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The Vital Role of Protection Committees on Long Island: An Interview with Corey Humphrey
Protection Committees are inter-municipal coalitions that provide a coordinated and highly effective approach to improving water quality and solving watershed problems across Long Island. The Island is fortunate to have several Protection Committees across Nassau and Suffolk County that work to protect, restore, and enhance the watersheds that they serve. Long Island’s Protection Committees collectively represent over 50 Long Island municipalities.
This month, the LINAP newsletter shines a light on the work of the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee (PEPC) and its role in safeguarding the health of the Peconic Estuary. We sat down with Corey Humphrey, newly appointed Coordinator of PEPC and District Manager of the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD), to discuss the committee's initiatives, challenges, and vision for the future.
In 2015, the Peconic Estuary Partnership, having recognized the great success of the existing Protection Committees, initiated the creation of the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee (PEPC) – an intermunicipal affiliation comprised of Suffolk County, the New York State Department of Transportation, five of the Towns and three villages within the Peconic Estuary. The mission of the PEPC is to improve the water quality and habitats of the Peconic Estuary by leveraging the resources of municipalities and agencies on eastern Long Island.
As a Stony Brook University alum with a master's degree in environmental management, and a career spanning over 15 years, Corey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to PEPC. Corey credits Pat Aiken and Eileen Keenan, former PEPC Coordinators, for recognizing the alignment between PEPC’s work and the mission of SCSWCD. Corey initially joined PEPC as an advisory member representing the SCSWCD and was later recommended for the Coordinator position when it became vacant. “My [SCSWCD] Board of Directors felt that the SCSWCD was poised to help this committee. Our missions aligned for the water quality issues, and it could be a great opportunity for us to further service the residents of Suffolk County because we were already doing so much stormwater work throughout the county. It's just such a natural partnership.” As District Manager, Corey’s expertise and vision made the transition to Coordinator seamless. In this dual role, he effectively leverages SCSWCD’s resources and knowledge to strengthen the committee’s initiatives and drive meaningful environmental action.
A cornerstone of PEPC's work centers around providing guidance and assistance to member municipalities in carrying out the federal and state-mandated municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) requirements. The MS4 General Permit requires municipalities to actively manage stormwater runoff to protect and improve water quality. Compliance with the requirements can be challenging, especially for smaller municipalities, due to staffing and financial constraints. With recent updates to the MS4 General Permit, over the next five years municipalities will have to conduct multiple employee training sessions, as part of their permit compliance. "PEPC assists the municipalities in meeting some of the requirements of the MS4 [General Permit] but also acts as a think tank for municipalities to come together and brainstorm," Corey explained. He noted that the sharing of resources and ideas significantly reduces the burden on individual municipalities and promotes a consistent, unified approach to stormwater management. PEPC also strives to improve communication between municipalities and the DEC, providing a much-needed forum for local officials to ask questions and address concerns regarding the permit requirements.
While MS4 compliance remains a core and essential mission, PEPC is actively involved in a diverse range of other important initiatives. Corey recognizes the importance of educating the public about stormwater best management practices and the overall health of the estuary, and through PEPC, is exploring new and engaging ways to convey these messages. “For instance, if we create stormwater education signage in 2025, it should be multilingual to reflect the diverse population, ensuring broader community engagement,” he explains. He also sees opportunities for public education beyond MS4 compliance—such as promoting soil health, transitioning away from turf grass, and encouraging rain barrel use—practices that improve water quality.
Another area of focus for the PEPC is grant opportunities. In addition to sharing information on grant programs, PEPC actively seeks grant opportunities to fund tangible, on-the-ground projects that directly improve water quality within the estuary. This year, SCSWCD introduced two new grant opportunities to directly support on-the-ground environmental improvements. “The MAP (Municipal Assistance Program) Grant provides up to $50,000 for municipalities of all sizes—not for monitoring or feasibility studies, but for implementation of best management practices. The CAP (Community Assistance Program) Grant offers $10,000 to non-governmental organizations, including churches, schools, and 501(c)(3) organizations, for projects related to water quality, resource protection, or wildlife conservation,” Corey explains. “By integrating the SCSWCD more deeply into PEPC, the watershed, and MS4 initiatives, we’ve been able to direct funding toward tangible action. Writing reports on water quality is valuable, but making real, on-the-ground improvements is where we’re focusing—less talk, more action.” PEPC also works to leverage Community Preservation Fund (CPF) funds for impactful projects within the estuary, recognizing the CPF program's significant contribution to local and regional conservation efforts.
Looking ahead to the next five years, PEPC's top priorities include streamlining MS4 compliance by improving efficiency and empowering committee members to effectively meet all regulatory requirements and engaging committee members to be more active within the group to further strengthen the collective effort and broaden representation. Securing sustainable funding is another key priority, focusing on finding long-term, reliable funding sources to support the committee's essential work. A longer-term goal is creating a strong and effective coalition of protection committees across Long Island to amplify their collective voice and advocate for shared goals. Corey firmly believes that this unified and collaborative approach is essential for achieving meaningful and lasting progress in protecting and improving the water quality of the region. “At the end of the day, we all share the same water resources. Our success depends on collaboration. The more we work together, the greater our impact on improving water quality.”
The work of protection committees like PEPC underscores the power of cooperation in environmental conservation. By pooling resources, expertise, and ideas, Long Island municipalities can rise to the challenge of protecting their watersheds.
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