Local Students Work to Limit the Spread of invasive Fish in NYS

Written by Ella Daley

Emma Willard School offers a program called STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) 10, where students work in small groups on a project together for the entire school year. A group of motivated students including Ella Daley, Nadia Mitic, Olivia Berkman, and Roz Kurd focused on the research of invasive fish species found in our waters. They studied the harmful actions of these fish and found out ways to help our community to increase awareness about this problem and to help take positive action.

Research about the invasive fish revealed the damage they do to the environment and our local ecosystem. Through a program at Cornell CALS called “Fish Tracker”, the team will send collected water samples to test the eDNA to determine which invasive species are found in our regional waters. In addition to testing the water the team decided to raise awareness of limiting the spread of invasive species. Invasive species are non-native so they don’t have natural predators to regulate their quick, growing population and they diminish the food supply for the native fish. One of the current issues is the Round Goby fish, which is already in New York waters. The Round Goby is a small fish so it is not an issue of being a top predator but is a problem because they eat native fish eggs, specifically the smallmouth bass. The Smallmouth Bass only lays eggs once a year and the Round Goby is diminishing their population by inhibiting the reproduction success rate. Another big current issue is that of the Snakehead fish which is a non-native top predator, which kills and eats all the native species.

The team wants to emphasize the impending issue of the Blue Catfish to New York State. If these fish got into New York waters, their diet of mussels, which filter our waters, would lessen the purity and clarity of our waters.

The student team came up with the idea to sell merchandise that raises awareness and all the proceeds will be donated to the Natural Heritage Trust. The Natural Heritage Trust works on the preservation of native species and one of the ways they do this is limiting the spread of invasive species. The team proposed their idea to Youth 2 - Youth Helping Youth (youthsquared.org) and wrote a grant proposal for financial support to design and purchase merchandise. They received a $500 grant. The merchandise is a canvas bag with a custom design done by Ana VanPlew, one of the students at Emma Willard School.

The team plans on raising awareness at their school and at the Sustainability Fair on April 16th, from 10am-4pm, at Skidmore College in Case Center. Come join us to learn more and help take social action to keep our waters healthy!

10 - 11am

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ELECTRIFICATION SAVINGS WORKSHOP

Join members of Sustainable Saratoga’s Climate and Energy Committee to explore how you can save money and improve the health and comfort of your home with federal and state incentives for energy efficiency improvements, building electrification, and more.  We’ll also offer you an opportunity to better understand your household’s carbon emissions and what actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.  This is a drop-in workshop.  Stop by and see how much money you can save with the Inflation Reduction Act, NYSERDA, and utility  incentives!

1-2pm

NDAKINNA FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION OF CO-CREATION & PLACE BASED FILMMAKING

This session begins with a screening of Ndakinna, a short documentary film centered on the Bruchac family and their work at the Ndakinna Education Center in Greenfield, N.Y. The film explores the family’s multigenerational stewardship of this land and Indigenous teachings about acknowledgment, listening, remembering, and sharing. Following the screening, panelists will discuss the collaborative process of making a place-based documentary film.

Angela Beallor (she/they), as the Documentarian in Community Co-Creation, facilitates the MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative at Skidmore College. Beallor is an artist working primarily in collaborative performance, video, and photography, addressing themes of memory, history, and politics.

Dr. Joseph Bruchac, writer, musician, and traditional storyteller, is a citizen and member of the Elders Council of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation. A best-selling author of over 180 books in several genres, his poems, essays, and stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and hundreds of magazines ranging from Akwesasne Notes, Cricket, and Highlights for Children, to the Paris Review, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.

Siobhan Hart (she/her) is an archaeologist and professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Her work is concerned with using material culture, place, and community collaboration to address inequities in the world today.

2-3pm

SHARE (Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy) ADVOCACY UPDATE

Join the Co-chairs of the Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE) to learn about the legacy of pollution in the predominantly Black, formerly redlined Albany neighborhood of Sheridan Hollow.  In this workshop, we will learn how a coalition of residents, environmental justice advocates, and community groups is working to eliminate the disproportionate exposure of Sheridan Hollow residents to harmful fossil fuel emissions by supporting the development of 21st century, pollution-free infrastructure that will also help achieve the state’s bold climate goals for renewable heat and power.

Merton Simpson is the Co-founder and Co-Chair of the Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy.  He resides in Albany in the neighborhood of Sheridan Hollow and is serving his third term in the Albany County Legislature representing residents of the 2nd Legislative District. (Photo description:  Merton D. Simpson, Grandson Chris Rivers & wife Joyce Love, 3rd Ward Council Member)

Ruth Foster is the Co-founder and Co-chair of the Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy.  Ruth has been a committed social justice advocate for her entire life, organizing for tuition cuts for SUNY, for nuclear disarmament, against Apartheid and for climate action.Ruth helped to lead the successful fight to stop the Northeast Energy Direct (NED) fracked gas pipeline that cut through Rensselaer County where she lives.  She joined Divest NY and helped win divestment of the state pension fund and is currently leading the effort to demand that the New York State Teachers Retirement System divest from fossil fuels. She serves on the Admin Committee of Climate Can’t Wait, a collaborative of over 40 local and statewide groups organized around the demand that the governor and legislature act on climate.

3-4pm

URBAN ECOSYSTEM JUSTICE- INTERSECTIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM AT ALBANY'S RADIX CENTER

The Radix Center is a non-profit ecological literacy education and just sustainabilities advocacy organization based in the South End of Albany, New York.  Maintaining a one-acre urban farm and demonstration site of regenerative tools and technologies, Radix provides educational and employment opportunities for local youth while also working for environmental justice in the South End community.  In this presentation, Radix co-founders Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew will discuss how urban soils, food, air, rivers, compost, forests and climate intersect with issues of equity, justice, access, race and class.

[We are sorry to miss our originally scheduled workshop from Loreen Hackett, long time PFAS advoacte from Hoosick Falls, due to illness. You can read more about her powerful activism and work in these New York Times stories from 2016 and 2020 and on her twitter @PFOAProjectNY.]

1-2pm

COMPOSTING AT HOME

Composting has a role to play in fighting climate change since food scraps and yard waste produce methane when they decompose in a landfill. Composting also creates rich, organic material for use in your gardens. In this workshop, we will describe the important basics of composting in clear and easy-to-understand terms.

Lenore and Jack Reber are retired teachers who taught special ed and fourth grade, and elementary and middle school English, respectively. They are volunteers with Sustainable Saratoga and have been gardening and composting for 50 years.

2-3pm

PLANT A TREE IN YOUR YARD THIS SPRING

Learn how to select and plant a tree for your yard. Spring is the perfect time to plant a tree that will beautify your property and provide benefits for years to come. The right tree (preferably a native species) planted in the right spot can grow to reduce cooling bills in summer, reduce street temperatures, or absorb rainwater runoff. Plant a tree for fall color, or spring flowers, or to feed and house local wildlife. Whatever your reason, there's a tree out there for you.

Caroline Rothaug is the Chair of Sustainable Saratoga's Urban Forestry Project as well as a Master Gardener with the Saratoga County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

3-4pm

WLI DOGO WONGAN/ ALL OUR RELATIONS

How our traditional Northeastern Native stories and life ways recognize and teach the importance of sustainability and environmental balance. The session will include the telling of stories from Abenaki and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) traditions. It will also consider how indigenous ideas influenced modern ideas of conservation and deep ecology.

Dr. Joseph Bruchac, writer, musician, and traditional storyteller is a citizen and member of the Elders Council of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation. A best-selling author of over 180 books in several genres, his poems, essays, and stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and hundreds of magazines ranging from Akwesasne Notes, Cricket, and Highlights for Children, to the Paris Review, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.

1-2pm

SARATOGA SPRINGS SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEES PANEL DISCUSSION

Join the Chairs of the Saratoga Springs Open Space Advisory Committee,  Complete Streets Advisory Board, and the Climate Smart Task Force for a panel discussion on the work of these committees and the role they play in helping the City develop and carry out sustainability plans.

2-3pm

SUSTAINABLE LIVING 101: ARCADIAN REVIVAL’S GUIDE FOR THE HOMEOWNER

Join Sustainable Living 101: Arcadian Revival’s Guide for the Homeowner to learn more about how to begin living life and managing home through a more sustainable lens that aligns action with values. Whether you’re renovating, managing a busy home with kids, or have time to re-think your approach to everyday life, we hope this workshop leaves everyone with a useful takeaway that can be implemented when they walk out the door. By attending this workshop we’ll equip you with ideas on incorporating best practices into your home and inspiring intentionality with decision-making. By making small changes, we’re each taking part in creating a more sustainable Saratoga community. 

Bethany Bowyer Khan moved to Saratoga County with her family in 2021 where they purchased a Greek Revival home after a decade in NYC working to make the city more sustainable. She has recently launched Arcadian Revival, a brand and business inspiring sustainable living through design, renovation, garden, cultivating home, community and our relationship with nature.

3-4pm

SARATOGA PLAN & THE SARAH B. FOULKE FRIENDSHIP TRAILS 

Ensuring a climate resilient community means conserving the ecology of our forests, waters, wetlands, and other natural areas and open spaces. Come learn about plans and progress for conservation and compatible recreation in the Adirondack Foothills that Saratoga PLAN, Skidmore College and other Palmertown Range Partners are working on in your backyard.  

Robert K. Davies is the Executive Director of Saratoga PLAN (Protecting Land And Nature), a not-for-profit 501(c)3 and nationally accredited land trust organization whose mission is to preserve the rural character, natural habitats and scenic beauty of the Saratoga Region so these irreplaceable assets are accessible to all and survive for future generations.  Since being established in 2003, Saratoga PLAN has conserved 7,370 acres, created and manages 13 public preserves and 25 miles of multi-use trails. Saratoga PLAN helps landowners conserve their farmland, woodlands and natural habitats to sustain the county’s “quality of place” and the environment, economy, and public health. As Executive Director, Mr. Davies oversees the Saratoga PLAN Team in assisting communities create plans that balance growth with conservation to sustain the Saratoga Region as a great place to live, work, visit and farm. Prior to joining Saratoga PLAN in May of 2022, Mr. Davies served as a senior attorney in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Office of General Counsel.  In 2001 Mr. Davies became the Director of the DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests and State Forester where he was responsible for the management of approximately 4.5 million acres including 3 million acres of Adirondack and Catskill forest preserve land, 800,000 acres of state forest land, and 890,000 acres of “working forest” conservation easements.