2026 Long Island
Natural History
Conference
Save The Date:
The 2026 Long Island Natural History Conference will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026 at the Stony Brook University Wang Center from 9 am to 4 pm.
Registration opens on January 20th
About the Conference
The Long Island Natural History Conference is the largest regional forum for the exchange of information about Long Island’s natural history. The annual event brings together Long Island’s leading naturalists to exchange current information, identifies research and management needs, and encourages collaborations and a greater region-wide interest in Long Island’s natural history.
The Conference was established by the Long Island Nature Organization (LINO) in 2012 to support education and research about the natural history of Long Island. The conference resulted from the vision and dedication of Mike Bottini, Tim Green, John Turner and the late James Monaco.
The conference was founded with the following goals:
- Introduce people doing field research, natural resource management, and conservation projects on Long Island
- Exchange current information on the natural history of Long Island
- Identify research and management needs
- Foster friendships and collegial relationships
- Encourage a greater region-wide interest in Long Island’s natural history.
Seatuck assumed management of the Long Island Natural History Conference following its merger with LINO in 2020.
2026 Presentations
Main Talks:
East Hampton Town Wetlands Regulations
Brian Frank, East Hampton Planning Department
Rescuing and Better Understanding the Ocean Sunfish, Mola mola, in our New England waters.
Carol “Krill” Carson, New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA)
Exploring the Capacity of eDNA for Cryptic Salamanders and Vernal Pool Biodiversity
Harrison Goldspiel, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine,
Salamander Radio Telemetry Project
Jake Kushner, SOFO
Sentinels of the Sea: Multi-species seabird tracking in the New York Bight to inform climate solutions and monitor ocean health
Juliet Lamb, The Nature Conservancy
Screech Owl Nest Boxes: If You Build It, They Will Come
Kevin Walsh – Independent Naturalist
Wildlife Passages
Luke Ormand, Brookhaven Town
Right Whales: Research and Stewardship at the Edge of Extinction
Charles “Stormy” Mayo, Ph.D.
Director Emeritus, Center for Coastal Conservation, Right Whale Ecology Program
Knowing is Half the Battle-Monitoring Breeding Birds of Prey to Inform Pest Management in NYC Parks.
Sunny Corrao & Mike Pastore, NYC Parks
Conservation Updates:
Conservation Update: Changes in Menhaden Harvest Regulations
Carl Lobue, The Nature Conservancy
Conservation Update: Fish Passage Monitoring
Peter Daniels, Hofstra University
…and more to come!
2026 Nonprofit Partners
Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
South Fork Natural History Museum
Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI)
Call for Poster Presenters!
Are you conducting local research on Wildlife, Botany, Fungi, Geology, Paleontology, Hydrology, Climate, Ecology, Conservation, Invasive species, Pollution, Green space, or related topics in Kings, Queens, Nassau, or Suffolk counties? If so, please submit a poster abstract no later than February 15. All abstracts must be reviewed in advance, approved student presenters will have their conference registration fee waived.
Directions to the Conference
Charles B. Wang Center
By Car: Take the Long Island Expressway (Route 495) to Exit 62. Follow Nicolls Road (Route 97) north for 9 miles. To find the campus via GPS, enter the address “100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790.”
By Train: Stony Brook Station is located along the Long Island Rail Road, Port Jefferson line. From Penn Station in Manhattan, travel time is approximately one and a half hours. A free shuttle service is available at Stony Brook Station to the Wang Center.
LINHC Video Library
The majority of presentations from past Long Island Natural History Conferences have been recorded and uploaded to YouTube. A full listing of these recordings (more than 160 in all!) can be found here in the LINHC Video Library. You can find presentations by browsing either the SPEAKER INDEX or the TOPIC INDEX.
2025 LINHC PRESENTATIONS
An Analysis of the Discovery of an Unknown Population of Desmognathine Salamanders Following the Collapse of the Mill Pond Dam
Gabe Finger
Conservation Update: River Otter Roadkill Mitigation
Terrence Benefield, Conservation Technician
Seatuck Environmental Association
Understanding Changes in Groundwater and Surface Water Expression on Long Island
Christopher Schubert, Hydrologist
USGS New York Water Science Center
Wildfire Effects on Populations of Tick Species in the Pine Barrens
Sam Gilvarg, Department of Sustainable Resources Management
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
The Beautiful and the Dammed
George Jackman, PhD, Aquatic Ecologist
Seatuck Environmental Association
Conservation Update: Fish Passage Campaign
Enrico Nardone, Executive Director
Seatuck Environmental Association
Roy Latham’s Unpublished Journals (1902-1978)
John Holzapfel
Oysterponds Historical Society
Updates from the New York Mammal Survey
Georgianna Silveira, Project Coordinator, New York Mammal
Survey
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Conservation and extirpation: Reviewing the status of leopard frogs, other herpetofauna, and extirpations across a range of taxa
Jeremy Feinberg
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Results of the Long Island Mammal Survey: 2023–2024
Mike Bottini, Wildlife Biologist
Seatuck Environmental Association