Exploring “A Day in the Life of the Hudson River”

NEWBURGH – This October, 9th and 10th grade students in the NFA P-TECH program participated in a program called “A Day in the Life of the Hudson River” with Scenic Hudson. Groups of NFA students working in Newburgh and Beacon were one of the many groups in the Hudson Valley coming together to learn about, engage with, and collect samples from the Hudson River! The event is coordinated by the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Each fall, schools along the Hudson River collaborate to create a “day-in-the-life” picture of the river from the Troy Dam to New York Harbor. Armed with seine nets, minnow pots and water-testing gear, thousands of students catch and release many of the Hudson’s 200-plus species of fish, track the river’s tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality. 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 within a few days of the event. That means there will be participants as far north as Albany and as far south as New York City! The event is designed both to celebrate the Hudson River Estuary and to educate participants on the uniqueness of our estuary as part of the annual recognition of “National Estuaries Week.”

Newburgh Free Academy P-TECH scholars alongside the Scenic Hudson Educators hosted a “Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor” event at the Newburgh Waterfront and Long Dock Park in Beacon on Thursday, October 5, 2023. Ms. D’Imperio, Mr. Waliszewski, Ms. Alonge, and Ms. Muller worked with 9th grade students in Beacon. Ms. Hesse, Ms. Baumann, Mr. Harvey, Ms. Martinez, and Ms. Donovan worked with 10th grade students in Newburgh.

Now in its 16th year, “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 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.