MEDIA Most Recent Press Releases Listed First See left column for articles in the news FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    CONTACT:  Gracelyn Guyol, President, CUSH June 12, 2009                                         (860) 535-4134 TidePool Cruiser and CUSH to Promote Ocean Preservation Stonington, CT --Gary Poe and his TidePool Cruiser have educated roughly 50,000 kids about preserving the ocean.   Half of the CUSH (Clean Up Stonington Harbors) mission is educating residents about ways to improve local waters.  This summer, Poe and CUSH will join forces at four events aimed at local families: July 4, 9 am-5 pm, during Mystic Seaport's All American Picnic Week July 11, 7-10 pm, at the Westerly/Pawcatuck Riverglow August 1, 10 am-4 pm, at the Stonington Village Fair September 27, 10 am-4 pm, at Mystic Aquarium's National Estuaries Day. The TidePool Cruiser made its debut on Earth Day 2002, entertaining and enlightening more than 850,000 people since at annual celebrations.   Where Poe's Windows-On-Our-Waters Environmental Education (WOOWEE) Program has had the most profound impact, however, is with school children.  The TidePool Cruiser has logged 25,000 miles and just completed the Great American Sea Star Trek, educating more than 1,700 children at 14 schools in 11 states and the District of Columbia. School adventures start during an assembly where urban runoff and stormwater pollution are explained.  Hands-on demonstrations illustrate sources of pollution and how it can be stopped.   Students then go outdoors to the TidePool Cruiser itself for a “worms' eye view” of a storm drain full of trash, pesticides, oil, fertilizer, and additional pollutants on their way to be deposited, untreated, into streams, rivers, coastal harbors, and the ocean. As students move around the cruiser, they enjoy the “Travelin' Tide Pool Touch Tank,” handling living sea stars, sea urchins, marine snails, kelp, and other ocean life.  At an “Examination Station” with preserved specimens of marine life, they get a closer look through magnifiers and a microscope.  In the “General Store of the Sea” section, scanning a barcode on one of several dozen products brings up a description of the product and its ocean connections on an overhead monitor. Gary Poe attended Kent State University and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  He has appeared off and on Broadway in a variety of plays.  As a teacher, he was Senior Educator for seven years at Safe Moves, an award winning Children's Transportation and Safety organization and served as science educator at Venice Camp in Los Angeles and docent at the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom in Beverly Hills' Franklin Canyon.  He is a member of the North American Association for Environmental Education, the National Marine Educators Association, Southwest Marine/Aquatic Educators Association, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Windows-On-Our-Waters (www.windowsonourwaters.org) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational organization.    CUSH, Inc. (www.cushinc.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that conducts scientific water testing to document Stonington harbor conditions and educates residents on how to improve local waters through Harbor Friendly Yards, Eco-Safe Boating, and other programs.   ##### (Permission is granted to reproduce this release in whole or part by crediting writer Gracelyn Guyol or CUSH, Inc.  E-photos available on request.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          CONTACT:  Gracelyn Guyol, President July 2, 2008                          gguyol@aol.com or (860) 535-4134      Free Nature Conservancy Lecture, July 24, 8 pm Topics Include Scallop Restoration Project for Stonington Waters and Six Miles of New Pawcatuck River Protection Members of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will provide an update on a several-year action plan for Long Island Sound on Thursday evening, July 24, 2008, at 8 pm, in the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club community room, 32 Water Street, Stonington Borough.   The event is free and the public are invited. Speakers will include Dr. Lise Hanners, Executive Director of the TNC Connecticut Chapter, who will outline long-term plans to protect and restore key estuaries.   Kevin Essington, Director of the TNC Borderlands Landscape Program in Connecticut, will review activities along the Pawcatuck River, centering on the recent acquisition of 600 acres that now provides a six mile protected stretch of river.    Chris Littlefield, Director of TNC Special Projects for the Rhode Island Chapter, and Alan Desbonnet of the Stonington Shellfish Commission, will address the scallop project.  TNC will direct private and government funds to begin raising scallops in Stonington waters, focusing first on Little Narragansett Bay.  Although some beds currently exist, the project is intended to increase their numbers to provide badly needed filtration services in the area and eventually offer opportunities for scallop farming. ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    CONTACT:  Gracelyn Guyol, President May 9, 2008                                    gguyol@aol.com or (860) 535-4134      Poison in the Grass?  Health Risks from Lawn Chemicals      Stonington, CT - Blurred vision, speech difficulties, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, irritability, and breathing problems are just a few of the short term reactions to chemicals routinely sprayed on lawns across America.  Competing for picture perfect turf carries long term health risks too.  Increased cancers, birth defects, and damage to the endocrine, nervous and immune systems, are just a few that will be discussed by Susan Addiss, MPH, MurS, at a free public lecture June 4, 2008, 7:30 pm, Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, 32 Water Street, Stonington Borough.      Addiss is Past Commissioner of Health for the State of Connecticut; Past Director of Health for the Quinnipiack Valley Health District; Past President of the American Public Health Association; Past member of the Pew Environmental Health Commission.  She is currently Director of Health Education for Environment & Human Health, Inc., a North Haven nonprofit founded to protect the public from environmental harms through research, education and promotion of sound public policy.   To schedule an interview with Susan Addiss, please contact Gracelyn Guyol (above).      For information on the impact of pesticides on children, adults, sea life, and birds, go to http://www.cushinc.org/id135.htm and scroll down. CUSH (Clean Up Stonington Harbors) is a nonprofit founded in 2007 with the goals of reducing water pollution in local harbors, between the Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers, and restoring a healthy marine habitat. ###