WRI engages in a broad range of activities, including research, education, and outreach. In the side bar to the left, you will find more information on the following:
- WRI-authored research publications in peer-reviewed and trade journals
- Presentations made by WRI staff, as well as activities related to local, state, and federal policy
- Press covering WRI staff, activities, and publications
- WRI's blog, which includes educational videos and interesting stories related to water resources
Below, please see announcements related to WRI programs and staff, including information on current funding opportunities:
Announcements
Year of Water mural complete
Ithaca Murals teamed with local artist, Norma Gutierrez, to produce a mural on the wastewater treatment access point at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. The mural brings awareness to the nearby Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility. A new webpage, found here, highlights the details of this project with pictures of its progress and completion.
Year of Water Annual Report: 2019-2020
This report details the projects and collaborations for our Year of Water initiative over the last year, a program to increase water literacy in our community and build collaborations across organizations. Projects include a mural that beautifully depicts our local water system, trivia stickers that test your water knowledge, and a podcast that explores the complexities of water in different communities.
FY2021 Competitive Grant RFA Released
WRI has released its call for competitive funding applications for FY2021. All institutions of higher learning in NY state are eligible.
Staying Ahead of the Curve: Wastewater Surveillance for Monitoring COVID-19 Outbreaks in New York State
One method for community level monitoring of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is wastewater surveillance – a powerful and relatively inexpensive informational tool that can provide data on how the virus is circulating within a community. This short communication explores the possibilities and limitations of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2.
National Estuaries Week 2020
The NYSDEC Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve (HRNERR) and Hudson River Estuary Program (HREP) are excited to participate in National Estuaries Week in several ways:
Virtual River: HRNERR/HREP education staff are excited to announce the launch of our Fall 2020 Virtual River educational series. We will kick off the first week of exciting online offerings with "What is an Estuary?" on September 21st. Students, teachers, educators, and families are invited to watch short engaging videos released weekly exploring our natural environment, including lots live animals. Each Virtual River update includes educational activities and lesson plans for use at home, in the classroom, online, or outside. Celebrate and explore environmental science on the Hudson River wherever you are this fall with the Virtual River.
Sign up for weekly updates or check out the Virtual River webpage.
Facebook Live: On Wednesday, September 23, and 12:30 pm, everyone is invited to check out the Hudson River Estuary with a special edition of DEC Facebook Live. Our estuary education team with seine for fish at the Norrie Point Environmental Center, check out the species and tides and water quality they observe, and answer questions from the audience, live and online. These programs happen weekly and its been interesting to watch the estuary and its species change over the months. Everyone is welcome to join us online via the NYSDEC Facebook page.
Submerge Festival: One of our videos, the Eel Story, will be featured at the Hudson River Park Trust’s annual SUBMERGE science festival on Thursday September 24 between noon and 1:00pm, and HREP/HRNERR education coordinator Chris Bowser will speak on a live panel about estuary animals and habitats. There will be "special guests" of the finned and four-legged variety, to be sure. The Submerge Festival brings together dozens of organizations dedicated to stewardship, education, and research on New York Harbor and the Hudson River Estuary.
Estuary Hero Aidan Mabey: This Hudson River Estuary Hero was recruited to the Hudson River eel project when she was in high school and has climbed the stewardship ladder to become one of the most influential educators in the Hudson Valley. Thirteen years later, and Aidan Mabey is still hanging around with her high school sweetheart – the American eel (Anguilla rostrata). Every spring, Aidan takes students into tributaries of the Hudson River to check specialized fyke nets for juvenile American eels.
Key Actions to Promote Flood Resilience for NYS Communities
In the face of increasing storm intensities and changing landscapes, many NYS communities need to become more resilient to flooding—before, during, and after the event—but may not know where to start. Here are ten key actions that communities can take that have cascading effects, both to improve resiliency and to satisfy state and federal programs that promote flood resilience and can provide financial incentives to implementing these actions.
Short Communication: Is SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, present in raw and in partially-treated sewage?
Rassil Sayess, Kristen C. Hychka, and Brian G. Rahm, WRI (Updated October 3, 2020).
Developing a Municipal Downspout Disconnect and Green Infrastructure Program
One solution municipalities can use to address increasing runoff is to implement residential downspout disconnect and green infrastructure programs. The result is cost savings for wastewater utilities and decreased combined sewer overflow and stormwater runoff in neighborhoods and local waterways. This guidance lays out a step by step guide to disconnect program implementation.
Stream Buffer Management Workshop Held for Municipalities
Riparian buffers are a powerful tool to reduce nutrient and sediment input to downstream waterbodies and to protect streams in the face of climate and landscape change. But getting to scale with implementation is going to take a coordinated effort. In light of this, NYS WRI co-hosted a workshop on stream buffers for municipalities in Tompkins County. It focused on both planning and implementation of buffers at municipal, watershed, and site scales. The collected resources and the slides and videos of presentations and panels, compiled on the website, can be useful to many other NYS municipalities.
Staff Member Kristen Hychka Gives Keynote at Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit
The Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit was hosted by Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith College on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. with the goal of empowering young adults with knowledge and planning actions they can take to combat climate change. This year’s event is part of Hobart and William Smith 's Year of Water and includes a special focus on our water resources with the summit theme of “Promoting Water Security Through Science for Society and the Environment”. Kristen Hychka, NYS WRI Program Coordinator, gave the keynote lecture titled "Sponges in the Landscape: Greening Watersheds in the Face of Increasing Drought and Flooding" to over 100 high school students and teachers from around the Finger Lakes. For the rest of the day students took part in workshops, presented posters of ongoing work, and developed Climate Action Plans (CAPs).
FY2020 Competitive Grant RFA Released
WRI has released its call for competitive funding applications for FY2020. All institutions of higher learning in NY state are eligible.
Staff member Chris Bowser featured on NPR podcast Radiolab
Staff member Chris Bowser featured on NPR podcast Radiolab discussing eels in the Hudson River
WRI researcher featured in Fisheries Magazine for work linking ecology and historic place names
Andrew Meyer uses historical research and toponymy, the study of place names and their origins, to investigate whether an area referred to as “Sturgeon Pool” on a tributary to the Hudson River might be correctly named as historic habitat of Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum.
Community Science In Action: Marist College Highlights Collaborative Eel Research
Chris Bowser, WRI staff member and Education Coordinator for the Hudson River Estuary Program and National Estuary and Research Reserve, was profiled by Marist College for his role in blending education and research.
WRI Staff member quoted in article highlighting the mental health risks of rising sea levels
Kristin Marcel, WRI staff member and Climate Resilience Program Coordinator for the Hudson River Estuary Program, was quoted based on her experience working with the town of Piermont, NY. Piermont, just north of New York City, is at risk from rising sea level linked to climate change. WRI’s Hudson River Estuary Climate Resilience Program, in partnership with the NY DEC, works with municipalities to adapt to climate related threats. Learn more in this article about the Hudson River Estuary Program.
WRI staff member Chris Bowser profiled in "On the Front Lines" series
Chris Bowser, WRI staff member and Education Coordinator for the Hudson River Estuary Program and National Estuary and Research Reserve, was profiled in the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's "On the Front Lines" video series. The Estuary Program was designed to engage all citizens of the watershed with the management of their natural resources. Chris often gives students of all ages their first encounter with the estuary and inspires them to conservation.
FY2019 Competitive Grant RFA Released
WRI has released its call for competitive funding applications for FY2019. All institutions of higher learning in NY state are eligible.
Eel Excitement: At Hudson River NERR, Environmental Monitoring Takes A Slippery Turn
Read about how WRI staff member Chris Bowser combines education and environmental monitoring in the Environmental Monitor. Photo credit: Chris Bowser.
Engineers test device for monitoring NY state park water quality
Hear WRI summer intern Zsofia Szegletes '19 speak about her research in a Cornell Chronicle interview! Picture credit: Lindsay France/University Photography.
2018 Hudson River Education Success Stories
Highlights from three educational programs run by Hudson River Estuary Program staff in 2018. Photo credit: Chris Bowser.