Save Our Seagrass Fundraiser
First Annual Save Our Seagrass Fundraising Campaign and Celebration
to Benefit Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Marine Meadows Program
South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo), in partnership with Save Sag Harbor and the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, will be hosting a Save Our Seagrass Celebration to benefit Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Marine Meadows Program on November 17, 2012 from 5-8pm at their Bridgehampton facility.
The celebration will feature a raw bar of locally harvested shellfish, freshly prepared Peconic Bay Scallops, local wine and craft beer. All proceeds will support local habitat restoration efforts and environmental education initiatives as carried out by the Marine Meadows Program.
Leading up to the celebration, a Save Our Seagrass Fundraising Campaign will be in effect. Sponsorships from local businesses and individuals are being sought and will allow for eelgrass meadows in the vicinity of Sag Harbor to be “adopted” by the community. Funds raised will allow CCE staff members to conduct the required monitoring and restoration plantings needed to establish healthy meadows that will serve as essential habitat for species such as winter and summer flounder, striped bass, and bay scallops. Additionally, proceeds from this effort will allow for educational opportunities in the form of Marine Meadows Workshops to be offered at the South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo) in 2013. These workshops will enable community members of all ages to learn about the importance of underwater marine habitat such as eelgrass, and get involved with the actual eelgrass restoration efforts by preparing planting units to be deployed by CCE’s SCUBA certified restoration specialists.
Several levels of sponsorship are available and all levels include marketing benefits and tickets to the Save Our Seagrass Celebration on November 17th. Individual tickets are also available for purchase. The Sponsorship Package and Ticket Order Form are available at www.marinemeadows.com or www.sofo.org or can be picked up at the South Fork Natural History Museum.
Please contact Kimberly Barbour, Habitat Restoration Outreach Specialist at kp237@cornell.edu or 631-852-8660 ext. 27 if you would like more information on the Save Our Seagrass Fundraising Campaign and Celebration.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is a non-profit educational agency dedicated to strengthening families and communities, enhancing and protecting the environment, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering countywide economic development. Affiliated with Cornell University, and funded in part by Suffolk County government, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is part of the state and national extension system that includes the land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CCE’s sites and program areas include Agriculture, Marine, 4-H Youth Development, Family Health and Wellness, Suffolk County Farm and Education Center and Suffolk County Peconic Dunes Camp.
