December 2011 - What does SoundWaters do in the Winter?

It's a question often asked us: What does SoundWaters do in the winter? Our educators work year-round, teaching our highly acclaimed hands-on science programs in schools, out in the field, and at the Coastal Education Center.

At community center preschools, our youngest students touch and learn about live terrapins, crabs and flounder. At after-school programs at elementary schools in Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk and Westport, SoundWaters students engage in science-based activities. Many classes take place inside, but cold weather and snow rarely deter us. Even in mid-winter, visitors to Cove Island Park see groups of students discovering the salt marsh, sandy beach and rocky shore.

In January, all of Stamford's middle school students begin comparative watershed studies, a SoundWaters program now in its third year. The first phase takes place in classrooms where students practice using scientific equipment to measure water quality, soil concentrations and current flow. These activities are central to their field-site studies in the spring, when they will compare fresh and brackish waters at river and coastal sites.

Planning and scheduling for the 2012 Schooner season is well underway with the captain and staff recruiting educator/deck hands; preparing curriculum for shipboard education programs; performing light ship maintenance; and scheduling school-based Science on the Sound floating classroom programs, private charters and public engagement sails from harbors in Connecticut and New York throughout the Sound.

Managing our brackish and fresh water aquarium tanks takes place every day. In addition to regular maintenance and feeding of the animals, our educators will complete a total winter cleaning and overhaul of the tanks to maintain a healthy habitat for more than 200 fish, crabs, snails, terrapins and other organisms.

In winter our development staff plans for the 2012 fundraising events: on Tuesday, January 31, SoundWaters is hosting a gentle Roast and Toast of Frank Corvino, President and CEO of Greenwich Hospital, at Richards of Greenwich. On Saturday, May 12, SoundWaters is honoring Gov. Dannel Malloy at our annual Tall Ships Ball at Harbor Point Waterfront in Stamford.

Oh, yes. Camp SoundWaters registration opens in January.

Be sure to visit our website at www.soundwaters.org for updates on all our programs and events. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy New Year. We hope to see you at a SoundWaters program or event in 2012.

Regards,

Leigh Shemitz, Ph.D.
Executive Director
SoundWaters