A scavenger hunt, games and lessons about water creatures, and food webs in New York Harbor were just a few of the activities that 200 teens from New York City low-income neighborhoods took part in through a Cornell outdoor adventure and environmental education program on Fridays, July 13 to Aug. 3, on historic Governors Island in New York City.

The program, "Island Explorers," was designed to develop teen appreciation for the urban and marine environment, New York Harbor, science, teamwork and group dynamics. It is a project of Cornell Cooperative Extension-New York City's (CCE-NYC) Urban Environment Program.

"Outdoor urban experiences such as Island Explorers provide our city's young people with a sense of wonder for the environment around them where they live and a better understanding of the immenseness and importance of it," says Gretchen Ferenz, a senior extension associate and program leader of urban environment programs for CCE-NYC.

Program leaders met the teens -- who were from a broad range of sources, including summer programs at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Cross Island YMCA, Abraham House in the Bronx and Staten Island Greenbelt -- at the Battery Maritime Building to catch the ferry to Governors Island. National Park Service rangers introduced the teens to the island with a tour, touching upon the history of the Lenni Lenape (Delaware Indians), Dutch settlers and military installations on the island, Fort Jay and Castle Williams.

The teens then participated in team-building games and adventure-based outdoor exploration; urban forestry and aquatic ecology workshops in which they identified tree health issues and tested the water; a narrated boat tour of New York Harbor; and a scavenger hunt in which they had to decipher riddles regarding island historical features to find the next clue.

On Aug. 17, many of the teens and their families met CCE-NYC urban environment staff at South Street Seaport for the "Gateway to America" tour of New York Harbor aboard a water taxi to see Governors Island from a different perspective.

"Island Explorers" is conducted by CCE-NYC, with support from Governors Island National Monument, Governors Island Alliance and the New York City Environmental Fund administered by the Hudson River Foundation.