Here’s the third and final sticker in our Protect Our Wildlife series. The tautog has a stout body with a strong tail, thick lips and a blunt nose. It can be found year round in the Sound in open waters near rocky shores, reefs, and pilings. By avoiding using throw-away plastics on the shoreline you are helping to protect the tautog and the more than 170 other species of finfish that call #LISound home. Please #DontTrashLISound. DontTrashLISound.net.
Happy Labor Day! And while you are resting consider volunteering your labor later in the month to help clean #LISound beaches. As part of International Coastal Cleanup Day, which is offically held on Sept. 15, but includes cleanups through October, the American Littoral Society in New York and Save the Sound in Connecticut are scheduling local beach cleanups this month and next. Check our web page at www.DontTrashLISound.net for their webllinks to find out how you can participate. Please, #DontTrashLISound. Photo is from year’s cleanup at Seaside Park in Bridgeport.
Sure, humans are responsible for protecting the Sound’s wildlife. But why not a service dog too? Marea goes out with her owner, Heather Bring, a volunteer at Mystic Aquarium, on #LISound beach cleanups. Marea knows how to pick up the trash. Follow her at #MareaSavestheSea and check out Marea’ video: http://ow.ly/g4FI50vdg1X
According to NOAA, at least 115 marine species in the US have been impacted by entanglement, including seals. In a 2014 report, NOAA noted that fishing gear used to be made of biodegradable materials such as hemp rope, while it’s mostly now made of plastic and other synthetic materials that pose a lasting threat to marine animals. http://ow.ly/nLnk50v1k3f
#LISound and Rhode Island are fortunate to have the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Clinic around to help injured marine wildlife. In April, a grey seal was found entangled with fiber around its neck in Block Island. First responders transported the seal to the clinic, and staff freed the seal from the entanglement. Thankfully, the skin was not cut underneath. Please be careful not to throw trash near #LISound, including plastic materials that can entangle wildlife. #DontTrashLISound and make sure that animals don’t get entangle in plastic. Here’s a video link to see the seal being released back into the water in Charlestown, RI. http://ow.ly/7bbs50uZKvB
Here’s the second sticker in our #ProtectOurWildlife series. Harp seals, particularly juveniles, are seen from around January to mid-May in #LISound. Adults often have harp-shaped marks on their backs, but the seals in our area are usually spotted. They are great swimmers, having the ability to stay underwater for as long as 15 minutes. Please protect these amazing animals from plastic waste. Break the #SingleUsePlastic habit. #DontTrashLISound.
This June Westchester County passed a law to ban polystytrene (Styrofoam) containers because of concerns that the plastic material can end up in waterways, including Long Island Sound. See article.
At the Steak Loft in Mystic you can listen to cool jazz (such as the J. Hunter Group) and do something cool for #LISound and the environment. The Steak Loft provides compostable cardboard carry-out containers instead of Styrofoam or plastic clamshells. #DontTrashLISound
The Sept.21 Mentor Teacher workshop has been rescheduled to Oct. 5. Here’s an updated Flyer.
The Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher Program, which is run by Connecticut Sea Grant with support from the Long Island Sound Study, is holding workshops in Stamford and Norwalk in September. Here’s the information if you are a teacher interested in participating:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7 – 10 am to 4 pm at Harbor Center at Boccuzzi Park, 200 Southfield Avenue.
Registration:
Questions:? contact: [email protected]
Workshop Highlights
Date: Saturday, Sept, 21 – 9 am to 3 pm
Come learn about a fourth generation family-owned farm that provides high quality, consistent and sustainable products from Long Island Sound.Tour the Sheffield Island Lighthouse, the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and learn how to take your students on an interdisciplinary field trip that incorporates NGSS, History and Science into an unforgettable interdisciplinary and educational experience for all grade levels.
Join us on the Norwalk Seaport Association ferry cruise to The Copps Island Oyster Company and Sheffield Island. Learn about the Oyster Industry from one of the last standing traditional oyster farms, the maritime history of Norwalk’s Harbor and make curricular connections with Next Generation Science Standards such as, HS LS2-6 , DCI LS2.A – Interdependent Relationships, DCI LS2., C – Ecosystem Dynamics, DCI LS4.D – Biodiversity and Humans and CCC Stability and Change, Systems and System Models.
Workshop Cost and Registration
1. Complete the Google form using the link below to register :
2. Cost: $10 venmo or check – details will be sent once registration is completed. Payment must be made to reserve your spot for the workshop
3. Goodie bags with various items will be given out too.
Class is limited to the first 20 paid registrations. A wait list will be kept. Please dress for the weather and be prepared to get wet, muddy and have fun. Bring your own lunch, bug spray and sunscreen we will be outdoors on an island for the majority of the day
Class is organized by Eva Bartush, a marine biology teach at Brien McMahon High School and Kimberly Smith,a marine biology teacher at AITE High School with help from The Norwalk Seaport Association and Norm Bloom and Son, and the The Copps Island Oyster Company.