It's My Estuary Day

 It's My Estuary Day is more than just a coastal cleanup organized by the New York State Marine Education Association (NYSMEA). This is a fun educational day where we connect community to nature. The event is open to the public as well as  a field trip for NYC public and private schools.  Among the educational organizations exhibiting and partnering with us will be The Coney Island Aquarium, The Billion Oyster Project, The New York Harbor School, Big Apple Divers, John Dewey High School, Kingsborough Community College, and City Parks,  just to mention a few. We will be cleaning up our shoreline and park while encouraging good community stewardship for this and future generations. NYSMEA will be conducting a demonstration dive of its’ new Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) We will be live streaming video from the bottom of the Coney Island Creek onto two large flat screen TVs while teachers and marine scientists give a live commentary of what is revealed. ROV’s have an expanding future in monitoring the aquatic environment. Related careers in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, marine biology and oceanography will be discussed. During the cleanup and at the tables pollution problems, especially the widespread use of plastics will be highlighted. There will be marine-related arts and crafts available for the younger children This event is open to everyone, especially to teachers and students in high density population, underserved communities. Participants will be introduced to SCUBA diving near the local shoreline and in deepwater where many reefs and shipwrecks provide fantastic opportunities for recreation and scientific research.

L&B Spumoni Gardens pizza will be served along with Nathan's hot dogs and Gabilla’s knishes - maintaining the Coney Island vibe.

* Saturday May 11th, 2024 in Kaiser Park, Coney Island

* Purchase supplies

* Lock in Brooklyn Bridge Park Boat House to provide the kayaks and staff

* Purchase sustainable plants 

* Purchase arts and crafts

This event brings the community and schools together in an open beautiful park alongside the NY Harbor overlooking the Verrazanno Bridge. It creates a sense of belonging to our community. We provide plenty of free snacks, beverages and food to all participants. We focus on educating students and the community on all things marine with an emphasis on topics and activities local to our Brooklyn waters. This event can serve as a field trip - so teachers in underserved communities can bring their students out to the park without having to worry about a budget or spending. We take that on - for the educators.