In recognition of Mother’s Day, we’re sharing a story of a Shelter Island Mom who is raising the next generation of environmental stewards.
Lora, who grew up on Shelter Island and whose Mom worked at the Mashomack Preserve, developed a love for the natural world at a young age. Now, as she raises her own kids on Shelter Island, she works to make sure that they develop that same connection to nature and grow up to be good stewards of the earth.
Lora feels that it is important to get her kids outside and away from the many indoor distractions. Her family spends a lot of time on the water – they go swimming, paddleboarding, explore the salt marsh, look for crabs, and go snapper-fishing at the end of the summer. She is also a Girl Scouts Leader and leads an Island-wide beach cleanup.
“Shelter Island is just like the rest of Long Island – we have our aquifer as our source of drinking water and that’s it.”
Lora worries about the serious water quality issues that are plaguing Long Island – problems like harmful algae blooms and fish kills, that are caused by the excess nitrogen entering our waters. She hopes that people will listen, take action and educate others, so that the next generation will have a beautiful natural world to inherit.
“It takes energy, but it pays off so much.”
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there that are raising the next generation of environmental leaders!
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