WAVES is an initiative for children and adults designed to enhance their connection to the exciting ecosystems of Lake Champlain through interactive science lessons and recreation on the lake. This type of hands-on learning and on-the-water activity will engage and empower people to become future stewards of Lake Champlain, improving its water quality by changing perceptions and behavior.

The goals of the WAVES initiative are:

• To educate adults and youth about basic ecological components of Lake Champlain and our role within the lake environment throughout all our sailing courses and camps each summer.
• To work with local schools in order to teach students about the importance of lake stewardship and ecology through hands on environmental education lessons that are accompanied by on-water recreation.
• To minimize our impact on the natural world by increasing our recycling and composting efforts throughout the year.

The first step to improve the health of Lake Champlain and Vermont’s natural environments is to better understand both their biological workings and the considerable pleasure they can give us through responsible recreation. The WAVES initiative will demonstrate and implement this core value of the Community Sailing Center.