Conservation biologist Louise Harrison will examine the campaign to preserve Plum Island, N.Y., in a lecture on Wednesday, December 2, at 7:00 pm at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
Harrison, the Long Island project manager and senior science advisor for Save the Sound, will explore why protecting this mysterious island off the North Fork is important in preserving our region’s biodiversity and opportunities for environmental research. She will discuss the implications of decommissioning the Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory and how we can help keep the island in public ownership and ensure proper stewardship.
“Plum Island has been described as what could become ‘the last great conservation save in New York State,’” she said. “There’s just no other place like it. Hosting at least 111 species of conservation concern, the island begs for a response from government to keep it in the public domain, enjoying careful stewardship. The region must come together to ensure this biodiversity hotspot is protected in perpetuity.”
About Louise Harrison
Louise Harrison has served on Long Island in federal, New York State, and Suffolk County agencies as well as in leadership and consulting positions for not-for-profit environmental organizations. She has led task forces and community coalitions in protecting open space and co-chaired a broad community movement that saved Stony Brook’s last forest. She worked in Stamford, CT, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service liaison to the Long Island Sound Study, where she concentrated on stewardship of Long Island Sound’s ecosystems, habitat restoration projects, and invasive species control.
Harrison has extensive field experience working in Long Island’s coastal communities and natural ecosystems, from the boroughs of New York City to Montauk and Orient Point, and has received numerous awards for open space preservation efforts. She served for nine years after being appointed by the New York State Assembly to the commission that created the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area and was a key leader in that planning effort. In 2009, she was awarded the STAR award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for her leadership in Long Island Sound stewardship. She lives in the Town of Southold on Long Island’s North Fork.
About Save the Sound
Save the Sound brings together the strengths of three merged organizations—Save the Sound’s advocacy and restoration, Connecticut Fund for the Environment’s litigation and coalitions, and Long Island Soundkeeper’s on-the-water patrols—into one powerful, interdisciplinary, regional nonprofit organization.
The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of the whole Long Island Sound region. The organization uses legal and scientific expertise and bring people together to achieve results that benefit our environment for current and future generations.