Sea to Soil Symposium 2026
Stay up-to-date with the registration link: Here
The Sea to Soil Symposium returns on Friday May 1, 2026 - a dynamic, community-focused event exploring a powerful idea: that the health of our oceans and our soils are deeply connected, and understanding this relationship is key to building a more resilient food future. It’s especially relevant here on the East End, where land, water, and food are so closely intertwined.
The afternoon symposium (1–5 PM) brings together an incredible group of speakers across science, agriculture, and food systems, including: Ecologist Carl Safina; Indigenous Ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer (virtual); Internationally Recognized Regenerative Small Scale Farmer J.M. Fortier; Stony brook Distinguished Professor Dr. Christopher Gobler; Dietician Krista Zvoch (StoryPoint Group); Local Icons Katie Baldwin and Amanda Merrow (Amber Waves Farm); and Amazing Dr. Manisha Desai, Director of the Center for Changing Systems of Power, amongst others
We’ll also have a vibrant Marketplace (11 AM–5 PM) featuring leading local and regional organizations like Cornell Cooperative Extension and Taste of New York - making it a great opportunity for the public to engage, learn, and connect.
It’s shaping up to be a really special day, bringing together big ideas and practical solutions in a way that feels both hopeful and actionable for our community.
Attendees can expect the same goodness that has made Sea to Soil a standout in years past: thoughtful talks from inspiring speakers, a boat ride on Shinnecock Bay, and a vibrant marketplace featuring vendors from across the island. The day concludes with a communal dinner that celebrates local harvests and shared stewardship of land and sea.
Join us for a day of learning, connection, and nourishment - where ancestral wisdom meets contemporary practice, and sea truly meets soil.
Details to follow. Please reach out to judiann.carmack-fayyaz@stonybrook.edu for questions or inquiries.
Sea to Soil Symposium 2025
The 2025 Sea to Soil Symposium at Stony Brook Southampton brought together a powerful convergence of scholars, practitioners and community leaders to explore the interface between marine environments and terrestrial food systems.
Framed by urgent environmental challenges and grounded in community-rooted solutions, the May 2, 2025 event drew students, scientists, Indigenous leaders and policymakers into one of the most forward-looking conversations on the future of coastal resilience and sustainable agriculture on Long Island.
The day began with a meaningful field trip for students from Bridgehampton, Shelter Island and Ross School, who spent the morning speaking with Paul Greenberg, acclaimed author of Four Fish. Greenberg’s student session was informal but potent. Students discussed the ecological and economic dimensions of aquaculture, the ethics of seafood consumption and how climate resilience must start with informed, engaged youth.
Simultaneously, a boat trip into Shinnecock Bay gave attendees a sensory immersion in the waterways under discussion. Participants aboard Stony Brook’s marine research vessel explored the estuarine landscape and observed its fragile ecology firsthand.
Following the field activities, Distinguished Professor Christopher Gobler and Associate Director for Bivalve RestorationMike Doall of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) delivered data-rich presentations on the role of kelp in nutrient reduction, focusing on how seaweed aquaculture can mitigate nitrogen pollution and restore estuarine ecosystems.
