster Bay — this is our namesake.
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