Now that Spring is in full swing, are you and your family or friends thinking about what fun activities are worth your time?
Riverkeeper.org could well be your resource since it sponsors Sweep, an annual volunteer event to clean up areas along the Hudson River and its tributaries, and the “Save a Million Bass” project that helps to protect the river’s striped bass.
What’s Down by the Riverside?
Ketie Leung, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, is looking forward to this year’s Sweep on May 4. She works hard to help make Sweep an engaging and exciting event, but its success lies with both the community volunteers and the site leaders:
Leung said: “When volunteers get together at these cleanup sites, there is a sense of community building and partnership that drives them to pick and dig up every single piece of litter and debris that does not belong in the river or the tributaries. They want to do a good job at their sites and leave them better than when they found them.”
The dedication of people caromg for the Hudson River was clearly shown in the 2023 Riverkeeper Sweep, which had over 2500 volunteers –more than double from the year before –and gathered an incredible 31 tons of trash.
Leung referred to the fact that these volunteers “came out to give back to the Hudson and its tributaries. Many volunteers expressed how great their stewardship project sites went.”
As important as the volunteers are, the site leaders add their special touch in helping volunteers navigate the clean-up experience.
Leung said, “Our Sweep site leaders are very dedicated in organizing their individual cleanups along the Hudson as successfully as they can. They make sure their volunteer groups are safe while having fun.”
Ellen Roth, a Sweep Leader from the Athens area, put it beautifully when she said she’s involved in Sweep “because the Hudson River is beautiful, ancient, sacred, the lifeblood of so many wonderful creatures, and a huge part of my life. The Sweep is an incredible way to make a difference, set an example for others, and raise awareness of our big, beautiful, mighty, life-sustaining Hudson.”
This year’s Sweep event will be held on Saturday, May 4. Registration opened on March 29th on Eventbrite, and more information can be found at www.riverkeeper.org/sweep.
There are few things better than working for a worthy cause and having fun in the process.
But if clean-up isn’t quite what you’re looking for in an outdoor activity, Riverkeeper.org also works with anglers, aka people who catch (and sometimes) release fish.
Calling All Anglers
Riverkeeper has a number of projects devoted to the fish population, such as the “iconic” Atlantic sturgeon, American shad, and river herring, which reside in the Hudson River.
Leung describes one of them, Save A Million Bass (SAMB), as “groundbreaking” in that it “uses the latest technology to educate anglers about new rules and regulations and the best catch and release techniques.”
Basically, anglers that want to participate in the project can use striped bass stickers with a QR code, which can be scanned with smart devices and reach a special page on the Riverkeeper website. There they will find “ten ways to help save a million bass” along with tips on catching and releasing striped bass.
It’s an exciting project that members of fishing clubs might want to participate in as well. They can order the SAMB stickers and have the name of their club printed on the stickers.
“While many of these fish, including striped bass, have been impacted by environmental stressors, striped bass are unique in that the recreational fishery has a huge impact on their populations,” Leung said.
The original idea behind SAMB came from the disastrous mortality rate for striped bass that were the casualties of what Leung called “recreational catch and release fishing.” In fact, it was estimated in a 2017 study that “3.4 million stripers did not survive catch and release. This was based on the standard 9% mortality rate applied to catch and release.”
So, if the SAMB project is able to reduce the mortality rate by even a third, it could save a million bass or more a year. That is truly a worthy goal.
But, according to Leung, “proper catch and release techniques are only a start.” Better techniques are needed to reduce the mortality of released fish.
The SAMB project also updates the fishing community on the current regulations and conservation techniques. So far, it has attracted 150 supporters who subscribe to SAMB newsletters that come out before the striped bass begin their migration.
Leung pointed out another noteworthy aspect of SAMB: “We have also partnered with three fishing tournaments to distribute custom stickers and de-hookers to anglers across the Northeast.” Now, that is very exciting since SAMB is making an impact beyond the shores of the Hudson.
If you want to spend time by the water, Riverkeeper Sweep and Save a Million Bass offer two ways to help you both enjoy the outdoors and give back to the mighty Hudson. For more information, visit: https://saveamillionbass.org/
