[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith new resources and an expanded space, Mamaroneck’s Marine Education Center will now also feature a new face: Kyle Elizabeth Troy, the center’s first professional naturalist.
Troy, who was hired by the village this month, has worked as a biologist and naturalist throughout Florida, California, Westchester County and various other locations in New York state. She said she’s more than ready to dive into her new role.
“Having the opportunity is amazing,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know what’s in the harbor.”
According to Troy, her role as the center’s new marine educator will see her taking on a myriad of new programming, from kayak tours, to microscope observations, and even letting visitors hold marine life housed in the center’s new touch tank.
In the past, Mamaroneck residents Katherine Desmond and her husband Jim have spearheaded much of the marine center’s day-to-day operations and programming. Now, the couple—who have built the center from the ground up—are happy to see Troy take the reins.
“The trial run that Jim and I had was such a learning experience,” Katherine Desmond said. “I think [hiring Troy] was a terrific step.”
While the center has only been running for the past three years, Katherine Desmond said that from its inception, she and her husband knew that the idea was bound to take off.
“We actually felt right from the beginning that this is an idea whose time has come,” she said. “It was so glaringly important for the village to have this marine center.”
Already, Troy has organized a slew of events at the center, from beach cleanups to sea shell painting, and even a program where residents take a picture of their favorite spot on the Long Island Sound with a brief description so that it can be hung up on the center’s walls.
And though renovations at the center have resulted in a late start—it opened about three months past the usual date—according to Katherine Desmond, programs may push into November this year, allowing for even more students to come well into the fall.
Even for Troy, who has barely enjoyed her first week in a new position, the future of the center is going nowhere but up. “There’s so much potential,” she said. “My only obstacle right now is getting the word out.”
