NAPLES — “Hey, you!”

Hundreds of sixth-grade students from Oxford Hills and other local area school districts are talking to you if you’re one of the people who carelessly throw trash in the water, cut vegetation on the shorelines or create other environmental hazards that affect the quality of Long Lake’s water.

Each June, echoes of “Hey, you!” ring out over Long Lake as students participate in the annual “Hey You!” cruises on the Songo River Queen II in Naples with staff from the Bridgton-based Lakes Environmental Association, teacher naturalist Mary Jewett said.

“The point today is to learn how to protect the water,” Jewett told about 90 sixth-grade students from the Oxford and Otisfield elementary schools and Hebron Station School, who enjoyed the day on Long Lake Wednesday learning about environmental issues affecting the lake and how to prevent them.

The students boarded the Songo River Queen II from the causeway on Route 302 in Naples, where ongoing construction of a new drawbridge and its environmental threats have become a teaching moment for the LEA and students. They then headed off around the lake in search of violators.

Volunteer actors were placed at stations along the east and west shores doing things that are harmful for water quality, such as using chemical fertilizers near the water, bringing in sand to a beach or cutting down the vegetative buffer, Jewett said. So, to stop the transgressors, the students were told to yell out, “Hey, you!”

Oxford Elementary School teacher Ruth Walker said the activity blends in with the curriculum the students have been learning all year about protecting water quality and water sheds.

“The goal is to be better stewards of the earth,” Sandra Roderick, a sixth-grade teacher, said.

Jewett said the program started in the 1990s. “It’s really developed.”

The Hey You! cruises allow students to make the connection between their in-class learning and real-life applications, allowing them to put their knowledge into action, LEA officials said.

“It’s really cool,” said Hebron Station School student Jayra Bray, who was one of many of the students who correctly answered environmental questions as the cruise went along, winning prizes such as small trees they can plant at home. “You learn what to do to save the water.”

Wednesday turned out to be a perfect day for the students because of the lack of wind.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had as calm a day,” said Ron Terciak, who has been captain of the Songo River Queen II for the past nine years.

The trip is sponsored by the Thompson Lake Environmental Association.

ldixon@sunjournal.com