Peconic Community students to test the waters at Laurel Lake
Peconic Community School will participate in a Geographic Information System and “pond keeping” dual program at Laurel Lake Preserve, a recently ordained outdoor classroom.
The “Adopt-a-Pond” program is a core component of Citizen Science Learning Center, a local nonprofit environmental organization founded by Bob Mozer in 2023. He has 25 years of experience in groundwater geology and 16 years of science teaching experience in the William Floyd School District.
The center currently monitors seven ponds in Southampton Town. Peconic Community School will be the first school to adopt a pond as part of this program, which is funded by the Peconic Estuary Partnership 2025 Mini Grant program at no cost to Southold Town.
Through the pond keeper program, students will participate in guided nature walks and observations, map the pond and its biodiversity using GIS technology, and sample and test water quality seasonally throughout 2025.
“It’s always great to see partnerships like this available to our community youth,” Southold Town councilman Brian Mealy said in a news release. “Understanding our natural world and the positive and negative forces that affect it is crucial for the preservation and protection of our environment.”
Mr. Mozer founded the center after seeing that local freshwater ponds were oftentimes overlooked on Long Island until a pond shows signs of trouble, such as the 2024 blue-green algae bloom in Mattituck’s Lake Marratooka. Laurel Lake had its own blue-green algae bloom in 2020.
“I guess there’s a certain mentality of ‘Let’s not have a problem until we know there’s a problem, and then we’ll deal with it,’” Mr. Mozer said during a Southold Town work session April 1. “Rather than monitoring [or] going to the doctor and having your bloodwork done to see if you’re going to have a problem in the future.”
This proactive approach to monitor for harmful algae blooms in local ponds was born from that thought process. The nonprofit is part of the New York State Federation of Lake Associations.
As a member of NYSFOLA, Mr. Mozer was trained through the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program to collect water samples and characterize the freshwater ponds he monitors.
The ponds are monitored for both the presence and cause of harmful algal blooms, as well as overall nutrient analysis.
Last week, Mr. Mozer launched the project with fifth and sixth graders at the school. Peconic Community School classroom teacher and director of teaching and learning Shannon Timoney worked to understand what students already knew about pond ecosystems. Students also learned how their research can help enhance the understanding of local freshwater ponds’ health.
Mr. Mozer and his team, which includes scientists John Gross and Doug Gallaway from Farmingdale State College, trained Peconic Community School faculty how to use GIS educational technology like Esri’s ArcGIS Survey123 — industry standard tools that facilitators can implement and use with students. Mr. Mozer and his team then worked with school staff to introduce this technology into Peconic Community School classrooms.
The GIS technology education introduces students to 21st century skills related not only to mapping of environmental data, but also data collection, spatial and visual depiction, informational technology, drone imagery and advanced computer skills.
Toni Valderrama, an environmental artist and educator, has also partnered with Mr. Mozer to expand CSLC’s “Adopt-a-Pond” program into the school’s curriculum.
While students have yet to begin their data collection at Laurel Lake, Peconic Community School co-director Liz Casey said students “are very excited to get into the field for this exciting opportunity.”
