May 2012 – SoundWaters Honors Gov. Dannel Malloy for Environmental Achievements

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SoundWaters presented Governor Dannel P. Malloy with the first Founder’s Award to recognize his passion and commitment to education and to Long Island Sound. More than 400 guests toasted the Governor at SoundWaters 17th annual Tall Ships Ball, held May 12 at Harbor Point Waterfront in Stamford, to benefit SoundWaters education programs.

A Founder’s Award Scholarship Fund was established in honor of Gov. Malloy and future recipients of the award. The fund will assist in providing hands-on environmental science programs to students from underserved communities and ensure that every child, regardless of family circumstance, has the opportunity to explore science in the real world.

Since taking office, Gov. Malloy has championed key issues to help preserve and improve Connecticut’s environment. His initiatives promote greenspace, energy efficiency, clean energy and public transit. His initiatives are becoming a national model and he serves as chair of the National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee.

As mayor of Stamford, Malloy shared SoundWaters vision to create a Coastal Education Center at Cove Island Park and he was instrumental in making it possible for SoundWaters to renovate the former Holly House Mansion. Nearly 12 years later, the Center continues as a valued environmental resource for visitors and students throughout the region. Its location on Long Island Sound offers a perfect venue for more than 25,000 students a year to experience and discover science through hands-on activities. These include seining for small marine animals, canoeing to explore coastal habitats, and performing multiple experiments in the Learning Lab and Teaching Aquarium.

In receiving his award, Gov. Malloy emphasized the importance of a Long Island Sound education: “As we introduce young people to Long Island Sound ? and its power and its authority, and the life that lives within it and the life that it gives ? we are better off.”

Photo by Michael Popowitz