在哈德逊河研究美国鳗鱼

7月16日, 2019—Chris Bowser is the Education Coordinator for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Hudson River Estuary Program and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, 但他也是bet亚洲365欢迎投注的长期教员 环境科学与政策系. And he has found a way to blend those two worlds in a way that benefits both Marist 学生 and the local environment. 十多年了, Bowser has been leading science 学生 in the study of migratory eels in the Hudson River. The semester-long research project is a collaboration between scientists, 当地居民, 高中生, 以及学院的学生, and it recently expanded to include research on changes in eel pigmentation.

The American eel is born in the Atlantic Ocean and enters North American tributaries as tiny “玻璃 eels” each spring. 不幸的是, 该物种在其大部分活动范围内已经减少, 进一步的管理需要基线研究. 在纽约, a project to study the eel is coordinated by NYSDEC in partnership with Cornell University’s Water Resources Institute; it takes place at multiple sites from Staten Island to Albany. 作为项目的一部分, 科学家团队, 学生, and community members collect 玻璃 eels using specialized nets and traps on Hudson River tributaries each spring. The juvenile fish are 数, weighed, and released, and other environmental data is recorded. At the end of each season, the data is compiled and sent to governmental decision-makers.

鲍泽指出，鳗鱼项目是一个双赢的局面, with participants gaining academic credit and hands-on research experience while also doing their part to help the environment: “The project directly involves Marist 学生 with scientific design and field methodology. And 学生 experience the local ecosystem firsthand while collecting important information and relevant data about migrating fish.“今年春天在波基普西的Fall Kill, 玛丽斯特的实习生, 数, and released migrating juvenile American eels every day for two months. There they not only conducted field work but also worked alongside Poughkeepsie High School 学生 performing after-school volunteer work.  Adds Bowser, “This program is a really great example of community science in action. It is helping New York State collect important data and putting conservation in the hands of local 学生.”

This year, Marist 学生 also had the opportunity to conduct a related scientific study. 具体地说, the 学生 set out to examine changes in 玻璃 eel weight, 长度, 以及整个季节的色素沉着. 一周两次, the team collected 20 玻璃 eels from NYSDEC sampling nets, 把它们带回了bet亚洲365欢迎投注的实验室, 并仔细测量了它们的重量, 长度, 以及色素沉着的水平. Their study offers clues about how and when eels develop within the estuary, as well as providing information of interest to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate body that coordinates the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species. The Marist 学生 who conducted the specialized research were Rodina Abdelhady ’21, 她是来自沃平格斯瀑布的生物医学专业的学生, New York; and environmental science and policy majors Jeramie Glynn ’20 of Summit, Pennsylvania; Kathryn Samarro ’21 of Wyckoff, New Jersey; Bridget Connolly ’20 of Rumson, New Jersey; and Clairice Drexler ’20 of Southington, 康涅狄格. 

保持哈德逊河谷的清洁和美丽

Senior Lecturer of Biology Amy Cahill has also gotten Marist 学生 involved in protecting the local environment. 最近, 他们自愿支持河流守护者的努力, a community organization dedicated to protecting the environmental, 休闲, and commercial integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries. On May 4, Cahill led 13 Marist 学生 in the 8th Annual Riverkeeper Sweep cleanup event in Esopus. 学生们捡起了139个塑料瓶, 141个瓶盖, 还有300多块泡沫, 玻璃, 和塑料.  卡希尔说, “This was my fifth year involving 学生 as co-leaders/volunteers at this event to clean up parks along the Hudson River. A really nice aspect of this project is that our 学生 worked side by side with residents of the local community. 在过去的两年里, we’ve recorded data on what we collect for a wider study with Riverkeeper.”

在2018-19学年早些时候, Cahill spearheaded another project in which Marist 学生 volunteered to remove water chestnuts from the Hudson River. 和卡希尔一起, 来自Fishkill的生物医学科学专业的学生meghan Ranalli说, 纽约和金斯顿19岁的奥维·奥巴罗, New York manned a water chestnut harvesting boat to assist with the management of this invasive species. Water chestnuts are a significant environmental nuisance because they form nearly impenetrable floating mats of vegetation. The mats are hazardous for boaters and can severely limit light penetration into the water and negatively impact the growth of native aquatic plants beneath the canopy. 植物生长减缓, combined with the decomposition of the water chestnut plants, can result in reduced levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, 影响其他水生生物, 并可能导致鱼类死亡. 展望未来, Cahill has been granted a sabbatical for the spring 2020 semester, and she plans to involve Marist 学生 in a study of invasive species management strategies in the Hudson Valley.