Earth Day focuses on the bays: Shelter Islander gives presentation in Sag Harbor

In celebration of Earth Day, an audience filled a movie theater at Sag Harbor Cinema on Sunday, April 21, for a presentation by Shelter Islander Kate Rossi-Snook, announcing Sag Harbor as the newest “Back to the Bays Stewardship Site.”

Ms. Rossi-Snook is the Back to the Bays Aquaculture Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program. The program has been active on Shelter Island for the past few years, with successful shellfish re-seeding projects, eelgrass restoration, and coastal habitat restoration.

“When it came to speaking to the Sag Harbor Village Board and community about expanding our work to their waters,” said Kate Rossi-Snook, “it was a point of pride as an Island resident to direct attention to our project here as a model for other towns to follow.”

The Earth Day event also included the screening of two archival films on the lives of baymen and fishermen.

Film Collection Specialist of the New York Public Library Elena Rossi-Snook brought the films from the 1960s to highlight the concerns about environmental degradation that were voiced decades ago, contributing to the discussion about what steps are being taken today and what more needs to be done.