The day after we reminisced, I went to a local beach for a swim. I hopped on the rocks down to the shore, eager for a cool dip on this hot July day, but as I got closer, my shoulders slumped—the water was brown and cloudy, the bottom completely obscured by the algae bloom on the surface. More than two decades later, scientists at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory still struggle to find the answers to what makes the algae thrive. They have some ideas, like the presence of inorganic nitrogen in the bay that likely came from contaminated ground water during particularly wet seasons. But of course, what it really goes back to is how our environment is responding to what we’ve done to it.

Meanwhile, a May 28 article in The New York Times dining section sang the praises of eastern Long Island oysters and the booming industry it has become as of late, just like scallops used to be. Oyster populations died off in the wake of the Brown Tide too, but lately they’re thriving. You can even sidle up to a stool at the famous Grand Central Oyster bar in Manhattan and slurp a briny, perfectly shucked dozen Widow’s Hole oysters from nearby waters. In part, thanks must go to Cornell researchers who have helped commercial growers foster healthy, abundant oysters. Here’s hoping they can figure out how to bring back the beloved bay scallops, too.

—Amy Zavatto