♦ CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ♦ NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY AUTHORITY ♦ NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ♦ HUDSON RIVER WATCH ♦
SCENIC HUDSON ♦ PETRAWORKS, Inc. ♦

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 4, 2007

For More Information:    Laura Miedema, CMOST – (518) 235-6835
                                      Marion Trieste, NYSTA – (518) 796-9241

Connecting the Drops - Working Together to Protect Clean Water  

Children’s Museum & NYS Unveil EnviroScape Model
Demonstrate the NYS Thruway Authority’s Role in Protecting Clean Water

Troy, NY – The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) and the New York State Thruway Authority were joined by Hudson River environmental groups and elementary school students today to celebrate the exciting opening of a new watershed model of the Hudson River. This interactive learning experience demonstrates how storm water and runoff carry pollution to New York’s lakes, rivers, and streams.

John Graydon Smith, President and CEO of the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology said, “We are very happy to introduce this new addition to our Hudson River exhibit. Kids will have a hands-on experience to help them understand a dynamic watershed and how to protect it.”

The custom-made model of the Hudson River Valley illustrates the flow of water in the landscape, and allows children to ‘pollute’ the watershed and then use environmentally-friendly ways to prevent this pollution.

"Protecting the environment and keeping New York's waterways clean while providing safe and efficient transportation services are important to the Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation," said Michael R. Fleischer, Executive Director of the New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation. "Therefore, educating people on ways to prevent stormwater pollution is beneficial to the future of this great state and all that it has to offer, and the Authority is pleased to partner with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and CMOST on this important effort.”

The Connecting the Drops Campaign —  Connecting the Drops is a public outreach campaign of the New York State Thruway and Canal Corporation (NYSTA/NYSCC). The goal of this outreach is to remind New Yorkers that water connects us all, and that what we drop in the environment can reach water bodies and put aquatic life, recreation, and even drinking water at risk. The Connect the Drops effort includes educating our own employees, as well as all the motorists and boaters that use our roads and canals.

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