ALASA Academy has been growing steadily over the five years it has provided Children's Summer Workshops at Alasa Farms in Sodus. This year was one of record attendance with many new as well as "old" smiling faces eagerly learning to enjoy and work cooperatively with Mother Nature in an outdoor, natural environment. Those same faces ended their week at the Campfire luncheon a little tired, a little (sometimes a lot) dirty, still smiling and with feelings of personal accomplishment.

Community serviced has always been a focus at ALASA Academy and this year was no exception. Stream testing of Second Creek on Alasa Farms for Save Our Sodus, Inc. has been a community service learning activity since the beginning of the workshops. Children measured the velocity of the stream, width, depth, visual observations impacting pollution, and then searched for macro vertebrates. All of this was fun and interesting, but once again the crawfish and minnows stole the show. Bill Lesniak and staff challenged the children to "churn up that water" and identify the "critters" captured (and then released). Jay Wanek continues to help record the documented information captured during all three weeks of the workshops.

Children also participated (a bit early) in the fall International Coastal Cleanup scheduled for September 19th, picking up "garbage" at Third Creek and this year at the Red Mill junction of Second Creek, recording it, and receiving a certificate from The Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society. There were many statements of outrage and disgust as they searched the weeds and shoreline for "unwanted yuck".

Some new projects were added to the children's activities this year that they thoroughly enjoyed. One week children assembled an Adirondack Chair purchased from the Silver Waters Ambulance Corp. to raise funds for the purchase of an ambulance. Learning why this was much needed in Sodus Point made the activity even more important. The chair will be painted and given back to the Ambulance Corp to auction off next July to raise more funds.

Others marked and began clearing a new trail on Alasa Farms to ALASA Academy's future 10 acres at the east end of the farm (approximately ½ mile through deep gullies and natural, overgrown woods), learning to use compasses to make sure they were going east and not south or west. One group even marked areas of endangered species, like May Apples, in the woods to protect them from hikers along the trails.

Whether it is completing community service projects, feeding the animals at Cracker Box Palace, leaving the areas of Alasa Farms cleaner and better than when they found it, or other activities like walking stick carving, eating, fly-tying, fishing, crafts, playing in the water, and enjoying each other, children attending ALASA Academy's Summer Workshops learn to respect and protect the environment and help their communities. Even though some of them are "little", they are all truly "Earth Warriors".

For more information on ALASA Academy, visit our website: www.ALASA-Academy.org