The Matthiessen Talks Presented Sylvia Earle & Carl Safina In Conversation At Guild Hall

The Peter Matthiessen Center and Guild Hall presented “The Matthiessen Talks: Hope Spots and Hidden Worlds — Humanity’s Place in the Ocean,” a public conversation featuring legendary marine biologist and undersea explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle and marine ecologist and author Dr. Carl Safina, on Sunday, September 20, at Guild Hall.

Dr. Earle, founder of Mission Blue and one of the most celebrated ocean explorers of our time, explored the power of storytelling and science to illuminate what we know — and don’t yet know — about the ocean, where the vast majority of life remains hidden in the dark. “We believe what we believe based on what we know,” Earle said of the ocean’s mysteries, “but this is just the beginning of basic understanding.”

The program highlighted collaborative restoration work at the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot, a Mission Blue-designated site recognized not only for its ecological significance but for its deep cultural, recreational, and spiritual importance to the local Indigenous community. Efforts led by Dr. Ellen Pikitch and the Shinnecock Advisory Council, in partnership with Stony Brook University, are working to reintroduce clams to Peconic and Atlantic waters — an estimated 53 million are needed to help reduce harmful brown tide — restoration work that has already helped revive eelgrass beds and reveal new roles for microbes in the bay’s ecosystem.

Earle was joined by Dr. Carl Safina, founder of the Safina Center and a renowned local conservationist, for a one-on-one conversation between the two longtime friends and colleagues, followed by an audience Q&A. The program closed with a cocktail reception in Guild Hall’s garden, offering attendees the chance to mingle with representatives of the Peter Matthiessen Center and the Safina Center.

The evening’s title and spirit drew on the legacy of renowned author and conservationist Peter Matthiessen, who championed the ocean throughout his life and career — from his years as a charter fishing captain, to his book chronicling a Long Island fishing community, to his participation in the first-ever expedition to film a great white shark, which preceded the publication of Jaws by three years.