Help keep us on the river

After 20 years on the river, our research boat is worn out. We desperately need to replace it with a new boat that features the necessary sampling ability and safety equipment.

You can help. Your gift will allow the Cary Institute to continue vital research on the Hudson River to ensure its health for future generations.

Tabs

Our Work

30 years of leadership in Hudson River research

Long-term studies are essential to understanding how complex ecosystems operate. There are always surprises and changes that are completely unpredictable.  Due to costs and time commitment, however, they are rarely conducted.

For almost three decades, Institute scientists, with colleagues, have maintained records of key environmental variables, biological populations, and ecological processes in the Hudson River. With your support, we’ll continue the research critical to meeting Hudson River management challenges in the coming decades.

Our scientists are at the forefront of studies that have transformed the Hudson River's management. This includes:

  • tracking invasive species
  • pollution monitoring
  • conservation
  • restoration efforts
  • fisheries
  • water quality
  • wetlands
Highlighted Projects
zebra mussel

Zebra Mussels and the Hudson River

Zebra mussels appeared in the Hudson in 1991 and fundamentally transformed the ecosystem. The zebra mussel invasion is linked to losses of native mussels and changes in the fish community.

Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System

HRECOS provides continuous, real-time data on environmental conditions in the Hudson River. There are fifteen monitoring stations at eight sites, spanning from Albany to the New York Harbor

Hudson River Habitats: Submersed Aquatic Vegetation

Submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an important habitat in the tidal freshwater Hudson River. We have investigated a wide range of functions in SAV beds including maintenance of high dissolved oxygen, effects on suspended sediment and habitat value.

Hudson River Habitats: Wetlands

There are roughly 200 tidal freshwater wetlands fringing the Hudson from the Tappan Zee region to the Federal Dam in Troy.

Increased Loss of DOC from Terrestrial Systems

Carbon released from terrestrial ecosystems is an important source of organic matter in most streams, lakes and rivers. In the Hudson River there has been a doubling in concentration of dissolved organic carbon over the past 15 years.

Feature Stories & Resources

The Hudson River Today

Podcast

Freshwater ecologist and author of The Hudson River Primer – The Ecology of an Iconic River Dave Strayer, discusses the positive effects of the federal Clean Water Act and other government regulations with Radio Rotary.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Ten steps to better shore zones

Shore zones can be among the most valuable habitats on our planet. So what can you do to protect them?

The Invasion: A Case Study on the Hudson River

Video

A short documentary by the American Museum of Natural History. The video highlights zebra mussels in the Hudson River and the Cary research that closely analyzed the river before, during and after the invasion.

Friday, October 1, 2010

My water comes from the Hudson River

A place-based curricula developed by Cary educators engages students in their local water cycle and teaches them how human activities and land-use can affect that cycle.

Are fish made of maple leaves?

Podcast

Most of us learned about the aquatic food web in high school. Using a sealed aquarium, teachers explained that plants form the base of the web, with the organic carbon they create supporting aquatic life—from invertebrates to sport fish.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

HRECOS walkway installation

HRECOS observations not only protect a national treasure, they inform decisions about commercial traffic and management. 

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