East River Adventures

​I recently visited the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, thanks to the invitation of Dr. Peter Park of Nyack College,  and the Conservancy's Director of Education, Isa del Bello. Education Manager Eliza Phillips showed me around the Environmental Education Center, which features: a beautiful 250-gallon tank whose temporary residents were all caught in the East River — they're temporary because they are all released back into the river at some point; a Discovery Station featuring a scale model of the park along with other activities placed within drawers enticingly (and purposely) in reach of the younger set (these include life-size models of various aquatic creatures, for example); a library stocked with books relevant to the theme being studied; and an area with other creatures found along the estuary habitat (including a few praying mantis and a red-eared slider turtle named Berta). 

I had the chance to watch (and participate!) as staff and volunteers walked into the East River and seined for different creatures. Brooklyn Bridge Park also has amazing views onto the river, beautiful playgrounds, and if you look hard and long enough, a thriving habitat of fascinating creatures. It's worth a trip. Enjoy the slide show, which details my visit. 

For more information:
About the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the Environmental Education Center, click here.
About the difference between jelly fish and comb jellies, check out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Ocean Portal Site. 

About how biological organisms are classified: a useful Wikipedia page with handy illustrations.