To
promote and foster understanding and stewardship of
coastal ecosystems through research and education
The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island,
was founded in the summer of 1996 by a group of experts in
marine mammal science, environmental sciences, education and
conservation. CRESLI was formed for the purposes of
conducting research, providing educational experiences and
promoting conservation of coastal ecosystems. Research and
education are inextricably linked in all CRESLI activities.
As such, CRESLI actively seeks cooperative alliances with
researchers, educational institutions, and the participation
of the public. Our pinniped and cetacean research projects,
for example, utilize public whale watch cruises and seal
walks as platforms for collecting data and educating the
public at the same time.
Commercial fishermen, pleasure boaters,
and the public at large have also been enlisted to provide
sighting information used in population and distribution
studies. This public participation has not only led to the
finding that Long Island's coastlines provide a essential
habitat for pinnipeds, cetaceans and sea turtles, but has
also fostered greater awareness and appreciation of these
animals and their habitats among fishermen, boaters and the
public.
Cooperative alliances with institutions such as
CEECOM at
Dowling Collegeand others are entirely consistent with
CRESLI's mission and purpose. The sharing of resources, and coordination
of activities, significantly enhances the opportunities for research and
public education.
The NY Marine Sciences
Consortium is “the voice of New York State’s marine science
academic com-munity and strives to influence public policy,
communicate science, and increase funding for the marine
sciences within New York.
The CAC’s purpose “is
to integrate the stakeholder concerns in the planning and
decision-making process and to encourage pub-lic education
and stewardship.”
CRESLI's Purpose
To stimulate public interest in and to encourage
conservation of coastal ecosystems through education programs for
schools and public and private organizations.
To foster a lifelong appreciation of and sense
of stewardship towards coastal ecosystems through our programs, outreach
activities and membership.
To conduct research that will enable greater
understanding of coastal ecosystems and to disseminate this information
through scientific publications and conferences and meetings.
To provide research and educational
opportunities to students wishing to pursue educational interests or
careers in coastal studies.
To support marine mammal and sea turtle
stranding programs which respond to stranded marine mammals and turtles
with the goal of rehabilitating these animals for release back to the
wild.
To be a regional, national and international
resource on marine mammal, sea turtle and pelagic bird species and their
environments for researchers, educators and policy makers.
Research Programs
FIN WHALE STUDIES: Long term photo-identification for
population, distribution and behavioral studies. Data are shared with
the Fin Whale Consortium, a consortium of researchers analyzing Fin
whale populations in the Northern Atlantic.
GREAT SOUTH CHANNEL HUMPBACK WHALE STUDIES: Long term photo-identification for
population, distribution and behavioral studies of
humpback whales in the Great South Channel. Data are shared with
the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue, and the
Gulf of Maine Humpback Group, a consortium of researchers analyzing
humpback whale populations in the
Gulf of Maine and elsewhere in the North
Atlantic.
SPECIES COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT:
an ongoing project since 1979 to determine the diversity of
cetaceans which utilize this region.
SPERM WHALE STUDIES: Studies on the unique occurrence of
Sperm whales in Long Island's coastal waters focusing on feeding,
behavior and habitat utilization.
CETACEAN POPULATION SURVEY FOR CARIBBEAN WATERS: A new
program offering students firsthand experience in cetacean studies and
seamanship.
TELEMETRIC TRACKING OF MARINE MAMMALS, SEA TURTLES AND SEA BIRDS
Using the latest technology in wildlife tracking, marine mammals and
turtles are tracked to examine their foraging and migratory movements in
the region and along the Atlantic coast.
COSTA RICAN SEA TURTLE PROTECTION AND ASSESSMENT CRESLI
has joined a long term project in conjunction with National Park Service
of Costa Rica, to patrol beaches and examine the nesting abundance,
distribution and nesting success of Leatherback Sea Turtles at Las
Baulas National Marine Reserve the NW Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
