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Item Eliminating the “barrier” to estuary education: Connecting students to their estuary by studying the effect of stream barrier and water quality on American eel populationsDonohue, Kerryanne; Wilson, Jessica M.; Brown, Jeanette (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2021)The decision to install or remove a stream barrier can have many consequences. Water quality, habitat conductivity, and flood control issues can be degraded or improved by the presence or absence of stream barriers. The objective of this work was to bring students into this decision-making process by showing them how to measure water quality parameters before/after a stream barrier using wireless hand-held probes and to compare that field data to portions of streams with no barriers. Minisceongo Creek (West Haverstraw) and Furnace Brook (Croton-on-Hudson) were the target tributaries, located directly across from each other on the West and East Banks of the Hudson River. Furnace Brook has several stream barriers just upstream of a fyke net for determining American eel counts. Local middle school students and teachers (155) were trained in how to use water quality probes and then they participated in a virtual field trip and lessons learned workshop in June 2020. Six water quality datasets measuring water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, depth, barometric pressure and nitrate were collected in 2020: Spring data sets (2 tributaries, above/below stream barriers) and Fall 2020 (above/below 2 barriers in Furnace Brook only, nitrate probe, no eel data). Preliminary analysis of the 2020 data has shown that nitrate (mV) levels are lower on the downstream side of the stream barriers, and dissolved oxygen (mg/L) levels are higher below the stream barriers. Additional analyses of these datasets are ongoing, along with correlating eel data with water quality from previous years.Item Mid-Hudson Young Environmental Scientist (MH-YES) 2020 Program in Home Ecosystem and Watershed EcologyBerkowitz, Alan (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2021)The 2020 Mid-Hudson Young Environmental Scientist (MH-YES) Program took place remotely from July 7 through August 14. Eight Dutchess County high school students, working in two groups, convened daily on Zoom with their mentors - research scientists, undergraduate students, and local high school science teachers – and with program leaders to develop original scientific investigations pertaining to their home ecosystems in the context of regional watershed ecology. Students performed fieldwork independently in their backyards and neighborhoods and synthesized results during virtual discussions with their team members. One research team created water budgets for members’ “home ecosystems,” representing inputs and outputs in schematic diagrams. The other team investigated the differences in soil water quality between deciduous and coniferous environments following a major storm event. At the end of the six-week program, students presented their findings at a virtual symposium. Students also participated in several virtual enrichment activities offered by MH-YES program leaders, the regional network of high school research programs and Cary Institute’s REU program. MH-YES participants - both students and mentors - reported a positive summer experience despite significant challenges with virtual programming. High school students in particular reported social, emotional, and intellectual gains as a result of program participation.Item The Importance of Field Trips and Cultural Awareness in Education: A Case Study of Three Environmental CentersRuen, Kathleen; Garufi, Vicky (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2016)The Center for the Urban River at Beczak is a 3900-square-foot environmental education and research facility located on 2 acres of Hudson riverfront park in downtown Yonkers. It is operated by Sarah Lawrence College in cooperation with the Hudson River Valley Environmental Education Institute. The objective of this study was to extend the research done last year to measure the effects of a field trip to CURB on students’ environmental empathy, environmental engagement, interest in CURB, and cultural awareness. This was achieved with qualitative and quantitative measures, including a multi-case study (Bogden & Biklen, 1998) and a quantitative survey. The qualitative multi-case study in the field of participatory action research (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000), included note-taking and observation of students attending CURB programs.Item Hudson Estuary Accessibility ProjectHolochuck, Nordica; Cook, LaWanda (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2016)In cooperation with the New York State Water Resources Institute and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Sea Grant and the Yang-Tan Institute have been providing accessibility information to Hudson Estuary region’s outdoor recreation stakeholders beginning with an inventory/assessment of boat launch sites in 2014 and 2015. The project progress in 2016 focused on addressing the “knowing-doing” gap.Item The Uneven Social Landscape of Flood Risk: Implications for Outreach & Local Decision-MakingKay, David (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2017)The purpose of the project includes developing a better understanding of (1) the dimensions of flood risk in a estuarine system – critical with climate change related impacts, (2) how perceptions of flood risk are related to adaptation and mitigation strategies, (3) how responses to risks vary from one community to another, and (4) how varying perceptions of risk should inform/influence outreach strategies at the local level. The exploratory work has been focused on our central goal of developing an understanding of the social landscape of flooding risk and perception in the target cities -- honing in on Troy, NY as our initial in-depth point of exploration. The work in Troy has entailed a review of local press coverage, 10 semi-structured interviews with local professionals and residents, and 2 neighborhood-based focus groups. Predominantly informed by interviews, focus groups, and relevant literature, our work thus far suggests a series of insights that fall into four thematic areas: (1) Unknown flooding risk; (2) Uneven exposure to material and financial risks; (3) Factors influencing perceptions of risk; (4) Community/Civic capacity. This project seeks to provide valuable insights to inform local outreach strategies around flood risk, adaptation and mitigation.Item Micropollutants in the Hudson River EstuaryHelbling, Damian E. (Cornell Engineering, 2018)The objective of this study was to identify sources of micropollutants in the Hudson River Estuary (HRE). 127 samples were analyzed from 17 sites along the Hudson River from May 2016- October 2017.Item Assessing stakeholder perceptions and facilitating collaboration in the Pocantico River WatershedFinewood, Michael; Rubbo, Michael (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2018)Watershed-based education, collaboration, and planning are critical for healthy socio-ecological communities (Spirn 2005). Pace University’s Dyson College Institute for Sustainability and the Environment (DCISE) endeavors to be a resource for, and partner with, stakeholders in the Hudson Valley who are working towards resilient and sustainable watersheds. In this capacity, our proposed project seeks to advance watershed-based collaborations with stakeholder groups, municipalities, and other institutions by researching and communicating environmental priorities, challenges, and assets, as well as the willingness to act on environmental issues in the Pocantico River Watershed. To achieve this goal our project team will meet three objectives: 1) we will develop and implement a municipal survey that assesses priorities, challenges, assets, and political will, to be administered to participants in the Pocantico River Watershed; 2) working with the Pocantico River Watershed Alliance (PRWA), we will develop a public website that serves as a home for survey data in the watershed; and 3) we will work with the PRWA to coordinate four community meetings, where we will present research results, website development, and facilitate collaboration. The project will be coordinated by Co-PI’s Michael Finewood, PhD, and Michael Rubbo, PhD, (Pace University) and two students (undergraduate and/or graduate). The project will be building on a current interview-based research project conducted by Michael Finewood and four Pace students regarding environmental decision-making in the Bronx River Watershed. Funding will support student salaries. Pace University will also support participation at the annual Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) conference (June 2019) to present project outcomes. In addition, we will collaborate with the Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak (CURB) to implement the municipal survey in an effort to better understand municipal willingness to adopt tools and strategies to conserve water resources. Collaboration between CURB and their partners, the PRWA, and Pace University will expand the scope and results of our research across sub-watersheds within the Hudson Valley, supporting future research projects, collaborations, and planning decisions.Item Mid-Hudson Young Environmental Scientist Project in Urban Stream Ecology (MH-YES)Berkowitz, Alan (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2018)Broadening participation of diverse groups in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology (STEM) fields is critical to future science success. The goal of the MH-YES project is to engage a diverse group of local high school students in authentic water quality research experiences to build their knowledge, skills, motivation, and confidence for pursuing environmental science. Students did collaborative research into human influences on the ecology of the Fall Kill. Research teams, each comprising three high school students, a mentor scientist, an undergraduate student and a high school science teacher, worked out of two institutions in the Hudson Valley: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and Marist College. Over six weeks, MH-YES teams gained insights into factors that influence two important types of contamination in the Fall Kill: Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) and road salt. The Marist College team evaluated FIB abundance on two types of riparian plants at three sites along the Fall Kill, and the Cary Institute team studied salt retention in different soil types along the Fall Kill and how road salt runoff influences grass seed germination. They also participated in science-identity-supporting activities, such as a panel discussion on diversity in science, a workshop on science communication, and many others.Item Mid-Hudson Young Environmental Scientist Project in Urban Stream Ecology (MH-YES) Yr-2Berkowitz, Alan; Esposito, Rhea; Fitzgerald, Neil (New York State Water Resources Institute, 2019)Broadening participation of diverse groups in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology (STEM) fields is critical to future science success. The MH-YES project aims to raise awareness of options to study and work in the environmental sciences among diverse groups of students. Teams of high school and college students work with teachers and scientists to conduct authentic water quality research to build their knowledge, skills, motivation, and confidence for pursuing environmental science. In 2019, the Marist-based MH-YES team compared rural and urban streams and the factors that influence harmful algal blooms. The Cary-based team studied the effects of dams on the ecology of the Fall Kill Creek. At the end of the six week program, teams presented their results in posters at the MH-YES Final Symposium and each wrote a final report that will be used by their mentors in their future research. Students and teachers participated in enrichment activities that supported their skills, interest and identity as scientists. They also joined students in partner programs in New York City and the lower Hudson Valley to share their experiences, attend a panel discussion on diversity in science, a workshop on science communication, and a forum on opportunities in translational ecology.