DEC and Partners Will Host 5,000 Student Scientists at 24th Annual "Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor"

Data To Be Posted Online After the Event and Incorporated Into Educational Materials

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced today that thousands of students on October 6 will visit shorefronts along the Hudson River Estuary and New York Harbor piers to collect data on the Hudson's fish and invertebrates, track the river's tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality during the 24th annual celebration of Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor.

"More than 5,000 student scientists will participate in DEC's Day in the Life event to learn about the tidal Hudson’s diverse habitats, fish and wildlife,” said Commissioner Lefton. “By turning the Hudson River into a classroom, DEC is engaging students of all ages and backgrounds with their local ecosystem to help foster a lifelong connection to environmental conservation.”

At more than 100 waterfront sites, students from elementary school through college will partner with DEC and environmental education centers to collect scientific data using hands-on field techniques. Equipped with seine nets, minnow pots and water testing gear, students will record physical, biological and chemical data to capture a snapshot of the river’s ecology. The student-collected data will be posted online after the event, allowing teachers to incorporate the robust data set into river-specific lesson plans. Participating classes represent the diversity of school populations in urban and rural communities along the estuary. This year, more than 5,000 students and educators from more than 90 schools will participate.

Day in the Life gives students the opportunity to make observations, submit their data and see it all add up to a bigger picture. Donning waders or using a seine net, students collect data on many of the Hudson's 200-plus species of fish. Most are young fish, demonstrating the Hudson's importance as a nursery habitat. Sometimes students catch surprising fish, such as seahorses, conger eels and needlefish. Students also examine the physical and chemical aspects of the river with a wide range of equipment, from dissolved oxygen to pH kits. These student scientists use refractometers and plastic hydrometers to measure salinity and find the salt front — the leading edge of dilute seawater pushing up the estuary.

Estuary Program staff connect the field day with the classroom by conducting pre- and post-visits in numerous schools that participate in Day in the Life. Lessons onsite and in the classroom fulfill State learning standards in a variety of subjects. Post-trip activities connect students to other sites through collected data, helping them better understand the dynamic factors that shape the Hudson River ecosystem.

In the past two decades, the Day in the Life model has expanded beyond the Hudson to engage students in eight watersheds across New York State. Now, Day in the Life also takes place at eight sites along the Mohawk River, the Hudson’s largest tributary, and in the headwaters of the Upper Hudson River, where freshwater feeds into the tidal estuary.

The Day in the Life program continues to grow, with the Lake Champlain Basis hosting the event this year for the first time. Four schools will sample at four different sites in partnership with the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Watershed Alliance team.

Day in the Life is sponsored by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program, in partnership with the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Columbia Climate School Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Media interested in scheduling a visit to a site should contact the DEC Press Office at 518-402-8000 or [email protected].

A select list of participating schools, partners, and event locations follows:

Albany County: Hudson Shores Park, 2 Selke Drive, Watervliet, NY 12189: North Colonie Elementary Enrichment Program, North Colonie Central School, 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Albany County: Corning Preserve, Quay Street, Albany, NY 12207: Albany High School, Albany Central School, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (DEC)
Albany County: New Baltimore Conservancy, NY-144, New Baltimore, NY 12124: Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School, Ravena Coeymans Selkirk Central School, 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (DEC)
Dutchess County: Kingston Point Beach, 102-144 Delaware Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401: Kingston High School, Kingston City Central School, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Dutchess County: Kingston Point Beach, 102-144 Delaware Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401: YMCA Farm Project, 3:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Dutchess County: The Power House in Mills-Norrie State Park (within Staatsburgh State Historic Site), 75 Mills Mansion Drive, Staatsburg, NY 12580: Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, Hyde Park Central School, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (DEC, Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve)
Dutchess County: Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, 75 N Water Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601: Haviland Middle School, Hyde Park Central School, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (DEC)
Ulster County: BobShepard Highland Landing Park, 42 River Road Highland, NY 12528: Wallkill Senior High School, Wallkill Central School, 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (DEC)
Orange County: Donahue Memorial Park, Shore Road, Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY 12520: Cornwall Central Middle School and Willow Avenue Elementary School, Cornwall Central School, 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Westchester County: Croton Point Park, 1 Croton Point Avenue, Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520: Fox Meadow Elementary School, Scarsdale UFSD, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (DEC)
Westchester County: Piermont Pier, Ferry Road., Piermont, NY 10968: Clarkstown High School North, Clarkson South High School, Tappan Zee High School, Spring Valley High School, and Pearl River High School, 8:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (Columbia Climate School Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory)
Westchester County: Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers NY 10701: Yonkers High School, Yonkers Public Schools, 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Manhattan: Hudson River Park Pier 40, 353 West Street, New York, NY 10014: (at W. Houston Street): NYC Museum School, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Bronx: Ferry Point Park, 10 Hutchinson River Parkway, Bronx, NY 10465: Dwight School, KIPP Academy Elementary, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (DEC)

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