The East Hampton Town Planning Department gave a qualified recommendation for the town board to approve the use of an aquatic weed harvester to remove macroalgae from Georgica Pond this year, but wants more collaboration with the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, which operates the harvester, "to get a better handle on how the project can go forward and reap the benefits it's provided and ensure there aren't any adverse impacts that haven't been identified."

The proposal from the Promised Land Kelp Company is for an initial pilot program at locations in Napeague Harbor, Three Mile Harbor, and the near Northwest Harbor County Park to determine the optimum site for growth, followed by a long-term program at the site that proves to be best. "These areas have historically been nonproductive shellfishing areas, especially for bay scallops," according to a letter from the company.

The East Hampton Town Trustees' virtual meeting on Monday will include a presentation on the acoustic telemetry studies and trawl surveys associated with the South Fork Wind farm's export cable, which is to make landfall at the ocean beach at the end of Beach Lane in Wainscott. Researchers from Stony Brook University, Monmouth University, and Cornell Cooperative Extension will discuss their findings.

The annual sand replenishment at the ocean beach in downtown Montauk is complete, East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc told his colleagues on the town board on Tuesday.