SUNY Morrisville professor Elisa Livengood and aquaculture students are helping bring a native aquatic plant back to Fall Creek near Ithaca.
Livengood and aquaculture & aquatic science student Mano Ali recently monitored a freshwater eelgrass restoration plot as part of a partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 7, the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith (FLI) and SUNY Morrisville.
The project is focused on restoring native eelgrass in an area where invasive hydrilla has been treated. Hydrilla can form dense stands that crowd out native plants and alter aquatic habitat. Re-establishing native eelgrass can help stabilize sediments, improve water clarity and provide nursery habitat for freshwater fish.
Livengood, along with partners from FLI, collected native eelgrass to plant at Fall Creek. Ali is helping study how the plants survive the winter (overwintering), while fellow aquaculture & aquatic science student Ashley Wood is assisting with eelgrass collection for the restoration effort. The next step is to establish the plants at the restoration site and monitor their progress.
For Ali and Wood, the project provides an opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom while gaining hands-on experience with monitoring, collection and restoration practices as part of Morrisville’s broader involvement in regional aquaculture and environmental research.
