Sachem North continues to lead the way with its environmental science program.
Students have been working with NY Sea Grant, Long Island Sound Study, NYS Parks, and the NYS DEC at Sunken Meadow State Park to monitor and aid an estuary restoration since 2010.
They collected baseline data prior, and have been monitoring the progress since a dam was removed in 2012 to restore tidal flow to 132 acres of estuary habitat.
Each Fall, alongside agency professionals, students test water quality and sample for organisms. This year they have exciting results. They added four never-before-captured species, including blackfish, bunker, porgies, and sea star.
“The presence of these species, and other economically important species like flounder, is a huge indicator of the success of the restoration project,” said Sachem North science teacher Monica Marlowe. “We will be presenting all the data in poster form at the OSSP Conference at Brookhaven National Lab this spring, which serves as a great opportunity for students to interact with professional scientists and other motivated high school students. I see tremendous value in involving our students in this long-term project. It provides a memorable opportunity to engage in hands-on learning, generate excitement for the AP curriculum, as well as help students take ownership and responsibility for our local waterways. Attached are a few pictures of our students in the field.”
Students also recently participated in “A Day in the Life of the Nissequogue River.” This program, sponsored by local, state, and non-profit environmental agencies, utilizes numerous student groups to assess the health of an entire river system on one day and from year to year.
Ten school groups went out to measure biological, chemical, and physical data of the Nissequogue River.
Sachem will collaborate with the other groups to analyze this data and present our findings at Brookhaven National Lab in June during the annual Open Space Stewardship Program conference.
This is Sachem North’s third year participating, with the bus being paid for by CFE – Save the Sound.