Tag: Long Island Sound

Explore the Shore and the Sound at the Bruce Museum Seaside Center

Bruce Museum Seaside Center

The Bruce Museum Seaside Center is an environmental and cultural facility located in the Innis Arden Cottage on Greenwich Point, one of the East Coast’s most scenic coastlines. During summer months, Seaside Center personnel encourage Point visitors to drop-in and explore the local shore and marine life.

Daily activities at the Seaside Center may include guided nature walks which incorporate the geology and ecology of Greenwich Point; study and identification of Greenwich Point flora and fauna; marine organism anatomy dissections; plankton viewing with microscopes; arts and crafts; and much more! Guests can also enjoy the Seaside Center’s facilities at their own leisurely pace viewing the dioramas, interactive exhibits, and live specimens in the marine-life touch tank and aquariums.

Open through September 2, with special events scheduled throughout the year, regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Beach passes are required for entrance into Greenwich Point. Fees for non-residents are $5 per person plus $20 for parking. For additional information call the Bruce Museum at 203 869-0376 or visit the website at www.brucemuseum.org.

JanetLeave a comment

Maritime Aquarium’s Cruises Go Daily in July

Study Cruise aboard the Oceanic

Share a memorable boat ride with crabs, fish, lobsters and other creatures brought up right out of Long Island Sound right before your eyes during daily study cruises this summer with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The Aquarium’s exciting Marine Life Study Cruises will begin their daily schedule on July 1, departing at 1 p.m. each day through Labor Day. (In June, they push off at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.)

During each 21/2-hour Marine Life Study Cruise aboard the research vessel Oceanic, animals are collected from different water levels and bottom habitats of the Sound. A video microscope provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. Tiny crabs and worms emerge from a sampling of the anaerobic muddy bottom. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, snails and mollusks. And everyone inspects the trawl net’s bounty – varieties of fish and crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

The outings are much more than a boat ride. Maritime Aquarium educators involve participants in the processes, from sorting through samples to helping to pull in the trawl net and returning animals to the water. These animal encounters have immediate and incredible value in showing participants that the Sound is very much alive and worthy of our protection.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database on the physical and biological features of the Sound. The database, available online for teachers and researchers, will reveal any changes in the Sound over time.

Also during the study cruises, as part of a Horseshoe Crab Census conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, The Maritime Aquarium tags and records data about all horseshoe crabs collected.

Cost of a Marine Life Study Cruise is $20.50 per person ($18.50 for Maritime Aquarium members). All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall. Reservations are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold space permitting. The Oceanic can accommodate 29 passengers. Marine Life Study Cruises also are available for private 9 a.m. charters for summer camps, Scouts and other groups. Cruises depart from the dock near the Aquarium’s IMAX Theater entrance. To reserve your spot on a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise, or for more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. For more information visit www.MaritimeAquarium.org. For regional information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

JanetLeave a comment

Study Cruises at Maritime Aquarium Opens Through June 20

Oceanic Research Vessel

Share a memorable boat ride with crabs, fish, lobsters and other creatures brought up right out of Long Island Sound right before your eyes in a new season of hands-on study cruises with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The Aquarium’s exciting Marine Life Study Cruises will depart on Saturdays at 1 p.m. through June 30. They’ll push off at 1 p.m. daily in July and August.

The recent ‘FINtastic RefurbFISHment,’at The Maritime Aquarium’s exhibits are devoted to teaching visitors about Long Island Sound. The best exhibits can’t top the immediacy and impact when study-cruise participants see these animals come up onto the boat right in front of them.

During each 21/2-hour Marine Life Study Cruise aboard the research vessel Oceanic, animals are collected from different water levels and bottom habitats of the Sound. A video microscope provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. Tiny crabs and worms emerge from a sampling of the anaerobic muddy bottom. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, snails and mollusks. And everyone inspects the trawl net’s bounty – varieties of fish and crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

The outings are much more than a boat ride. Maritime Aquarium educators involve participants in the processes, from sorting through samples to helping to pull in the trawl net and returning animals to the water. These animal encounters have immediate and incredible value in showing participants that the Sound is very much alive and worthy of protection.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database on the physical and biological features of the Sound. The database, available online for teachers and researchers, will reveal any changes in the Sound over time.

Also during the study cruises, as part of a Horseshoe Crab Census conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, The Maritime Aquarium tags and records data about all horseshoe crabs collected.

Cost of a Marine Life Study Cruise is $20.50 per person ($18.50 for Maritime Aquarium members). All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall.

Reservations are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold space permitting. The Oceanic can accommodate 29 passengers.

Marine Life Study Cruises also are available for private weekday charters for schools, summer camps, Scouts and other groups at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Cruises depart from the dock near the Aquarium’s IMAX Theater entrance.

To reserve your spot on a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise, or for more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

JanetLeave a comment

Classic Schooner Sails SoundWaters Opens this Weekend!

Anyone who has ever dreamed about gliding full sail on a classic schooner should visit SoundWaters, an environmental education organization located in Cove Island Park in Stamford. They offer regular sails on the SoundWaters, an 80-foot three-masted replica of a 19th Century sharpie schooner, which leaves from Brewer Yacht Haven Marina in Stamford.

Afternoon sails from 3 to 5 p.m. on selected dates from June through August are great for families with children age 5 and up, offering the chance to help hoist the sails and raise the trawl to discover who lives underwater. This summer, afternoon sails are offered on the following dates: Sunday, May 29, Sunday, June 12, Saturday, June 25, Sunday, June 26, Sunday, July 3, Saturday, July 9, Saturday, July 16, Sunday, July 17, Saturday, July 23, Saturday, July 30, Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.

Sunset Sails on selected weekends and weeknights from June through August are intended for adults, who are invited to bring dinner and their favorite beverages on baord and relax while watching the sun go down. These sails are intended for Adults, as alcohol is often brought on board. Sunset Sails are offered 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm on the following dates this season: Sunday, May 29, Sunday, June 12, Saturday, June 25, Sunday, June 26, Tuesday, June 28, Sunday, July 3, Wednesday, July 6, Friday, July 8, Saturday, July 9, Friday, July 15, Saturday, July 16, Sunday, July 17, Wednesday, July 20, Friday, July 22, Saturday, July 2, Wednesday, July 27, Friday, July 29, Saturday, July 30, Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.

On July 2 Soundwaters is offering a “Fireworks Sail”, that is truely an unforgettable event that is set against the dramatic backdrop of Long Island Sound from 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm. Tickets for this very special sail are $75 per person.

Tickets for Afternoon and Sunset Sails are $30 per person and all children must be at least five years old. To reserve your space please call 203-406-3335 with a credit card. Prior to the day of the sail, tickets are also available at the SoundWaters Center in Cove Island Park and can be purchased by credit card, cash or check. Spaces on day of sail are available first come first served. Passengers can pay in person (cash or check) on the day of sail dockside (Brewers Yacht Haven Marina). Note that these spaces are not guaranteed. For any additional questions or if you would like to make advance resevations phone (203) 406-3335 or email hstarks@soundwaters.org.

To reach the Marina coming from the North on I-95:-Take I-95 South to Exit 7. Merge onto N State St (merge into the middle lane, the far left lane will take you back to I-95 South). Turn left on to Washington Blvd (5th Traffic Light) Washington Blvd will turn into Dyke Lane Continue on Dyke Lane. Take a right onto Batemen Way. Turn left into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina and follow the pavement to the southwest corner of the marina. The Schooner SoundWaters is located at Dock S1.

Coming from the South on I-95: -Take I-95 North to Exit 7.-Merge onto S State St-Turn right onto Washington Blvd-Washington Blvd will turn into Dyke Lane- Continue on Dyke Lane.- Take a right onto Batemen Way- Turn left into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina and follow the pavement to the southwest corner of the marina. The Schooner SoundWaters is located at Dock S1.

The gate into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina is open Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm and Saturday 8:00am – 1:00pm. If your sail is after 5:00 pm on a weekday, after 1:00 pm on Saturday, or on a Sunday, a SoundWaters staff member will be at the entrance gate into Brewers Yacht Haven Marina 30 minutes prior to the start of the sail to check in passengers and direct you to parking. You must check in at the gate 5 minutes prior to the start of the sail.

JanetLeave a comment