When you or your children turn on the tap for a glass of water, that water comes from right beneath our feet. Long Island sits directly on top of a sole source aquifer—a massive underground reservoir that supplies 100% of our drinking water. We have no backup plan and no other source. The quality and quantity of our drinking water depend entirely on Long Island’s natural lands. Open spaces, forests and fields act as nature’s filtration system, soaking up rain to recharge our underground supply and naturally purifying it along the way. To protect our water, we must protect our land.

That is why the Land Alliance created our Long Island Water Education Program.

Over the last decade, this vital program has helped more than 16,000 children across western Long Island discover where their drinking water comes from. Through hands-on lessons, local students learn the crucial connection between conserving open space and keeping our water clean. To ensure every child has access to this vital knowledge, we provide this program to underserved communities completely free of charge, while other schools pay just a small fee.

But today, this program is at a critical crossroads. Our funding is about to run out.

We urgently need to raise $70,000 to keep this program running in local schools for the next two years as our grant will run out at the end of this school year. Without these funds, thousands of students will miss out on learning how to protect the very water they drink.

An investment in water education is a direct investment in the health of our communities and the future of Long Island. Please help us reach our goal and keep this essential program alive.