West Islip High School students in the International Baccalaureate Biology and Environmental classes, as well as Skills in STEM and Science Research and Biotechnology Research classes, participated in A Day in the Life of a River science campaign on Oct. 25. The program is part of an island wide project organized by the Central Pine Barrens Commission and Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Open Space Stewardship Program.

Since 2018, West Islip High School students have participated in this campaign at the mouth of the Connetquot River in Heckscher State Park every October. As part of this fieldwork, students collaborated with experts from the South Shore Estuary Reserve and the New York State Parks Department to conduct a biological survey of aquatic and terrestrial organisms. They conducted a site survey to collect physical site, sediment and aquatic data, and also measured water chemistry. As a school community, students in these classes conduct this research to contribute to the larger data sets monitoring the health of Long Island waterways. These data sets are then used to make informed decisions about necessary remediations needed in our local ecosystem.

Click here to view the West Islip Student Scientists Conduct Fieldwork at Heckscher slideshow.

Date Added: 11/8/2024