Did you know that the health of estuaries is critical to our health? Or that water is quickly becoming an “endangered” resource? Get reacquainted with Mother Nature, and learn more about the importance of protecting our estuaries during Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s National Estuaries Day Celebration and Clean-up on September 26 and 27.
On Saturday, join millions of others around the world by participating in the annual International Coastal Clean-Up Initiative. Volunteers will join aquarium staff from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a coastal clean-up at Bluff Point State Park in Groton.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, aquarium guests can participate in fun, educational activities and games, hear stories and meet eight birds of prey, including falcons, hawks, owls and an eagle, during two presentations by Wingmasters. Children will have the opportunity to make an official pledge to the environment, participate in a scavenger hunt to learn about estuarine environments and meet costumed characters representing estuary animals. An estuary learning center will feature field guides and estuary posters, as well as information on how pollution affects estuaries like the local Long Island Sound.
On-site exhibitors will include Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s very own Animal Stranding Department, the Connecticut River Museum, Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Department of Environmental Protection, Nature’s Art Museum/The Dinosaur Place, Project Oceanology at Avery Point and CUSH (Clean Up Stonington Harbor).
CUSH is collaborating with Windows-on-Our-Waters, an organization dedicated to educating the public on watershed protection and preservation that will bring its Tidepool Cruiser to the aquarium during the celebration. This interactive truck, designed for kids, features a touch tank, microscope station, storm water pollution models and more.
This celebration is made possible by a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
National Estuaries Day began in 1988 as part of Coast Weeks to educate the public on the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. Situated between the Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay estuaries, the aquarium is the perfect place to celebrate this important day and learn about these fascinating ecosystems.
