CURB Wraps Up the 3rd Year of the EELS Team Internship Program

by Audrey Mattison - SLC EELS Team Student Mentor

CURB's EELS Team wrapped up their spring research last month, as eight students from Yonkers, Lincoln, and Saunders high schools completed their sampling for the American eel migration project. Working along the riverbank with a fyke net, the students collected glass eels and counted and weighed them, with their most successful day coming on March 26th when they caught 162 eels. While monitoring eel populations, the students also tracked water conditions, weather data, and filtered eDNA samples from multiple points along the river.

Throughout the program the students participated in workshops, including an eel conservation session led by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, an Excel lesson at the Riverfront Library, and a public speaking workshop hosted by CURB interns Audrey Mattison and Vivian Marko. 

On April 18th CURB hosted its annual community event, where the students presented research projects on topics such as temperature and bay anchovies, turbidity and grass shrimp, and salinity and mummichogs. After the presentations were over the students welcomed everyone outside for seining and eel counting.

To celebrate the end of the program, the team visited the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. 

The 4th year of the EELS Team Internship Program will kick-off this summer with CURB's Hudson River Ecology Course. Thanks to our students for all of their hard work throughout the year!