All Entries Tagged With: "volunteer"
Save The Bay Seal Tour Season Kicks off in Westerly on October 10
PROVIDENCE, RI – Save The Bay will kick off its 2015 seal tour season in Westerly, R.I. on October 10. Called nature cruises because of the beauty of the fall foliage, Westerly tours consist of a 90-minute ride down the scenic Pawtucket River and into Narragansett Bay. Enjoy peaceful views and a glimpse of winter harbor seal visitors as they rest on rocks and shorelines on Saturdays, Sundays, and public school vacation days from October 10 – December 31, 2015.
Dr. Allison Tuttle, VP of Biological Programs at Mystic Aquarium, will be on board and giving information on the seals during the tours.
For the first time ever, Save The Bay is partnering with Mystic Aquarium on October 18th, 24th, and November 15th. Mystic Aquarium is a founding member of the Greater Atlantic Region Stranding Network, and is permitted by NOAA Fisheries to respond to stranded marine mammals through a Stranding Agreement. Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program consists of more than 250 trained public First Responder volunteers who act as the “first response” to animal stranding reports. Mystic maintains a rehabilitation clinic at Mystic Aquarium that is specifically designed for managing different seal species during their rehabilitation.
“I get to work my dream job at Mystic Aquarium,” says Tuttle. “I embrace the novelty each day brings from quarantining new fish to performing surgery on an injured animal, but my main medical interests lay in infectious disease and preventative medicine.”
Save The Bay’s seal tours have taken place for more than 15 years throughout the months of October and April since the seals come into the harbor to feed during those months. Binoculars are provided to participants of the seal tours along with an educational view of winter marine seals in their natural habitat by Save The Bay’s expert guides.
“I have been doing the seal tours for two years now. Last year we saw a lot of seals but overall it’s a very scenic tour because it’s around the time the leaves are changing. There are not just seals – there’s lots of birds, and other animals,” Dan Blount, Education Spet and Boat Captain said.
Prices for the Westerly nature cruises are $22 for non-members and $17 for Save The Bay members, seniors and children aged 3-12. The Seal Cruises depart the Viking Marina at 19 Margin Street, Westerly, R.I. For more information and to purchase tour tickets, visit Save The Bay’s seal tour website at www.savebay.org/seals.
Save The Bay’s seal tours have taken place for more than 15 years throughout the months of October and April since the seals come into the harbor to feed during those months. Binoculars are provided to participants of the seal tours along with an educational view of winter marine seals in their natural habitat by Save The Bay’s expert guides.
REI Partners With Save The Bay: REI Village to be at Oakland Beach ICC Cleanup Site
CRANSTON, RI –Save The Bay is proud to team up with REI, a sponsor for this year’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). REI will be bringing the REI Village, a nation-wide tour that celebrates the good outdoor life and the REI member community, to the International Coastal Cleanup location at Oakland Beach in Warwick, RI at 9am – 12pm on Saturday, September 19. Special activities and opportunities await volunteers who participate in the ICC Oakland Beach cleanup.
“REI is thrilled to support Save The Bay at the 2015 International Coastal Cleanup. We are excited to announce that REI will be bringing the REI Village to the event. We will be celebrating volunteers by passing out gifts and interacting with the public. REI is very proud of the work Save the Bay does to keep our local beaches clean, safe, and healthy,” says Alaina Imberger, REI’s market coordinator.
At the REI Village, ICC volunteers and members of the public will enjoy giveaways, free lessons from REI Outdoor School instructors, games, demonstrations and more. The REI village consists of “a fully-functional bike repair shop, an instant outdoor hammock lounge, and spaces for members to relax and meet each other.” Volunteers and the public will be able to experience REI’s mobile camp setup experience. Sponsors like REI make it possible for the International Coastal Cleanup to be a success.
“The exciting thing about the International Coastal Cleanup is that it is an event on such a grand scale. We are united with people around the world who care just as much about their beaches as we do in Rhode Island,” says July Lewis, Save The Bay’s Volunteer Manager.
Organized by the Ocean Conservancy, the ICC is a worldwide event that recruits volunteers from all over the globe to help keep coastlines clean by removing trash and recording what is found at the cleanup sites. This year’s ICC takes place on September 19, 2015. Last year in Rhode Island, 16,368 pounds of trash were removed from the beaches. The top 10 items collected were cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bottle caps, plastic beverage bottles, fishing line, straws, beverage cans, plastic bags, glass bottles and metal bottle caps.
National Grid is the lead sponsor for this year’s International Coastal Cleanup; Citizens Bank is the event signature sponsor. Other sponsors include: Bank of America, Hemenway’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar, REI, ZipCar, Packaging 2.0, Clean Ocean Access, Walmart, Professional Security Services and Northups. For more information about sponsorship or partnership with Save The Bay, contact Leanne Danielsen at ldanielsen@savebay.org.
United Water Makes $20,000 Donation To Support Save The Bay’s Environmental Education and Volunteer Program
PROVIDENCE, RI – Save The Bay executive director Jonathan Stone and Ed Wallace, executive director of the United Water Foundation, are pleased to announce a $20,000 donation from United Water Foundation to support Save The Bay’s environmental education and volunteer programs. In celebration of the gift, project managers from across United Water joined Save The Bay staff in June for a cookout and check presentation.
“United Water is first and foremost an environmental company, “said Wallace. “We have a major presence in the New England area and care deeply about the water that breathes life in the communities we serve and our neighbor’s communities. When we find good organizations, like Save the Bay, that are working to protect these waterways, we are eager to support their cause.”
“We are grateful to United Water for this generous gift, which is a testament to the company’s commitment to water quality and the environmental resources of this region,” said Stone. “The students who participate in our education programs, and the beautiful beaches that our dedicated volunteers regularly clean-up are the real beneficiaries here. These programs wouldn’t be possible without the support of committed partners like United Water,” he said.
Each year, Save The Bay organizes and supports the work of more than 3,000 volunteers who pick up debris at dozens of shoreline sites, help with habitat restoration, offer administrative support, serve eco-tourists, and much more. It also presents marine science and environmental education programming to more than 15,000 schoolchildren each year to build the next generation of ambassadors for Narragansett Bay
