Panas Environmental Students Join in Hudson River study

On a recent sunny but cold and windy day, students from the Walter Panas High School Environmental Advance Placement course ventured into the Hudson River near the Riverfront Green in Peekskill to join in the annual Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor project.

"We could show them pictures all year, but there's nothing exactly like having them out in the field and showing them how it is done," said Michael Billy, the Environmental AP teacher. "It just gives them a much richer experience."

This was the tenth year for the Panas group to join in the event which gathers data about the condition of the river from Troy to New York City. For the Panas students, it was an opportunity to use seine nets to gather samples of the fish in that part of the river. The fish were recorded by type and number and then returned quickly to the river. They joined thousands students carry out a variety of activities and record the data which is then compiled a used to study the changing nature of the river. Students also used testing kits and measuring tools to accumulate additional data.

Students collect scientific information to create snapshots of the river at dozens of locations, 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. "A Day in the Life" is sponsored by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program and produced with assistance from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. The project is now in its 16th year. To learn more about the project, go to the web site:

https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47285.html