Seatuck Honored The New York Department of State’s South Shore Estuary Reserve Office recently presented Seatuck with its Allan Aronoff Stewardship Award in recognition of the organization’s work on restoring coastal habitat for migratory fish and educating the public about the island’s coastal resources.

The award, which featured the beautiful watercolor art of Freeport-based artist Daniel Pollera, was presented at the SSERO’s annual Great South Bay cruise upon the Lauren Kristy, captained by Mike Eagan. In presenting the award, the SSERO called Seatuck “a premier community educational resource for awareness and appreciation of the south shore estuary’s living resources and natural systems.” They stated that the “educational, scientific, and policy efforts undertaken by Seatuck foster a spirit of stewardship among hundreds of volunteers and the general public” and added that “Seatuck’s initiative clearly demonstrates the positive effect an organization can have on the appreciation and understanding of the living resources in the Reserve, as well as on the human communities that benefit from their improved health.

Accepting the award on behalf of the organization, Seatuck executive director Enrico Nardone thanked his colleagues for their efforts and said the organization was honored to be playing a role in helping to improve the Great South Bay and the rest of the south shore estuary. He recognized fisheries scientist Brian Kelder, whose work on restoring habitat for migratory fish was singled out by the award committee. He added that while Seatuck was indeed trying to make a positive contribution toward restoring alewife populations, the organization was continuing the great work that had already been done by many other estuary partners, including Trout Unlimited, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Town of Brookhaven, and the Suffolk County Parks Department.

In addition to the Department of State award, Seatuck was also honored with proclamations from State Assemblyman Phil Boyle and State Assemblywoman Ginny Fields. The award and proclamations will be proudly and prominently displayed in the new Environmental Center.