Hudson RiverNet
News from the Hudson River Estuary Program

In This Issue:

• Students Discover Environmental Science
• Know Your NY Water
• Connecting Our Streams Workshop: August 22

The Institute Discovering Environmental Scientists

Eleven high school and college students from cities  across the Hudson Valley recently spent a week together with education staff and scientists at the Norrie Point Environmental Center conducting environmental research projects along the banks of the Hudson River and in freshwater tidal wetlands.The Institute Discovering Environmental Scientists (TIDES) is a summer field research and laboratory science experience with DEC’s Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Hudson River Estuary Program, and the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship. This was the first year of the program.

The students learned to formulate scientific questions, gather field data, and conduct scientific analysis while comparing water-quality conditions and fish diversity in two estuarine habitats. One was dominated by the invasive water chestnut (Trapa natans) and the second had been restored with native water celery (vallisneria). They quickly discovered that water celery provides better water conditions and habitat for fish, so they spent an afternoon  removing water chestnut and planting water celery. TIDES is modeled after similar regional programs as part of INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Leaders of Underrepresented Discovered in Engineering and Science).

Know Your NY Water

Know Your NY Water is a map-based website  providing New Yorkers with information about the state's public drinking water and the health of New York's abundant lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as waters used for recreation and habitat protection. 

Know Your NY Water integrates geographically-based mapping information into the website to provide a new and interactive way for site visitors to easily access location-based water information and maps. Users can search by location to find the nearest large public drinking water system and view its Annual Drinking Water Quality Report and contact information. In addition, Know Your NY Water features a map of New York's waterbodies and links to fact sheets about lakes and streams that provide information about water quality, causes and sources of water quality impairments, and the status of restoration efforts.

Visit the Know Your NY Water website. For more information about public drinking water, contact your local health department. For information about New York State lakes, rivers, and streams contact DEC at: 4pwlinfo@dec.ny.gov.

Connecting Our Streams August 22 at Norrie Point

There are more than 10,000 culverts and over 1,000 dams on tributaries to the Hudson River estuary. This infrastructure can block fish, wildlife, and flood flows in streams. This free, all-day workshop will describe how culverts and dams act as barriers in Hudson River tributaries, and provide tools and information to improve stream connectivity. The workshop takes place Thursday, August 22 at the Norrie Point Environmental Center in Staatsburg.

Workshop leaders will share currently available stream barrier information with a focus on moving from assessments to actions to improve stream connectivity and reduce flood hazards in communities. We’ll also discuss opportunities to develop shared solutions for streams and communities.

The workshop is free, but registration is required. Connecting Our Streams is sponsored by the Hudson River Watershed Alliance in partnership with DEC's
Hudson River Estuary Program and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission.
Culvert photo courtesy of Trout Unlimited.