Once again, Stony Brook Harbor's health will take center stage for annual event

Concerns about the future of Stony Brook Harbor have prompted local officials and an organization of concerned residents to team up to bring back an annual event that educates people on the importance of protecting the body of water and its fragile ecosystem.

On Sept. 23, Nissequogue Village and Friends of Stony Brook Harbor, a coalition of neighbors from communities near the body of water, will sponsor "Harbor Day," officials said.

Nissequogue Mayor Richard Smith said he hopes the event, which will return after a 15-year absence, will help people see the harbor's value. 

“Bringing back our Harbor Day celebration seemed like the perfect way to foster community awareness that this remarkable resource is fragile and requires all of us to protect it,” Smith said in an interview.

Local leaders and environmentalists said the future of Stony Brook Harbor faces several challenges. They include the appearance of more docks, erosion and stormwater runoff — along with how to mitigate the flow of such water into the harbor to reduce pollution.

The fall event will be held starting at 11 a.m. just past the boat launch at Long Beach in Nissequogue. Organizers said guest speakers will include marine and environmental experts and that music, aquarium touch tanks, carnival games and an art contest also will be part of the event.

John Turner, a board member of the nonprofit Four Harbors Audubon Society, said protecting the harbor’s ecosystem is vital because more than 100 bird species, including red-tailed hawks and bald eagles, have been sighted in the harbor, making it a “mecca for bird species."

“It’s a little bit of paradise and we’d like to see it maintained as such,” Turner added.

The guest speakers will include Turner, marine ecology expert Jeffrey Levinton and coastal ocean expert Malcolm Bowman of Stony Brook University. 

Elizabeth Hornstein, Suffolk County coordinator for Long Island Sound Study's Sustainable and Resilient Communities work group, and Anna McCarroll from the Stony Brook Yacht Club Mariculture Program, also will give talks.

Topics will include the history of the harbor, facts about its flora and fauna, a discussion about a conservation plan for the harbor's marsh and a discussion of the potential dangers the harbor faces, such as low oxygen in the water, according to organizers.

“The more people walking the shore and knowing the value of this stuff ... the better off we are,” said Levinton, a professor at Stony Brook who authored a college textbook on marine biology.

By discussing what is at stake, Turner said he will "try to energize people to keep fighting the fight and collectively come together to protect this community asset."

Lisa Davidson from Friends of Stony Brook Harbor said the goal is for those who live nearby to recognize the importance of protecting the harbor as a resource.

"It shouldn't matter what village we're in, we all share the same body of water," she added.