SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival Returns To Hudson River Park

Today, Hudson River Park's River Project announced the return of the SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival, an annual celebration of New York City's coastal waters and estuary wildlife, with three days of in-person and virtual programming from October 19 to October 21. The festival educates New Yorkers, particularly local students, about the ecological importance of the Park's 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary and inspires budding scientists through fun and engaging marine science programming. This year's festival features a jam-packed lineup of in-person activities, virtual panels, wildlife tours and performances centered on local wildlife, harbor habitat and River health.

During SUBMERGE, the Park's River Project staff partners with 20 local organizations to help educate our community while showcasing local habitats and wildlife. The festival aims to reach audiences of all ages with a STEM-focused curriculum to make marine science accessible and engaging for everyone.

"SUBMERGE brings multiple aspects of Hudson River Park's mission together - including connecting the public with our local waterways through discovery-based programming and bringing dozens of environmental partners together along Manhattan's shoreline and virtually to inspire our next generation of river stewards and scientists," said Noreen Doyle, President and CEO of Hudson River Park Trust.

"The Hudson River Park's SUBMERGE festival showcases the wild and wonderful aspects of New York's waterways," said Patrick Foster, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director. "From the spectacular fish that thrive in the Harbor to the diverse communities that utilize the River for recreation and reflection, SUBMERGE is a celebration of this amazing, living habitat."

"We are proud to once again partner with Hudson River Park's River Project for the SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival. This event allows us to help increase public awareness and critical understanding of our local waterways," said Michael Stevens, Museum Educator in School and Teacher Programs at the Intrepid Museum. "Intrepid is an aircraft carrier that once traveled global waters and now serves as a Museum in the Hudson River Estuary. We greatly value the importance of advancing knowledge of water quality and how it impacts the ecosystem around us."

Each day of the festival begins with a series of immersive showcases from local community and environmental partners, followed by a live panel discussion led by experts in the field. The virtual portion of the festival wraps up with a live interactive performance from science educator, Al Leszczynski, that will allow participants to follow along with hands-on experiments. Each day concludes with in-person tours and activities led by the Park's River Project staff.

Hudson River Park is financially self-supporting. SUBMERGE is supported by BASIS Independent Schools, an education system designed to teach students an advanced, immersive curriculum that will prepare them to be innovative leaders.

"BASIS Independent Schools are excited to support Hudson River Park's SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival as a mission-aligned educational festival that promotes STEM offerings," said LaNette Hodge, Regional Director of Admissions, BASIS Independent Schools. "From Pre-K through High School, the BASIS Curriculum is designed to keep students actively engaged in the sciences through daily, hands-on exposure."

This year, the first day of the festival will focus on local wildlife. Participants will be able to see local fish populations up close, check out turtle hatchlings and learn about the diverse range of creatures found in New York City's waterways. The day ends with an in-Park activity featuring a look into the Wetlab at Pier 40. The Wetlab is a flow-through aquarium system that contains Hudson River fish species and is currently home to terrapins, seahorses, oyster toadfish, crabs, sea bass and more. The Wetlab also serves as an educational facility and laboratory for students, scientists and the general public to learn more about the Hudson River Estuary and how it supports a diverse range of species.

Day two will highlight the local harbor habitat. Participants can explore tide pools and local wetlands, while investigating the impacts of stormwater. A live panel on research in the Hudson River Estuary will feature experts from New York University, New Jersey City University and Hudson River Park's River Project. Participants are invited to finish the day by exploring the Pier 26 Tide Deck in the Park with River Project staff. The Tide Deck is an engineered rocky salt marsh, designed to visually educate about the River's ecology while also supporting local wildlife populations. The River's tide ebbs and floods over the Tide Deck, providing a unique opportunity to see intertidal organisms and habitat.

The last day will explore River health, including building water quality instruments with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, investigating impacts of climate change with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, sampling local water quality with the Bronx River Alliance and observing microscopic indicators of River health with the Park's River Project staff. A panel discussion will dive into how we share information about the health of our waterways, including data visualizations and online games. The festival ends with Shell-ebrate Oysters in the Park, giving participants an opportunity to see the important role oysters play in the local ecosystem. Members of the public learn the ecological benefits that oysters provide for our local waters and join as community scientists alongside River Project staff monitoring oysters.

This year's hybrid format will enable attendees to participate either in-person or virtually, making the marine science and STEM-focused lineup accessible and engaging for everyone. Registration is required for all in-Park activities.