OR&R's Damage Assessment and Restoration Program showcased American eel and blue crab.  Kids and adults alike could observe eel collected from a tributary to the Hudson River climbing a ladder designed to permit passage on dammed waterways and hear about the life history of our native eel from Carl Alderson, Restoration Center master storyteller. Participants also learned from NOAA about the differences between horseshoe and blue crabs through hands-on interactions. Younger participants crafted sea turtle paper bag puppets and paper plate crabs and fish.

This year we collaborated with NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Chemist Ashok Deshpande and NOAA student volunteer Jordan Gilruth from the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sandy Hook, New Jersey exhibited chemistry molecular models of various compounds and talked about contaminants in fish and in microplastics.  The public appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity to construct their own molecular models and take them home, too.

The free annual event, sponsored by Hudson River Park, brings together scientists and environmental educators in an outdoor setting, a pier in Lower Manhattan. This location provides an opportunity to further connect the public to our resources through fishing, kayaking, live scuba dives, marine science research vessel tours, experimentation, touch tanks, theater and music.

For further information, contact Lisa.Rosman@noaa.gov.

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