Students Become Scientists for a Day on the Peconic

Students from Shoreham-Wading River High School's science research program traveled to Indian Island County Park in Riverhead to take part in A Day in the Life, a citizen science program run by the Central Pine Barrens Commission. 

Students acted as field scientists on the Peconic Estuary, working in teams alongside other schools and collecting data across the region. They measured physical conditions such as tides and currents, collected sediment samples, tested the water for temperature, salinity and other chemical factors, and waded into the bay in waders and life jackets to pull a seine net and identify the fish and other organisms living there. Several returning students who had taken part in past years served as mentors, guiding first-time participants through the sampling methods and equipment.

The data gathered adds to a long-term record of the health of our local waterways, and the day gave high school students hands-on experience doing real science outside the classroom.