Steering Committee
Formed in late 2005, The Nissequogue River Watershed Steering Committee is comprised of variety of local stakeholders. The Steering Committee is divided into four subcommittees - Habitat, Water Quality, Land Use/Open Space and Education/Outreach - each responsible for coming up with Action Items to manage and protect the watershed. The Steering Committee is also responsible for convening public meetings, producing outreach materials, and coordinating public events.
The two-year project is being coordinated by Regional Plan Association and has received funding from the New York State Department of Conservation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
Subcommittee Organization
The Nissequogue Watershed Steering Committee is divided into four subcommittees to draw upon stakeholder interest and expertise.
Click here to view a simple diagram showing how the Steering Committee is structured.
Habitat
The goal of the Habitat Subcomittee is to work to protect and restore fish passage; cold water fisheries habitat; other freshwater habitat; marine and estuarine habitat; terrestrial wildlife habitat; and wetland habitat.
Chair: Jake Kritzer - Environmental Defense
Eric Broecker - Sunken Meadow State Park
Dorothy Chanin - Kings Park Civic Association
Nick Gibbons - Suffolk County Parks
Chart Guthrie - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Tom Halavik - US Fish and Wildlife Service
Molly Hastings - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Robin Kriesberg - Friends of the Bay
Gary Lawton - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Kathy McShane - Town of Smithtown
Gregory Miller - Citizen Bill Muller - Fishing Advisory Board for NYS Parks
Jeff Plackis - Trout Unlimited (Long Island Chapter)
John Potente - Citizen
Jan Porinchak - Citizen
Derek Rogers - Suffolk County Parks
Kathleen Roth - NYS Parks, Caleb Smith
Dave Thompson - Trout Unlimited
Clarence Ware - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Steve Weber - King's Park Civic Association
Heather Young - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Water Quality
The goal of the Water Quality Subcommittee is to develop recommendations to protect and improve the quality of surface, marine and ground waters.
Chair: Charlie Dequillfeldt - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Jeanne Brown - Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (former)
Angel Dybas - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Theresa Goergen - Suffolk County Department of Health
Dennis Mildner - NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources
Peter Paquette - Friends of Caleb Smith
Dave Thompson - Trout Unlimited
Open Space and Land Use
The goal of the Open Space and Land Use Subcommittee is to promote conservation strategies to protect the watershed's natural, cultural, and recreational values in order to provide public access to the waterfront, public recreation, and protect the natural resources and scenic qualities of the Watershed.
Chair: Michael Kaufman - Joint Coastal Commission, County CEQ
Gloria Charles - Town of Smithtown Planning Department
Allyson Feld - Town of Smithtown Planning Department
Larry Flynn - Kings Park Chamber of Commerce
Frank Huntington - Daniel Gale Sotheby's
Derek Rogers - Suffolk County Parks
Joyce Rosenthal - Smithtown League of Women Voters
Mario Viscardi - New York Water Environment, Inc, Long Island Chapter
Education and Outreach
The goal of the Education and Outreach Subcommittee is to educate the public about the Nissequogue River's natural, cultural, and historic value to promote public ownership and protection of the river. It strives to actively engage the public in learning about and protecting the river and the watershed.
Chair: Larissa Graham - NY Sea Grant
Molly Hastings - NYS Office of Parks
Sondra Irvine - League of Women Voters: Smithtown Chapter
Peter Kearns - Village of the Branch
Susan Krause - 4 Harbors Audubon, New York Audubon
Elizabeth Platt - Smithtown High School
Ailene Rogers - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Marie Smith - Sweetbriar Nature Center
Ly Williams - Smithtown High School
Member Organizations
Formed in late 2005, The Nissequogue River Watershed Steering Committee is comprised of variety of local stakeholders. The Steering Committee is divided into four subcommittees - Habitat, Water Quality, Land Use/Open Space and Education/Outreach - each responsible for coming up with Action Items to manage and protect the watershed. The Steering Committee is also responsible for convening public meetings, producing outreach materials, and coordinating public events.
The two-year project is being coordinated by Regional Plan Association and has received funding from the New York State Department of Conservation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
Subcommittee Organization
The Nissequogue Watershed Steering Committee is divided into four subcommittees to draw upon stakeholder interest and expertise.
Click here to view a simple diagram showing how the Steering Committee is structured.
Habitat
The goal of the Habitat Subcomittee is to work to protect and restore fish passage; cold water fisheries habitat; other freshwater habitat; marine and estuarine habitat; terrestrial wildlife habitat; and wetland habitat.
Chair: Jake Kritzer - Environmental Defense
Eric Broecker - Sunken Meadow State Park
Dorothy Chanin - Kings Park Civic Association
Nick Gibbons - Suffolk County Parks
Chart Guthrie - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Tom Halavik - US Fish and Wildlife Service
Molly Hastings - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Robin Kriesberg - Friends of the Bay
Gary Lawton - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Kathy McShane - Town of Smithtown
Gregory Miller - Citizen Bill Muller - Fishing Advisory Board for NYS Parks
Jeff Plackis - Trout Unlimited (Long Island Chapter)
John Potente - Citizen
Jan Porinchak - Citizen
Derek Rogers - Suffolk County Parks
Kathleen Roth - NYS Parks, Caleb Smith
Dave Thompson - Trout Unlimited
Clarence Ware - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Steve Weber - King's Park Civic Association
Heather Young - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Water Quality
The goal of the Water Quality Subcommittee is to develop recommendations to protect and improve the quality of surface, marine and ground waters.
Chair: Charlie Dequillfeldt - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Jeanne Brown - Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (former)
Angel Dybas - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Theresa Goergen - Suffolk County Department of Health
Dennis Mildner - NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources
Peter Paquette - Friends of Caleb Smith
Dave Thompson - Trout Unlimited
Open Space and Land Use
The goal of the Open Space and Land Use Subcommittee is to promote conservation strategies to protect the watershed's natural, cultural, and recreational values in order to provide public access to the waterfront, public recreation, and protect the natural resources and scenic qualities of the Watershed.
Chair: Michael Kaufman - Joint Coastal Commission, County CEQ
Gloria Charles - Town of Smithtown Planning Department
Allyson Feld - Town of Smithtown Planning Department
Larry Flynn - Kings Park Chamber of Commerce
Frank Huntington - Daniel Gale Sotheby's
Derek Rogers - Suffolk County Parks
Joyce Rosenthal - Smithtown League of Women Voters
Mario Viscardi - New York Water Environment, Inc, Long Island Chapter
Education and Outreach
The goal of the Education and Outreach Subcommittee is to educate the public about the Nissequogue River's natural, cultural, and historic value to promote public ownership and protection of the river. It strives to actively engage the public in learning about and protecting the river and the watershed.
Chair: Larissa Graham - NY Sea Grant
Molly Hastings - NYS Office of Parks
Sondra Irvine - League of Women Voters: Smithtown Chapter
Peter Kearns - Village of the Branch
Susan Krause - 4 Harbors Audubon, New York Audubon
Elizabeth Platt - Smithtown High School
Ailene Rogers - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Marie Smith - Sweetbriar Nature Center
Ly Williams - Smithtown High School
Member Organizations
- Cornell Cooperative Extension website
- Environmental Defense website
- Friends of the Bay website
- King's Park Chamber of Commerce website
- King's Park Civic Association website
- League of Women Voters website
- Long Island Sound Study website
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) website
- NYS Department of Environmental Conservation website
- NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website
- NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources website
- Regional Plan Association website
- Save the Sound website
- Suffolk County Department of Healthwebsite
- Suffolk County Parks website
- Town of Smithtown website
- Trout Unlimited website
- US Fish and Wildlife Service website
