Community Science Volunteer Opportunities in the Hudson River Estuary
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Every year, hundreds of volunteers help DEC scientists and naturalists collect data on fish and wildlife and plant native trees along Hudson River tributary streams. You, too can get involved! We invite you to participate in any of the following outdoor opportunities. These projects are conducted through partnerships with the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and Cornell University.
Download our Citizen Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities handout (PDF)
Hudson River Cooperative Angler Program
A Hudson River angler with a striped bass
Do you fish for striped bass in the Hudson River? Whether you catch-and-release or take home a keeper, you can be part of the Hudson River Cooperative Angler Program. Share your fishing trip information and help biologists understand and manage our striped bass fishery.
Here's how it works: Fill out a logbook provided by us whenever you fish on the Hudson River (by boat or on the shore). Record general location, time, gear used, what you caught (or if you didn't catch anything), and return the logbook when you are done fishing. You'll receive an annual newsletter summarizing the information in addition to the latest news regarding regulations and the river.
Join today! Call or e-mail Jessica Best at 845-256-3009.
A volunteer helps salamanders
cross the road. Photo: Ann Peters
Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project
In early spring, forest amphibians move from their woodland habitat to breed in vernal pools, often making dangerous road crossings. Volunteers can help conserve salamanders, frogs, and toads by moving them to safety during migrations; locating high-mortality crossings; and collecting data on this spring phenomenon. Following guidance on the DEC website, volunteers survey roads or known crossings for a few hours during "Big Night" migrations, usually in late March or early April. All ages are welcome, but younger volunteers should be closely supervised due to road safety concerns. This project is a partnership with Cornell University. Visit the Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings webpage or contact woodlandpool@dec.ny.gov.
American Eel Research
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a migratory fish, is born in the Atlantic Ocean and enters North American estuaries, including the Hudson River, as tiny, see-through "glass eels" each spring. Once they arrive, they soon gain pigment and become part of the ecosystem for years to come. The species is in decline over much of its range, and baseline studies, like the Hudson River Eel Project, of populations are crucial for management decisions.
Glass eels
The eel project is coordinated by the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, in partnership with NEIWPCC and the Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. During this project, teams of scientists, students, and volunteers collect glass eels using specialized nets and traps on Hudson River tributaries each spring. The juvenile fish are counted, weighed, and released, and other environmental data is recorded. At the end of each season the data is compiled and sent along to decision-makers.
The project directly involves students and volunteers with scientific design and field methodology. Participants experience their local ecosystem firsthand, and collect important information and relevant data about migrating fish.
- Check out our Eel Project Presentation (PDF) for background information, pictures, and more!
- Download the Hudson River Eel Project Report (PDF), which covers results from 2008-2022.
Volunteer With Us
There are many opportunities to get involved with the eel project. Below are descriptions of our eel projects. Check out other volunteer opportunities with the Hudson River Estuary Program.
If you are interested in getting involved, email eelproject@dec.ny.gov, and include where you live so we can find a nearby site.
The Projects
Fyke Nets: Large fyke nets are set in the mouths of tributaries for six to eight weeks each spring, catching the juvenile eels as they migrate upstream. Each net is checked every single day by two or more volunteers. Often, people sign up to check a net one or more specific days per week. It takes approximately an hour to sample each day. All gear and materials are provided, but personal transportation to the site is required. Volunteers should be willing to work outside under variable conditions, and work collaboratively within a team of students and volunteers.
Eel Mops: Eel mops are devices made to mimic juvenile eel habitat. They are passive traps that are set in the water and checked for living things as often or as little as needed. In addition to glass eels, we often find invertebrates and other small fish as well! Learn How to Make an Eel Mop (PDF).
Eel Ladders: On their journey upstream, eels are confronted by barriers that prevent access to favorable habitats. At a few locations by dams, we set eel ladders that catch eels attempting to swim upstream. The eels are then counted, sized, and released above the dam. The ladders are checked twice a week during the summer sampling season.
Students set a specialized eel net.
Sample sites include:
- Richmond Creek in Staten Island
- Saw Mill River and the Center for the Urban River at Beczak in Yonkers
- Furnace Brook in Cortlandt
- Minisceongo Creek in West Haverstraw
- Quassaick Creek in Newburgh
- Hunters Brook in Wappingers Falls
- Fall Kill in Poughkeepsie
- Crum Elbow Creek in Hyde Park
- Enderkill in Staatsburg
- Black Creek in Esopus
- Saw Kill in Annandale-on-Hudson
- Hannacroix Creek in New Baltimore
- Poestenkill in Troy
Eel Project History
Volunteers from the Eel Project celebrate the end
of the sampling season and show results to DEC staff.
The Hudson River Eel Project began in 2008 with two sites, the Fall Kill in Poughkeepsie, and Furnace Brook in Cortlandt. By 2018 the project expanded to 14 sites, ranging from New York City to Troy, with over 750 volunteers lending a hand (and learning a thing or two). Over its lifetime, the Eel Project has caught, counted, and released over one million glass eels, helping these animals access better habitat.
Over the course of the project we have collected interesting data. In 2018, volunteers caught an average of 183 glass eels per day. This is a significant increase from the first few years of the project during which the average catch per day was around 20-30 eels. One of the key educational aspects of this project is bringing the data back to classrooms to have students interpret and learn from it.
High school students sample their
local stream for juvenile eels.
Please email us to find out more and sign up to volunteer.
Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs
Volunteers plant trees along a stream.
Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs (tributaries) program engages volunteers in restoring thousands of feet of streamside buffer through native trees and shrub planting. The program offers land owners free native trees and shrubs for qualifying riparian (streamside) buffer planting/restoration projects. Trees for Tribs staff may also be able to assist with plant selection, designing a planting plan, and other technical support to improve the odds of success for projects. Trees for Tribs hosts volunteers for a seedling potting event on Arbor Day in late April (April 27, 2018) at DEC Region 3 Office in New Paltz. Planting projects take place throughout the Hudson Valley in May and September. All ages are welcome, but younger volunteers must be accompanied by an adult. On-site training is provided. Visit the Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs webpage to learn more.
More about Community Science Volunteer Opportunities in the Hudson River Estuary:
- The Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count - On one day each summer, naturalists at many sites along the Hudson estuary sample the great variety of fishes to be found as the water goes from fresh upriver to salty at New York City, and share their finds with visitors before releasing the fish back to the river.
