5,000+ Students Take the Hudson’s Pulse
Photo courtesy Hudson River Reserve.
More than five thousand children from across New York State took to the Hudson River to experience life as a field scientist last week.
It was all part of the annual Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor event, which took place on October 16 at more than 90 sites along 160 miles of the Hudson River Estuary and New York Harbor. Now in its 16th year, the event is coordinated by our Hudson River Reserve and their partners at the Hudson River Estuary Program in the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Students and educators from New York City and rural communities alike seined for fish, tested the waters with chemistry kits, and measured the tides and currents. Many groups also collected core samples of river bottom mud for analysis.
Students collect scientific information to create snapshots of the river and then share their data via the web so they can better understand how their piece of the river fits into the larger Hudson estuary ecosystem. Photo courtesy Hudson River Reserve.
For many students, this year’s Day in the Life was their first time exploring their estuary and the creatures that thrive in it. Their outdoor experiences are integrated into classroom learning via targeted programming, curriculum guides, and the use of 15 years of past data collected by students. The students’ data contributes to ongoing research projects and is incorporated into lessons plans that are available to all teachers in the Hudson Valley.