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Mission Statement To
promote and foster understanding and stewardship of
coastal ecosystems through research and education
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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 general public.
Many of the cetacean research projects, for example, utilize public
whale watch cruises as a platform for collecting data and educating the
public at the same time.
Commercial fishermen and pleasure boaters have also been enlisted to
provide sighting information used in population and distribution
studies, as well as assisting in the rescue of stranded and entrapped
animals. This public participation has not only led to the finding that
Long Island's coastlines provide a critical habitat for juvenile
loggerhead, Kemp's ridley and green 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
Dowling College
and 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.
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.
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.
LONG TERM POPULATION AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES OF SEALS IN NEW YORK
A long term project monitoring seal populations in the region, with data
on population and distribution trends being collected and analyzed.
NEW YORK STATE SEA TURTLE PROGRAM: In cooperation with
local fishermen entrapped turtles are recovered for population,
distribution and behavioral studies.
TREATMENT PROTOCOLS AND RECOVERIES OF COLD STUNNED SEA TURTLES:
Many hypothermic sea turtles have benefited from the innovative
techniques that have been developed by the Stranding Program in recent
years. This has resulted in increasingly successful rehabilitations and
releases.
ANALYSES OF LONG TERM TRENDS IN CETACEAN, PINNIPED AND SEA TURTLE
STRANDINGS Since the late 1970s comprehensive data on strandings
has been kept for this region. In addition historical data has been
compiled and examined.
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.
DISEASE PROCESSES AND TREATMENTS OF STRANDED CETACEANS, PINNIPEDS
AND SEA TURTLES: Since 1980 numerous diseases of stranded marine
wildlife have been studied, often as collaborative projects with
researchers from around the globe. Many new treatments for injured or
sick animals have been developed since the inception of the stranding
program.
TISSUE STUDIES: Ongoing collection and testing of tissue
samples from marine mammals and sea turtles for anthropogenic
contaminants.
DNA STUDIES: Ongoing analysis of population status and
movements of sea turtles and marine mammals by means of DNA analysis.
COLONIAL WATER BIRD STUDIES: A long term study began in
1997, investigating the abundance, distribution and nesting success of a
unique mixed species avian community in the South Shore Estuary.
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.
CRESLI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Click here for detailed biographies
Arthur Kopelman, Ph.D., President
Amanda Johnson, Treasurer
Dianne Taggart, Secretary
Russell Ainbinder
Maria Brown
Monique Dussault
Robin Knappe
Chris Quartuccio
CRESLI ADVISORY BOARD
Sandra Shumway, Ph.D., D.Sc.
John Tanacredi, Ph.D.
John Turner
Sam Sadove
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CRESLI is a non profit organization as defined in section 501 (c)
(3) of the Internal Revenue Code |
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