Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo will host international explorer and extreme athlete Justin Fornal in a winter swim on Sunday, February 2 at 8:00 a.m. Fornal is the host of UNEXPLAINED AND UNEXPLORED, a map-themed exploration series on the Science Channel. Hisapproximately two-hour, three-mile swim will begin in the Steward B McKinney National Wildlife Refuge between Stratford and Bridgeport, continue into the inner coastal waterway and conclude back at the launch site. In June of 2018, Fornal was listed as the “#3 most adventurous person in the world” by Men's Journal.
“Justin generously offered to use his adventurous spirit and remarkable skills to help raise awareness for the Zoo’s conservation efforts,” said Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s Education Curator Jim Knox. “We decided to hold a swim on World Wetlands Day to highlight the Zoo’s conservation success with endangered animals, as well as our work with staff and students to protect federally endangered Piping Plovers along this stretch of wetlands.”
This cold-water swim will also serve as the first of several field equipment tests leading up to Fornal's expedition this summer where he hopes to become the first person to swim unassisted from Canada to Greenland. He is currently planning the first historic swim from Ellesmere Island, Canada to Greenland across the Nares Strait for summer 2020.
“My work as a researcher and explorer often takes me to far off places,” said Fornal. “I wanted to do something to focus attention on the work being done right here in Connecticut. We can have a global impact by helping biodiversity locally. I hope that this swim and my television series can help inspire the next generation to unplug and physically engage their environment.”
Fornal will be accompanied by a half dozen support-team chase boats, manned by Zoo staff and educators. The support teams will be equipped with both above and below water GoPro cameras to document the swim. Weather and water conditions will be evaluated that morning before entering the water, as a safety precaution.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each February 2 to raise global awareness of the importance of wetlands for people and the planet.
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