By Judith Schwartzstein, Vice President for Communications, Sarah Lawrence College

Sep. 14, 2016:  More than 200 children learned about the life of the Hudson River this summer at Sarah Lawrence College's Center for the Urban River at Beczak.

With an $8,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the City of Yonkers, the Center for the Urban River (CURB) hosted 220 children ages 4-16 from June 30 to August 23. Children from 11 different organizations, including the Yonkers YMCA, Nepperhan Community Center, Westhab, and the Lanza Learning Center, were able to participate in the enrichment programs.

Victoria Garufi, director of education at CURB, said that the programs taught children about the Hudson River watershed and local environmental issues while incorporating science, math, and other basic skills.

"In catch of the day seining, children were able to find out what lives under the waves by dragging a 30-foot seine net through the water to catch fish and other remarkable Hudson River creatures," said Garufi. "Students then kept a tally of the catch and drew conclusions by graphing the total outcomes."

Garufi said that children can continue to use the river as a learning tool year-round as part of a curriculum CURB developed in partnership with Yonkers educators. The "Three Rivers of Yonkers," a curriculum guide with six interdisciplinary units of study, was launched last year for 31 Yonkers public schools and other school districts in Westchester. The project was funded in part by Yonkers Raceway through the resolution of an enforcement action against Yonkers Raceway brought by the New York State Attorney General.

Ryan Palmer, director of CURB, said that the center's mission was not only to conduct environmental education and research, but also to provide enrichment for underserved populations in the vicinity of the center with free programs, including theatrical performances, concerts, and art exhibits.

"We are grateful for Yonkers CDBG funding this summer in supporting our local community groups to experience the Hudson River in their very own backyard," he said. "We hope we can work together to bring more culturally diverse youth from Yonkers to our center in the future."

About the Center for the Urban River at Beczak 

CURB began in 2013 when Sarah Lawrence College entered an alliance with the Hudson River Valley Environmental Education Institute, which had operated the Beczak Environmental Education Center on the banks of the Hudson River in downtown Yonkers. The collaboration allowed the college to establish a research field station and facilitate faculty and student research while continuing environmental education programming about the river for school and community groups. In addition to providing hands-on K-12 environmental education, CURB works with partners such as Riverkeeper to perform citizen-scientist-led studies to look for ways to combat sewage and other water contamination.

Pictured here:  CURB educator Jason Muller with the children from the Lanza Learning Center getting ready for seining.

Photo courtesy Judith Schwartzstein, Vice President for Communications, Sarah Lawrence College