May 25—CLAYTON — Save The River’s Floating Classroom is back this summer with more days on the water being added to the schedule. But funding for a related program held during the school year has been cut, resulting in a fund drive to keep it operating.
Floating Classroom Camp Days of summer offer students the chance to learn about the St. Lawrence River ecosystem through a variety of lessons and activities, including guest presentations from partners like the Thousand Islands Biological Station, St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, the U.S. Coast Guard, local college professors and more.
The Floating Classroom is the summer version of Save The River’s “On the Water” program, which is in financial jeopardy after 16 years in operation. Both programs take students on boat field trips, but On the Water is organized with teachers during the school year to take their classes out on the St. Lawrence River. Due to federal funding cuts throughout New York State, Save the River announced recently that its On the Water education program is no longer eligible for a grant.
Earlier this year, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced new guidelines for their Connect Kids to Parks Field Trip grant. Funding from this program originally covered the cost of boat transportation to and from popular sites along the St. Lawrence, like state parks only accessible by water. The new stipulations no longer cover the cost of boat transportation
“Save the River is concerned about the funding cuts because On the Water is our most accessible way to put students on the water,” said Emma French, outreach coordinator for Save the River. “Being directly through the schools, parents don’t need to worry about extra costs, drop off and pick up, etcetera. Floating Classroom is an independent sign-up for parents in the summer and open to both local and seasonal students.”
Save The River has launched a fund drive to sponsor the On the Water program, which operates with the help of Clayton Island Tours. Field trip boats are specifically designed to immerse students in the St. Lawrence River.
The nonprofit is asking $30 to sponsor a student, which would allow that student from a local school access to experience the ecological importance of the river.
For details on making a donation, go to savetheriver.org/otw-fundraiser.
For this summer’s Floating Classroom program, mornings will include guided boat tours along different sections of the river thanks to partners like the Antique Boat Museum and Clayton Island Tours.
Camp days run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with varying drop-off locations depending on the programming.
There is a $10 registration fee per student.
For students in grade 1 to 5, Save The River is holding two camp days: July 28th at the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center and Aug. 14 at the Antique Boat Museum.
For middle and high school students, a camp day with the Thousand Islands Biological Station is on July 17 and the second is Aug. 4 at the nature center.
To register or for more information, go to savetheriver.org/floating-classroom/. STR Education Coordinator Dan Bellinger is also available for questions at education@savetheriver.org or (315) 686-2010.