Conservation Weekend officially kicks off today at Liberty Science Center! This special three-day event coincides with earth Day on Saturday, April 22 and lasts through Sunday, April 23. The entire building is packed with conservation activities, experiments and labs.

We started getting ready for Conservation Weekend even earlier in the week: On Monday, LSC received a visit from famed herpetologist Kevin Torregrosa, who shared his vast knowledge of crocodilians and even let guests touch and examine reptile skulls.

Another program held in the days leading up to Conservation Weekend was our diving demonstration, where guests got to see LSC’s resident aquarist, Chris Dufford, dive in our River Corridor tank.

Chris cares daily for all of the fish and animals in the gallery, and guests were able to see him in action alongside our Black Drum, Striped Bass, Tautog, and Fluke. Chris dives in our River Corridor tank in LSC’s Our Hudson Home exhibit about once a month to clean the substrate at the bottom of the tank, and also to clean the inside of the glass.

While guests watched Chris go about his routine, our Animal Interpretation Associate was on hand to explain the importance of scuba diving to scientists. Scientists dive into our oceans to study marine life, and bring awareness to others about the current state of the ocean.

Guests were able to learn about “Hope Spots,” which are areas in the ocean that are critical to the ocean’s health – similar to our National Parks on land. They also learned about the famous diver and oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. Her Mission Blue Project aims to increase ocean protection from 5.1% to at least 30% by the year 2030.

Finally, guests learned that scuba divers help us to study the effects of negative human impacts in the ocean, such as pollution, overfishing, and climate change. By bringing awareness to these issues, we can help to reverse negative human impacts and protect our oceans around the world!

Learn more about Conservation Weekend at LSC.