The Evolution of the Urban Watershed Education Program

By Nick Vos-Wein

Believe it or not, our Harbor Estuary Urban Fishing Program (UFP) predates the formation of Hackensack Riverkeeper. The UFP began in 1996 as a partnership between Captain Bill Sheehan and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. At first, the UFP was a one-day event with several urban schools. The goal of the program was to help the students learn how to fish, and more importantly, teach them about the fish (and crab) consumption advisories for the Newark Bay Complex (Newark Bay, Hackensack River, Passaic River, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull and their tidal tributaries). The hope was that they would take that information home and share it with their families.

After Captain Bill became the Hackensack Riverkeeper in 1997, the UFP grew into a four-day curriculum. The UFP was renamed the Harbor Watershed & Urban Fishing Program (new UFP), and targeted schools in high-risk communities along the banks of the Newark Bay Complex. In 2005, when the UFP was expanded to Trenton and Camden, the name was changed to the Watershed Education & Urban Fishing Program (new new UFP!) reflecting the program's statewide expansion.

The four-day program now teaches a broad range of subjects including watershed management, stewardship, the Public Trust Doctrine, public health concerns, water quality monitoring, and responsible angling. Because it has been expanded to cover such a variety of concepts, the UFP will henceforth be known as the Urban Watershed Education Program (UWEP). This year, 175 students representing six middle schools in Bayonne, Ridgefield, Carteret, Jersey City, Elizabeth and Trenton, took part in the UWEP. Here is a sample of what the four days are like...

On the first day, students learn about geography and terminology in relation to rivers, estuaries and watersheds. We also discuss point- and non-point source pollution and its effects. A game helps the kids learn about the fish in their local waterways and species that are under advisory.

Day Two begins with an activity that teaches students how land use affects water quality by tracing various pollutants as they travel through a watershed. We then discuss actions that we can all take to eliminate or minimize our contribution to water pollution. The rest of the day is spent conducting a cleanup of the school grounds and in the surrounding neighborhood. Along the way we affix a permanent plaque to each catch basin (storm drain) that reads, "No Dumping. Drains to Your River." These markers are required for every catch basin in New Jersey by the Phase Two Municipal Stormwater Regulations, which were adopted in 2004.

On Day Three we head to the water. The class is divided in half and while one group takes an Eco-Cruise aboard Riverkeeper's pontoon cruiser, the other stays landside and tests the water for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, salinity and other indicators of water quality. The groups then switch and at the end of the day, compare answers and share stories.

The fourth and final day is also spent at the water. After reviewing estuarine terminology and learning proper casting techniques, the kids spend an enjoyable day practicing catch-and-release fishing. The day closes with a fish dissection where we review fish anatomy and learn the proper way to clean a fish.