Our Mission
TO CULTIVATE INFORMED AND EQUITABLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE WATERSHEDS UPON WHICH THEY DEPEND, WITH A FOCUS ON CAYUGA LAKE.
Discover Cayuga provides experiential learning opportunities, accessible to all, in the interest of sustaining the waterways of the Finger Lakes for current and future generations. We offer Public Eco-Cruises on Cayuga Lake, intended to both engage visitors and generate financial support for free and low-cost Community Access Cruises and education programs such as the Floating Classroom and Finger Lakes Trout in the Classroom. The Cayuga Lake Watershed is our home and the focal area of our programming, but we strive to educate in context with regional and global issues and affiliations.
OUR VALUES:
1. Sustainability: Our work is rooted in the principles of 7th Generation living, which requires social, economic and environmental justice, and includes the right of all two-legged, four-legged, winged and finned beings to clean and healthy water now and in the future.
2. Think Global, Act Local: We understand and emphasize the interconnected nature of all life and the effects of our actions on others downstream and around the world. Our work brings social and economic benefits to our local communities so that our collective, positive efforts can ripple outward.
3. Collaboration: We believe that resources, ideas and projects are more effective and long lasting when done in partnership with others. To this end, we seek a diversity of perspectives and work to identify common interests. We seek opportunities to partner with sister organizations and strengthen our collective actions.
4. Direct Experience: Our educational philosophy is based on our conviction that direct interactions with nature are a prerequisite for impactful educational experiences and for caring about the earth’s resources. Access to nature-based activities and hands-on learning are thus central to our programming, providing motivation to learn and the search for creative solutions.
5. Hope, Optimism and Play: We acknowledge that there is much suffering in the world, and seek to counter despair and dismay by encouraging hope, choosing optimism and validating the need for all to take time in their lives to play, relax and recharge their energy to engage with the critical issues of our times.
Policy Statement regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: DCL is committed as an organization to work towards becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive in its board, staff, interns, and programming in order to provide the most meaningful and engaging programs for all members of our community.
Sustainable Travel Policy: Our cruises are based on the principles of Eco-Tourism which we define as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and offers interpretation and educational programming”.
Please consider getting involved or making a financial contribution to support our work.
Thank you for your interest!
Learn more about what we do and stay connected via:
Our boat, the MV Teal, at the Allan H. Treman Marina
What's in a name?
The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom becomes "Discover Cayuga Lake"
For fifteen years, until February 2018, we were known as the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom. We changed our name to Discover Cayuga Lake to keep our Floating Classroom work at the forefront but also better highlight our work offering public eco-cruises, as well as our Trout in the Classroom programming. This new branding helps us refer to our work in a way that reflects the way we think of it: one organization with three amazing projects.
Discover Cayuga Lake, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and is legally and financially responsible for all our project activities.