Community Corner
A Day in the Life of the Hudson River at Mile 25
More than 150 Irvington Middle School sixth graders participated in the11th Annual ‘A Day in the Life of the Hudson River’ Snapshot Day on Thursday, Oct. 10.
For the second consecutive year, the Irvington Middle School sixth graders partnered with an Irvington High School marine biology class for the event. They worked with19 IHS juniors and seniors to collect data at RM25E (river mile 25 east).
The group gathered at Matthiessen Park in Irvington from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Anyone nearby would have seen the group at the four stations analyzing:
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· the water chemistry of the river.
· the physical settings of the particular river location.
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· the actual fish and other living organisms that live in the river.
· the natural beauty of the Hudson River using art and journal writing (new this year).
The group also used a large seining net to help collect living river specimens. Each of these organisms was identified, measured and observed before being released back into the river.
The data gleaned will be shared as a way to understand the health of the Hudson River. By sharing their data, students gain a greater understanding of the complex interdependent ecosystems that help the Hudson River remain a unique watershed system. They are able to see trends taking place in parts of the river, analyze their findings and make additional predictions/hypotheses on the health of the Hudson River.
The project was supported by a generous grant from the Irvington Education Foundation.
This event, which first took place 10 years ago at only a few sampling locations, was conceived by Professor Margie Turrin of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Steve Stanne of the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program.
This year it has grown in numbers with groups collecting data as far north as above the Albany/Troy dam and as far south as at RM1 at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York harbor.
MORE INFO: ‘A Day in the Life of the Hudson River’ including a look at previous years’ data, check out the event's website at: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/edu/k12/snapshotday/
