In Her Element

By Sloan MacRae, August 30, 2024
How a summer internship aboard a floating classroom on Ithaca’s Cayuga Lake connected Patty McHugh ’25 to memories of her grandfather and prepared her for new adventures
On a boat, a science educator engages with children.

Environmental Sciences major Patty McHugh '25 discusses aquatic environments with children aboard a Family Eco-Cruise on Cayuga Lake. (Photo by Allison Usavage '11)

Environmental Sciences major Patty McHugh '25 discusses aquatic environments with children aboard a Family Eco-Cruise on Cayuga Lake. (Photo by Allison Usavage '11)

It’s a postcard-worthy Friday in July, and Patty McHugh ‘25, an Environmental Sciences major in the School of Humanities and Sciences, fields questions from children and families on a boat cruising Cayuga Lake’s deep sapphire waters. The Family Eco-Cruise, part of a robust lineup of programs operated by Discover Cayuga Lake (DCL), launches from the marina at Ithaca’s Allan H. Treman State Marine Park and invites tourists and locals aboard to engage their curiosities while exploring the environments that comprise the Cayuga Lake watershed.

“I think that teaching young children about the wonders of nature is the most impactful way to foster environmental awareness,” says McHugh. “If people don’t feel connected to something, they’re less likely to care about its well-being.”

People on a boat, looking toward the shore

McHugh '25 teaches families aboard the Eco-Cruise about the environments comprising the Cayuga Lake watershed. (photo by Allison Usavage '11)

McHugh '25 teaches families aboard the Eco-Cruise about the environments comprising the Cayuga Lake watershed. (photo by Allison Usavage '11)

An outdoor educator since she was 16, McHugh is no longer surprised by children’s questions and observations, but she does consider them fascinating opportunities for connection. She relates how one young student on her Floating Classroom interrupted a demonstration to ask about a strand of jewelweed hanging from McHugh’s pocket. The jewelweed, not among her planned talking points, reflects sunlight and captured the student’s attention. For McHugh, this was a moment to seize on his curiosity and build a gateway. “Observing the small details tells us about the interconnectedness of things,” she says.

“I think that teaching young children about the wonders of nature is the most impactful way to foster environmental awareness. If people don’t feel connected to something, they’re less likely to care about its well-being.”

Patty McHugh '25, Environmental Sciences major

A boat cruises a lake.

The Family Eco-Cruise, operated by Discover Cayuga Lake, explores the summer waters. (Photo by Allison Usavage '11)

Discover Cayuga Lake operates cruises, floating classrooms, and educational programs that engage some 12,000 people each summer. In addition to its boat-based programming, DCL also manages summer internship programs for a consortium of nonprofits and businesses dedicated to the Cayuga Lake watershed and the region. Each summer, dozens of interns support the watershed’s operations. This year, McHugh was joined by fellow IC students Amelia Meneses ’26 providing support in data management, Lauren Stavros ‘24 assisting with community outreach and marketing, and Eleanor Wester ‘25 serving as a lake monitoring assistant.

“If we didn’t have these interns, we wouldn’t have their youthful energy, spirit, and ideas to integrate into our work,” says Astrid Jirka, DCL’s Director of Tourism Initiatives and Outreach. “They bring their creativity and passion to what we do, and they’re getting an amazing experience integrating their own interests into a real-world situation that can impact a lot of people.”

Interns in recent years have created a pirate-themed boat cruise and an eco-therapy program that embraces nature’s mental health and anxiety-relieving benefits. Jirka sees abundant interdisciplinary opportunities for future internship positions and is interested in exploring more possibilities incorporating art and interactive activities to help people understand and engage with the environment.

"“I’ve been here almost every summer ... A lot of my friends are here.”

Patty McHugh '25, on spending summers in Ithaca

A woman on the deck of a boat gives a thumbs up sign.

Patty McHugh '25 aboard the Family Eco-Cruise. (Photo by Allison Usavage '11)

For McHugh, whose work primarily focuses on forest management rather than aquatic ecosystems, the time on the boat reconnected her with memories of summers spent on Culver’s Lake in New Jersey with her grandfather, who recently passed away. “He taught me about boats and lakes,” she says. “This summer made me feel closer to him.”

The internship also provided McHugh a bridge to her immediate future: her new knowledge of aquatic environments will prove useful when she takes the fall semester off to—literally—dive into coral reef ecology at Turks and Caicos. McHugh is quick to emphasize that she’ll be at the “non-touristy, less densely populated areas,” where she will SCUBA while observing and identifying wildlife, including sharks, turtles, and corals.

Though her time with DCL is her first paid internship , it’s not the first summer McHugh has spent in Ithaca. She previously worked with the Finger Lakes Land Trust. “I’ve been here almost every summer,” she says. “A lot of my friends are here.” It doesn’t hurt that Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region are justifiably celebrated for their gorgeous summers.

"There’s a lot of reasons for dismay and despair when it comes to the environment ... A significant word that keeps popping up among the interns is hope. I feel that is an important component of this internship program.”

Astrid Jirka, Director of Tourism Initiatives and Outreach, Discover Cayuga Lake

DCL and the watershed benefit when college students stay in Ithaca for the break. They bring a unique passion to their work. “There’s a lot of reasons for dismay and despair when it comes to the environment,” notes Jirka. “[The interns] seem quite inspired when they see all the work that our local organizations are doing. We can indeed have an impact if we put our hearts and minds to work. A significant word that keeps popping up among the interns is hope. I feel that is an important component of this internship program.”

Students interested in applying for summer 2025 internships should visit Discover Cayuga Lake’s website. Applications for most positions are due in March.

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