Hudson River Snapshot Day
New York Harbor is a critical part of the Hudson River estuary and over the last decade we have invested more than $10 billion to improve water quality and restore wetlands and adjacent grasslands, helping to bring back native fish populations and allow for greater recreational use. We’re also investing in the stewards of tomorrow by partnering with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to sponsor more than 70 public high school students who participated in last week’s “A Day in the Life of the Hudson & Harbor.” The students, advanced placement environmental science students from Baruch College Campus High School in Manhattan and 7th graders from Hunter’s Point Community Middle School in Queens, participated in the event during which teams collected and analyzed water samples and made environmental observations along the East River at Gantry Plaza State Park. Students used field techniques to track the river’s tides and currents, examined the water’s chemistry, identified macroinvertebrates and fish, and observed oyster colonies.
During the event, five stations were set up where students were able to measure the river’s currents and perform tests to determine the level of turbidity, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen in the water. The high school students were paired with seventh graders and taught them how to properly measure water quality. The seventh graders taught their high school partners the techniques they use to clean and monitor the oysters they are raising in the East River. The students were supervised by science teachers from their schools and DEP supplied the equipment for the event, including seine nets and lab materials to investigate aquatic life, water chemistry and quality, tides, and weather.
This annual event, now in its 15th year, is part of DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program. The data collected through this event by nearly 5,000 students at 72 different locations, from Troy to New York City, will be analyzed and posted on the “A Day in the Life of the Hudson & Harbor” website. DEP has led the way in making New York Harbor the healthiest it has been in more than a century, and this valuable program is inspiring young environmental stewards to care for New York’s waterways so that residents can enjoy all the Hudson River has to offer for generations to come.
