Stewardship
the act of caring for our natural environment
Upcoming Stewardship Sessions
Back to the Bays Stewardship Program
Back to the Bays was founded in 2015 to create a pathway towards engagement in the science-based work of Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program. Formerly referred to as our Membership Program, our new Back to the Bays Stewardship Program offers the same levels of giving, with an even greater emphasis on connecting our supporters with hands-on involvement opportunities.
Much of what we do through the Back to the Bays Initiative is centered around stewardship, defined in our case as the act of caring for of our coastal and marine environments. The work we accomplish annually at our Back to the Bays Stewardship Sites is having a meaningful impact on water quality improvement, marine and coastal habitat restoration, clam and bay scallop population enhancement, and expansion of oyster reefs in our bays.
Become a 2024 Back to the Bays Steward!
We invite you to sign on as a Back to the Bays Steward and be part of this growing, community-based initiative. Your contributions will ensure this important work can continue and expand as we approach our 10 year anniversary!
Did you receive a Complimentary Steward Package for your generous support of Back to the Bays?
Register as a steward here!
Stewardship Sites
We established our Back to the Bays Stewardship Sites to serve as community supported, long-term receiving areas for shellfish seeding, spat-on-shell oyster reef deployments, and coastal and marine habitat restoration.
More Stewardship Sites
coming soon…
If you would like to support the creation of a new stewardship site, please contact Kimberly Barbour at kp237@cornell.edu to request a Stewardship Site Sponsorship document.
Sponsorship Levels in Support of Habitat + Shellfish Restoration Work at Stewardship Sites
We focus efforts on specific sites each year, and are continually evaluating the potential for expansion to additional sites. In order to grow our network of stewardship sites we must determine the suitability of the site to support the various restoration plantings we conduct, and also identify a revenue stream that will fund efforts at these sites. We have worked with private donors, municipalities, corporations, and foundations to establish and maintain our Back to the Bays Stewardship sites, and continued support is essential to the continued restoration success at these sites.
Eelgrass Restoration Workshop,
Sag Harbor October 2023
More ways to give
Additional contributions may be made in support of our general fund, or to support the Back to the Bays Stewardship Site of your choice. Customizable underwriting opportunities, memorial or birthday contributions, and site sponsorships are also available.
Please contact Kimberly Barbour at kp237@cornell.edu to learn more.
Salt marsh cordgrass planting
Back to the Bays is an Initiative of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, a registered 501(c)(3). Our EIN is 11-6081424 and contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. An official acknowledgement letter will be issued upon receiving your contribution. If you prefer to submit a contribution via check, please make out to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County with Back to the Bays in the memo and send to: Back to the Bays c/o Kimberly Barbour 423 Griffing Ave, Riverhead NY 11901