~ Community Programs ~

Cruises, Events & Opportunities
to Access Cayuga Lake and Engage with the Work we do!

Discover Cayuga Lake is committed to creating opportunities for everyone to engage with the lake. We offer cruises and events that encourage recreation and education to emphasize all that is great about our lakes while also highlighting issues of concern. We are working with local partners to create inspiring experiences that speak to all segments of our community and we welcome your ideas!

Our Community Access Program includes:

• COMMUNITY SUNSET CRUISES - WEDNESDAYS AT SUNSET/free, donation based
  Local presenters host discussions and activities related to their interests and our mission, and occasional Trivia Nights. along with a beautiful Cayuga sunset. See below for the schedule of topics and presenters.

• CLUB CAYUGA CRUISES - SUNDAYS AT SUNSET/reduced fare
  Lively music with local DJs on board featuring a variety of musical genres. See below for a schedule for the season.

• FAMILY ECO-CRUISES - FRIDAY MORNINGS IN JULY AND AUGUST/donation based.
  Oriented towards young children and their caregivers, with rotating fun and educational activities on board. Click here for a link to the schedule.

• LAKE MONITORING CRUISES -SUNDAY AFTERNOONS/free, donation based
  We assist local efforts to monitor lake conditions. Come engage in Citizen Science to learn about and contribute to the health of our lake and scroll to the bottom of the page to learn a bit more about what we do on board. Click Here to book or email us with your interest.

• LAKE LOVER SEASON PASSES - Discounts for multiple cruises throughout the season.
  Click here for more information.

• VOLUNTEER! Opportunities are available for locals to be trained to work with our educational and citizen science programs, to help us with boat maintenance, etc. Please email us with your interest!

• INTERNSHIPS for High School students and Young Adults. Click here for more information.

• COLLABORATIONS with local non-profit and municipal organizations such as the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) which monitors for Harmful Algal Blooms, the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization.

• We also welcome NEW IDEAS and ask you to be in touch with us if you have any you’d like to share!

COMMUNITY SUNSET CRUISES - on wednesdays at sunset

2023 Community Cruise Calendar:

• June 7th - WATER TRIVIA

• June 14th - tbd

• June 21st - Paint a Tile Project with DCL Director, Bill Foster

• June 28th - Caring for Cayuga w Liz Kreitinger, Director of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network

• July 5th - the Art of Knot Tying with DCL Captain Stephanie Gray

• July 12th - tbd, possibly WATER TRIVIA

• July 19th - Water Poetry/La Poesia del Agua with local poet Gladira Velazquez Simms (Latino Conservation Week event)

• July 26th - Haudenosaunee Culture & Food with Michelle Cronin (Onondoga Nation)

• August 2nd - Water & Climate Change from Cayuga to the World with Adele Carrere from the National Geographic

• August 9th - American Lake Monsters Part 2 with Ben Sandsberg, Director of The History Center

• August 16th - tbd

• August 23rd - tbd

• August 30th - tbd

• September 6th - Apple & Cider History and Tastings with local Cider Maker, Melissa Madden

• September 13th - The History of Boats and Boat Building on Cayuga with Eve Snyder of The History Center

• September 20th - Microplastics in our Lake with Ithaca College Prof. Susan Allen-Gil

• September 27th - Fall Forests and Foliage with City Forester Jeanne Grace & Jules Ginenthal

• October 5th - DCL and Sustainable Finger Lakes’ Carbon Offsetting Initiatives & Celebration

NOTES:

• Wednesdays - Times vary by sunset, 1.5 hours long

• Community Cruises are free or pay-as-you-can donation based, to ensure affordability for everyone in our community. Your contribution, however, will help us keep providing community lake access and high quality education programs. We welcome your support and feedback, as well!

• If you are interested to be a presenter on the boat, or know someone who would be interested, please be in touch. Presentations can range from a variety of topics that touch upon history, art, culture, social equity, environmental topics and more.

• You should book your Community Cruise ahead of time, by selecting the date of interest in our Booking Calendar. Click Below.

club cayuga SUNSET CRUISES

2023 Calendar of Events

Live local DJs and Musicians while you cruise
and admire the sunsets!

• Reggae Sunset Cruise w DJ Mike Judah - (July 9th?, July 30th, August 27th, Sept. 17th, Oct. 1st)

• Salsa at Sunset w DJ Michael Luis - (June 25th, July 23rd, Aug. 20th, Sept. 24th, Oct. 8th)

• Grown & Sexy Cruise w DJ ha-MEEN - (June 18th, July 16th, Aug. 13th, Sept. 10th, Oct. 15th)

• Djug Django Duo - (June 11th, July 2nd?, Aug. 6th, Sept. 3rd)

  NOTES:

• Sundays through September, times vary by sunset. 2 hour long

• Club Cayuga prices are $30/adult or 2 for $50

• BOOK YOUR CLUB CAYUGA CRUISE AHEAD OF TIME, by selecting the date of interest in our Booking Calendar. Click Below.

family eco-cruises

Parents, bring your kids on board for engaging and hands-on weekly activities that will be both fun and educational!

LAKE MONITORING cruises

Cayuga Water Lab

A typical Cayuga Water Lab Cruise has four stations on the boat at a deep water site, including field/weather conditions, GPS sampling location, Secchi clarity, Water temperature and pH profile, plankton survey.  

Plankton Sampling

We use a plankton net to gather teeming hordes of tiny but diverse living organisms from the lake.

Plankton Microscopy

With scopes, available on-board, participants learn to observe and identify the plankton they've collected.

Water Clarity Analysis

How far does sunlight travel down into the lake? This is an essential measurement when we're monitoring the the environment under the water's surface.

Profiling the Lake at Different Depths

What changes happen when you start moving from the surface of the water down into the depths of the lake? Depth profiles help us understand how the structure of the lake is changing from one day to the next.

Sample and Investigate Aquatic Plants

There are many different aquatic plants. Participants can dredge up samples from the bottom of the lake and record data on what plant species they find.

Collect and Analyze Sediment Samples

The lake's ecosystem is more than just the water column. Keep going down below the sediment, and there is so much more to discover!

Invasive Species Survey

An Invasive Species Survey features shallow water stops at multiple locations and aquatic plant sampling and observation.

For more detailed information about these activities and our educational programs, please click here.