DEC and Partners Host 5,000 Student Scientists at 17th Annual “Day in the Life of the Hudson And Harbor”

Scientific Data Collection Connects Students with River and New York Harbor

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that shorefronts up and down the Hudson River and the piers of New York Harbor are being taken over by an estimated 5,000 local students armed with seine nets, minnow pots, and water testing gear to collect data and study the Hudson River’s fish and invertebrates, track the river’s tides and currents, and examine water quality and chemistry during DEC’s 17th annual “Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor.”

“DEC’s annual ‘Day in the Life’ event is a great opportunity for thousands of students to experience the diverse habitats and fishery of the Hudson River, while helping to gather valuable research data,” said Commissioner Seggos. “From the river’s headwaters in the Adirondacks to New York Harbor, the health of the Hudson is essential for residents, visitors, and our economy, and today’s event showcases the river’s significant value while inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.”

New York students from elementary through college partner with environmental education centers to collect scientific data using hands-on field techniques to capture a snapshot of the river’s ecology at more than 100 sites along the Hudson. The data collected by students provides insights into an ecosystem spanning 160 miles of the Hudson River and New York Harbor and is posted online after the event. Participating classes represent the diversity of the school population in urban and rural communities along the estuary. This year, the program’s 17th, an estimated 5,000 students and educators from more than 100 schools will participate.

More than a field trip, Day in the Life gives students the opportunity to don waders or use a fishing rod to collect data on many of the Hudson’s 200-plus species of fish. Most are young fish, evidence of the Hudson’s importance as a nursery habitat. Some years students catch surprising fish like seahorses, conger eels, and needle fish. Students also examine the physical and chemical aspects of the river with a wide range of equipment such as dissolved oxygen and pH kits, to high-tech refractometers and simple plastic hydrometers to measure salinity and find the salt front – the leading edge of dilute seawater pushing up the estuary.

DEC 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 on-site and in the classroom fulfill state learning standards in a variety of subjects. Post-trip activities connect students to other sites through the data that was collected up and down the estuary. Additionally, students will learn about the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System (HRECOS), a computerized network of real-time monitoring stations extending from Manhattan to the Mohawk River. These data can be used to help students better understand the dynamic factors that are constantly impacting the Hudson River ecosystem.

Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor is sponsored by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Cornell University’s New York State Water Resources Institute, and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The event has sparked other Day in the Life events on waterways throughout New York State.

Further event details can be found on the DEC website. A list of participating schools, partners, and event locations is below:

“Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor”

12:20 PM – 2:20 PM