Seaport Association to honor Dick Harris of Harbor Watch @ Gala April 27

April 27, 2019, marks the highly anticipated annual Lightkeepers Gala  Masquerade Ball at the Norwalk Inn host by the Seaport Association.  This event always promises a "boat-load" of fun, fine food, and drinks, as well as the opportunity to honor this year's Beacon Award Winners, Jerry Toni and Dick Harris that have given so much to the organization in helping it to evolve and surpass their mission.

Richard Harris's work on Norwalk Harbor began in 1986 when he created and oversaw a marine science monitoring class.  Together under Harris's direction, a team of high school students from Cooperative Educational Services discovered low oxygen values in the harbor waters off Norwalk's Veterans Park. This discovery compelled Harris to gather a group of dedicated volunteers that helped with routine monitoring of harbor waters once a week with borrowed equipment and an old wood dory.  This hard work paid off as the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection noticed their efforts and asked Harris to take over the seasonal monitoring efforts on behalf of the Department for Norwalk Harbor. Today, these successful efforts have expanded along from Harbor Watch in Norwalk to Earthplace in Westport because of the leadership and expertise of this movement's founder, Richard Harris. 

Harris was raised in Culver, Indian on Lake Maxinkucee where he attended various High Schools at Culver Military Academy, Denmark and finally Darien, Connecticut.  After graduating from college and spending several years in the army as an Officer in the 63rd armor, Fort Riley Harris joined the Shell Oil Company and worked as a district manager in Shell Oil and Shell Chemical that included a one year stint in Hud in Washington D.C.

After retiring from Shell, Harris went on to pursue a degree in Marine Sciences from Stoney Brook University and started a citizen's water quality group that he called Harbor Watch at Earthplace in Westport, Connecticut.  In addition to Harbor Watch, Harris works for Norman Bloom Oyster Company as a water quality specialist.

Today, Harbor Watch monitors 17 rivers and six harbors with a growing marine education program for students. "My interest in marine and freshwater life is a driving force in my life and I hope to instill in others the value and beauty of what we have as a fragile resource."

Tickets for the Lighthouse Keeper’s Gala are $150 per person and can be reserved by calling 203-838-9444 or visiting the website https://seaport.org/event-3265312.  Funds raised at this event will support the Seaport’s mission of preservation and restoration and will provide an opportunity to educate children of all ages about the importance of Sheffield Island Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, and our maritime history and environment.