The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor will be hosting its 2nd annual indoor-outdoor event, SOUND-OFF, to help protect the Long Island Sound on Sunday, April 23 from noon to 4 p.m., with activities for all ages including science experiments, water monitoring, a touch tank and more! Bring the whole family to spend a day in picturesque Cold Spring Harbor Village engaging with leaders in the field of conservation to learn how to protect our local waters.
Funded in part by a grant from Long Island Sound Futures Fund, The Whaling Museum will engage people who live and work in the communities surrounding the Sound to foster a new generation of advocates and caretakers. Since 2005, the Futures Fund has provided millions of dollars for hundreds of projects to protect and preserve this critical ecosystem, restoring valuable habitats and treating and cleaning polluted waters.
The Long Island Sound is an amazing natural resource providing economic and recreational benefits to millions of people while also providing habitat for more than 1,200 invertebrates, 170 species of fish and dozens of species of migratory birds.
The main objective of SOUND-OFF is to help visitors understand, protect and advocate for the Sound by promoting a greater awareness of people’s impacts on the Sound’s health, either directly or indirectly. Visitors will leave the event with a stronger understanding of our relationship with the Sound, including gaining knowledge to help monitor its water quality and wildlife inhabitants, and practical ways to contribute to a cleaner Sound.
“The Long Island Sound is an essential economic and environmental treasure in need of careful stewardship to protect its integrity,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos.
“The museum’s major goal is to help visitors make informed decisions about our marine environment, and ultimately adopt behaviors to better protect it,” said Nomi Dayan, the museum’s executive director. “Taking place in the spring season, this event is poised to have an impact through the rest of the summer months as Long Islanders get ready to hit the beaches, spend time on boats, and fertilize their lawns,” she added.
Local conservation groups will be on-site to host workshops, conduct experiments and educate the public, including The Waterfront Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society, Friends of Wildlife and Jump In! Water Campaign. There will be environmental craft stations for children as well as a “Travel the Sound” passport to follow around the museum stations to help children decide on their own Pledge for the Sound.
Admission is free and includes all activities. Held rain or shine. For more information, call 631-367-3418 or visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.
