2014 Highlights
One Fish, Two Fish, Ocean Fish, River Fish!
Just below the surface of the water, some fish lead dramatic lives migrating between the Bronx River and the open waters of the Atlantic. Students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School helped us monitor the threatened American eel during their spring migration from the Sargasso Sea to the river. The students installed eel mops, a type of artificial habitat, in the river and periodically checked the number and size of eels in the mops.
We 
are also making the river more hospitable for migratory fish by installing the first fish ladder in the Bronx River. This is the first in a series of three fish passages being developed on the Bronx River to reconnect migratory fish such as alewife herring to their spawning grounds. We are proud to partner with NYC Parks in reintroducing this species — absent for hundreds of years — and look forward to welcoming the spring migration in 2015.
Citizen Science on the River: For over a decade, students, educators and interested residents have monitored water quality as Bronx River Stewards. This program got a boost this summer thanks to a new partnership with EPA and the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program. Together with our partners, we piloted a bacteria monitoring program by citizen scientists and presented those results at an EPA seminar.
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Now we are putting the finishing touches on a State of the Bronx River report summarizing over 15 years of historical water quality data. A companion website will enable citizen scientists to upload data directly to the site where they can be displayed and compared. Stay tuned for our launch date!
Media Coverage:
Learn About Eels and Oysters at the Bronx River. DNAinfo. August 15, 2014.
Oysters Aid Bronx River Cleanup. Wall Street Journal. August 18, 2014
Bronx River House is in Construction!
A new generation of Bronx children and families will be able to touch, experience, and love the Bronx River at Bronx River House, now in construction. With many green features such as solar panels and vine-covered walls, River House will serve as a community education center, boat house and headquarters of the Bronx River Alliance.
Media Coverage:
- Bronx River Alliance to get new HQ. New York Daily News. March 12, 2014
Raising Capital Dollars for the River & Greenway.
The Bronx River Alliance is committed to ensuring a continuous greenway with new and improved parks along the river. We made big strides towards this vision in 2014 by securing funds for major capital improvements, which will go to NYC Parks for implementation.
A $4.4 million grant will support shoreline restoration at Starlight Park, and a $2.5 million grant will help improve Shoelace Park in the Bronx River Greenway.
Media Coverage:
