Save the Sound & the JSA of LIS are coming together to create environmental programming delivered to JSA member junior sailing programs in Long Island Sound region.

Save the Sound (STS) and the JSA present an easy way to incorporate learning about water and your local environment. We come to you! Our STS environmental intern will arrive with two hours of field work and programming to entertain young sailors and teach them about the Long Island Sound, the world in which their sport takes place. They will be taught about environmental awareness and how to make a difference through personal choices. Each offering is a two-hour block of activities led by a qualified Save the Sound environmental intern.

Choose your Environmental Block

#1 The Environment and the Water
Have you ever wondered how the environment affects our local waterways? Using an Enviroscape, individuals can see firsthand how runoff from the land during a rainstorm impacts the Long Island Sound. At times, excess nutrients can cause algal blooms, which can affect the health of our waters and our local shellfish populations, like oysters and mussels. Additionally, runoff can cause waterways to become murky and turbid, which can be detrimental to marine life. To see what’s happening in our waters, individuals can look at local plankton species by sampling using a plankton tow, take a closer look at them using a microscope, and measure water clarity using a Secchi Disk!

#2 The Ocean and its Layers
Did you know that the ocean has layers, kind of like an onion? With instruments, individuals can look at the water quality of Long Island Sound and measure water parameters like dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature, among others! At different areas in the ocean and our local waterways, these parameters shift, which is why we commonly see trout, perch, and bass in freshwater systems and striped bass, black sea bass, and tautog in saltwater systems. Using everyday household items, we can replicate the ocean and its layers, in a bottle!

• Price per Environmental Programming Block is $250. Up to 30 sailors per block session can be accommodated, and assistance by at least one of their instructors/coaches will be required.
• Schedule your Jr Sailing programs Environmental Blocks early to get the days that work best for your program.
• Contact Tricia Leicht at STS by email tleicht@savethesound.org to schedule a session at your junior program.
• View and download a flyer about this initiative at this link.