A day in the life of the Forge River

Legis. Mazzarella joined with students and teachers from Center Moriches High School while they participated in “A Day in the Life of a River” last month.

The students were joined by personnel from Brookhaven National Lab, the Pine Barrens Commission, the Peconic Baykeeper and the South Shore Estuary Reserve to study the biodiversity and water quality of the Forge River.

“I was happy to join with them to discuss the initiatives being taken by Suffolk County to improve the ecosystem of the river,”  stated Mazzarella.  “I explained the details involved with the Forge River Watershed Sewer District project and the aquaculture farming of involving both shellfish and sugar kelp.”

The “A day in the life of” river program is an exciting STEM-oriented outdoor education program designed to celebrate the river and estuary ecosystems unique to Long Island. Environmental education partners and students from school districts all over Long Island work alongside environmental scientists/professionals to collect scientific information and analyze samples to capture a snapshot of the environmental health of these ecosystems. Students use hands-on field techniques to describe their sites, catch fish in nets, collect water and invertebrate samples, develop a biodiversity inventory of the riparian zone and analyze water chemistry. They examine the physical and chemical aspects of the river/estuary, such as where freshwater and salty seawater meet, the amount of sediments in the water and turbidity and oxygen levels, as well as conduct biodiversity inventories of the flora and fauna in and around the ecosystems. All data collected on these “days” will be posted on A Day In the Life Portal to Discovery. 

“I applaud Center Moriches School District for involving these students in the environmental sciences and encouraging them to become more intimately involved in the ecosystem of their local waterways,” said Mazzarella. “The students were highly engaged in the field studies and asked excellent questions regarding the river and surrounding environment. Kudos to the teachers and staff who continue to coordinate this yearly event.”