Rocking the Boat’s On-Water program specializes in monitoring the water quality and other ecological conditions on the Bronx River; specifically in the Sound View and Hunts Point areas. Testing includes: pH balance, Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrates content, and Turbidity. The information from the test is compiled and analyzed to see the health of the Bronx River . All of this data is used not only to help the river, but to also educate the community in how to make New York City GREENER.

Rocking The Boat needs to check the amount of different species dwelling in the Bronx River. Checking the different amounts of species is done every semester by both the On-water students and Apprentices. The reason we conduct these tests is to determine the amount of biodiversity in the Bronx River. The more biodiversity, the more stable the ecosystem of the river will become. Over a period of time, we will be able to determine whether the health of the river is improving or getting worse. At Rocking the Boat, not only do we check the amount of biodiversity of fish in the river, but we also interview the people fishing on the Bronx River to see if they might have come across something that we haven’t seen yet. Lately there has not been a discovery but we will continue to search for new species. These species will be our passage way to a healthier Bronx river and a sky high biodiversity. The way we did all of our fisheries project is by splitting the Bronx River in to five zones. The reason why we split the river in to five zones is because it is easier to pinpoint the places where we took down information. Each zone represented on the map (right) is a different part of the river where we divided the river into different zones.

Oysters are vital to Rocking the Boat’s on-water programs mission of helping the overall improvement of the Bronx River. It’s simple for the Bronx River, the more oysters the better the water quality. Oysters are filter feeders, removing the pollutants in a body of water in the process of their filtering, therefore cleaning that body of water. Adult oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water every day. Since 2004, R.T.B has been involved in many ecology projects including building artificial oyster reefs, constructing spat collectors, and the monitoring of oyster gardens. Rocking the Boat is the primary monitor of all these projects, being that our location is the closest to the sites, and we have the boats to easily access them.

The wading birds survey is a new program that began in spring 2008. It was developed by the students of Rocking the Boat along with On Water Program Director Chrissy Word and Program Assistant Charles Jones. Rocking the Boat partners with NYC Audubon Society which is very interested in understanding how certain birds, like Egrets and Herons use the Bronx River, and whether or not their numbers are increasing. In order to assist them and those who are interested in this information, we survey and collect data regarding wading birds, shore birds and other birds that are using the Bronx River estuary. Observing birds is a great way to tell us if the Bronx River is healthy. When the tide goes out, the water level drops exposing the river bed; thus,enabling the birds to eat worms ,shrimps, and other little creatures. If there are many birds, then that tells us that there is enough food in the river for them to survive. We have yet to see any birds nesting. It might not be as safe for these birds to live in this estuary than it is for them to feed and swim. The wading bird survey includes information about bird identification, behavior, and location. The NYC Audubon Society uses the data for analysis and future bird conservation efforts. Since we began the survey, Rocking the Boat has been amazed to see at how many birds are actually using the estuary. Herons, Egrets, and many other birds can be seen along the Bronx River; so be sure to keep your eyes open when you are out walking, paddling, or boating.

The salt marsh restoration project began in 2003 just across from our site at Hunts Point Riverside Park. Rocking the Boat students helped the Natural Resources Group of NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to install 600 feet of Spartina grass. Spartina grass is the most prominent plant found in the salt marsh for many reasons. First, it is important for salt marsh to contain Spartina grass because it acts like a buffer zone for the salt marsh. In the case of a bad weather, nothing in the salt marsh would get washed away or destroyed because the Spartina roots hold it in place. Second, Spartina is important because the grass acts as a nursery for different types of species that are not ready to swim into ocean or river waters. It acts as a nursery by providing shelter for salt marsh organisms. Having animals feed off of Spartina is a positive thing because Spartina produces lots of energy. This energy starts at the salt marsh but travels from rivers all the way out to oceans, connecting all life to the salt marsh. Although a shark may not eat Spartina, it eats fish that mostly likely ate another fish and so on, eventually leading back to an organism that got its energy form Spartina. Last, salt marshes are extremely important because they can absorb things like oil and gasoline. The bacteria in the salt marsh can break the oil and gasoline down into natural substances making salt marshes pollution filters. Rocking the Boat On Water students monitored the restored salt marsh area in spring of 2008 to determine its health and success. They began with surveying the elevation, and since then have conducted two-bio surveys. A bio survey is taken to see what types of organisms are using the area. The monitoring will be ongoing for years to come and there is the potential for extending that area of restoration in the future.

Through out the years Rocking the Boat has had a number of different projects. We have always gotten the information needed to further benefit our river. However, some our projects can only be performed at a specific amount of time having given us further insight on what needs to be done in order to restore our river. The information we gathered in the past are now a vital part of our everyday projects, so they may be gone but not forgotten. To learn more about these projects click here.