Volunteer Opportunities

Water Assessment by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) - a NYS DEC program

The Rockland County SWCD coordinates volunteers for the WAVE program in Rockland County.  The sampling season runs from July 1st - September 30th.  Volunteers will sample one stream location in Rockland County during the sampling season.  An in-person or virtual training is required to participate in this project.  Contact our office for details.

Using the NYS DEC Water Assessment by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) monitoring protocol, volunteers collect a sample of benthic macroinvertebrates.  They complete habitat use and recreational use assessment forms.  All data are submitted to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) who analyze it for potential stream impairment.

American Eel Project at Minisceongo Creek

The Rockland County Soil and Water Conservation District partners with the NYS DEC to oversee the American eel Project at Minisceongo Creek, located in West Haverstraw.  This site is one of many sites across the Hudson River estuary. The Hudson River wide American eel Project is sponsored by the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Water Resources Institute at Cornell University.

Every spring, American eels migrate into the Hudson River estuary from the Sargasso Sea.  Still in their beginning life stage, they are referred to as glass eels.  For this project, volunteers are trained to monitor a special v-shaped net (called a fyke net) that is placed in the Minisceongo creek.  The net is monitored each day by a different set of volunteers who collect, count, weigh, and relocate the eels upstream, over the nearest barrier.  All data are recorded and sent to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  

The sampling season starts at the end of February and finishes in May, depending on weather conditions. 

Wild Oyster Survey

In 2018, RC SWCD partnered with The Billion Oyster Project and NY Harbor Foundation to pilot a new study along the Piermont Pier. Volunteers were trained to search for living and dead oysters along the north and south end of the Pier. Volunteers learned how to ID oyster shells, check if they are alive, measure total height of the shell, and record data.

The study's purpose is to help identify locations that have existing populations of oysters. The presence of the wild oysters will signal that the area may be suitable for oyster restoration. Oysters improve biodiversity, water quality, and can suppress wave and storm surge.

Storm Drain Marking Program

Some people might think that all storm drains lead to a water sewage treatment plant.  However, that is not the case in Rockland County.  Our storm drains lead to rivers, streams, reservoirs, wetlands, ponds, or the Hudson River.  This means any pollution that goes down a storm drain, will end up in our waterways.  To address this source of pollution, volunteers adhere markers to storm drains around Rockland County to remind people not to put anything down a storm drain.

The 2-1/2 inch, round, plastic markers carry the message, "No Dumping Drains to Stream," and feature a picture of a fish.  A datasheet is also required to be completed and submitted to our office after the markers are applied.

All supplies are free to participants.

For more information, click on the Storm Drain Marking Program Brochure.

Fall Waterway Cleanups

An annual waterway cleanup is hosted in partnership with Keep Rockland Beautiful (KRB) and the Minisceongo Creek Watershed Alliance (MCWA) during KRB's Fall Waterways Campaign. All cleanups are open to the public. Supplies are provided by KRB.  All waste and recyclables removed from our waterways aid in protecting our banks, water quality, and create enjoyable spaces for recreation.

Visit Keep Rockland Beautiful to register for upcoming cleanups.