On Sunday afternoon, September 15, New York State Parks partnered with Audubon New York to host the second annual Latino Conservation Week event at Sunken Meadow State Park attended by hundreds of patrons. The goal of the event was to increase accessibility of coastal education and outreach messaging, including Audubon New York’s shorebird conservation outreach to the Latine community on Long Island. Towards this goal, four Spanish language interpreters lent their services to make this a bilingual event.

In 2023, Audubon New York hosted an event at Sunken Meadow State Park that consisted of conservation presentations on the beach, guided beach bird walks, a beach-wide cleanup and multiple interactive activities including a touch tank and arts and crafts.

Like last year, this year’s event was aimed at attracting Long Island and New York City families to learn about conservation work around Long Island, take part in volunteer activities, and find out about local conservation groups that they can volunteer with or join. All event advertising and event activities were bilingual, and Spanish translators assisted in the creation of event marketing, promotions, and educational materials.

Sunken Meadow State Park Assistant Director Marco Flores kicked off the event with opening remarks, welcoming attendees to the celebration of Latino culture and the outdoors.

“We are all working towards conserving our natural spaces and preserving these sights for future generations,” Flores said. “We are constantly encouraging our communities to come out, have fun, and enjoy these beautiful environments… We at New York State Parks are delighted to share this day, and week, with you all. We proudly work with Audubon New York to have visitors interact with nature and experience the outdoors.”

Visitors spent the afternoon enjoying a variety of outdoor conservation activities. AMSEAS (Atlantic Marine Conservation Society) led a beach cleanup to help keep the shoreline clean and safe for marine life and shore birds. Two beach cleanup volunteers posed with a fishing pole that was found covered with shells!

At 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., armed with binoculars, participants set out on bird walks guided by Audubon New York and State Parks staff to seek out the birds that live at Sunken Meadow State Park.

At 1:30, NY Sea Grant, NY State DEC, and Long Island Sound Study staff came together to lead a fun and interactive fishing program. Participants had the opportunity to slip on some waders, fish using a seine net (a type of net that hangs vertically in the water), and observe the animals they caught to explore the biodiversity of the Long Island estuary. Some of the species caught included grass shrimp, sand shrimp, Atlantic silversides, and juvenile crabs.

The last major event of the day was a Salt Marsh Seed Collection activity led by Audubon New York staff. Participants learned about the value of salt marshes and collected seeds from marsh plants to be used in future restoration projects. There was also a demonstration of monarch butterfly tagging!

Throughout the event, the following conservation organizations were present and provided tabling, demonstrations, and interactive activities:

• Audubon New York
• Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
• NY State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
• Seatuck Environmental Association
• Suffolk County Community College
• Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
• Long Island Sound Study
• Department of Environmental Conservation, Marine Services
• Suffolk County Dept. of Health Services, Office of Minority Health
• Nature Conservancy
• North Shore Land Alliance

New York State Parks was proud to host this Latino Conservation Week event in partnership with Audubon New York, and looks forward to next year’s event!

– Written by Katie Schnepp, NY State Parks Environmental Educator, in collaboration with Audubon NY