Long Island, NY - October 18, 2016 - Over 900 students and teachers from eighteen different schools grades three through twelve will join natural resource experts to engage in hands-on citizen science exploration at twenty-three sites on the Peconic Estuary this Friday. The event is the seventh of nine “A Day in the Life” events taking place this fall.
“A Day in the Life” features students exploring and collecting firsthand information to learn how their river and estuary fits into the larger ecosystem. Students will examine the physical and chemical aspects of each aquatic ecosystem, such as where freshwater and salty seawater meet, the amount of sediments, nitrates, phosphates, and oxygen levels in the water, as well as conduct biodiversity inventories of the flora and fauna in and around the rivers and estuary from the headwaters to the mouth of the river. Their work will determine the health of the aquatic ecosystem and biodiversity of the Peconic Estuary.
Locations within the Peconic Estuary will include the North and South Forks and Shelter Island.
The “A Day in the Life” event is coordinated by the Central Pine Barrens Commission, Brookhaven National Lab, NY State DEC and the Peconic Estuary Program.
“A Day in the Life” helps students develop an appreciation for and knowledge of Long Island’s river and estuary ecosystems and collect useful scientific data,” said program coordinator Melissa Griffiths Parrott. “It teaches students to become stewards of water quality and connected to Suffolk County’s spectacular natural resources.”
