For those who have wondered what thrives in the waters of the East River, but like most people are not brave enough to venture in, an FSC professor and some intrepid college students have the answers.
For the ninth year, FSC bioscience professor Dr. Peter Park served as the fish taxonomy expert for the 10th Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York (CUNY) BioBlitz. During the event, teams of students spent 24 hours at a body of water in New York City collecting, identifying, and tallying fish, insects, and plants to help assess the biodiversity of different areas of the city. The data provides valuable information to city agencies monitoring these areas.
This year’s BioBlitz was at Randall’s Island Park, and about 600 students participated, some dragging seine nets through the water to collect samples, while others donned waders and entered the water with fishing poles.
“This gives students a chance to engage in something completely new,” Park said. “And I get to know a different group of students. Participating in community science programs has helped me to become a better teacher.” Community science involves a group of people in a project, usually under the guidance of a scientist or teacher.
Park was assisted this year by two FSC students. Monica Cordova Hernandez, ‘24 bioscience major and a Nexus Center Summer Scholarship recipient, and Vanya Elbaar’23, a horticulture major who has worked with Park.
Hernandez spoke to the Macaulay students about local fish species, ecology, and demonstrated how to fish, since many of the students had never done it before. “Monica did a stellar job serving this community of learners,” Park wrote to the Nexus Center. Before the students arrived at the park, Hernandez also prepared the nets, fishing poles, and laid out the waders. She assisted with the seine nets, helping students count and identify the creatures in the nets, including different fish, crabs, moon jellyfish, snails, and even one wayward tropical fish.
“I loved being able to show what I love to do,” Hernandez said. “I’ve loved it ever since Dr. Park showed me how to fish.”
Elbaar took photos of the event and also helped with recording fish species and sizes. “I enjoyed being outside with the team; it’s fun to work with a great team,” she said.
One of Park’s goals is to get more FSC students involved in outdoor projects, to allow them to experience the benefits. “It’s a shame a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to be outside and learn science first-hand,” Elbaar noted.
Kelly O’Donnell, Director of Science Forward at Macaulay Honors College who organizes the annual BioBlitzes, said the goal is to give students an authentic data- collection experience and also have fun. The program would not be possible without Park, she added. “Peter has been coming for a while,” O’Donnell said, adding that they met in graduate school. “He shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for fish in New York and demonstrates his knowledge of ecology of fish in the city. His enthusiasm is just as important as his knowledge.”
Data collected from the BioBlitz will be a tremendous asset in managing the 330-acre park, said Chris Girgenti, Director of Environmental Programs at Randall's Island Park Alliance. “The data provides us with information to help understand the biodiversity of the park,” he said. “There is no way we could get all that information without the students. It also helps introduce hundreds of new people to the park. This helps us make better informed decisions on park management, improving access, and supporting wildlife. It’s a huge data set we’d never be able to have without the students.”
