Across the 2023 Source to Estuary season, Water Justice Lab youth science and media fellows work with WJL mentors and Sanctuary staff to document our activities through radio interviews, ambient audio recordings, and photography. The media produced covered local water issues ranging from lead pipe contamination of drinking water, to surface water health in streams, to microplastics contamination through the lens of bio-art. The pieces linked below are being broadcast on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, and are archived on our Water Justice Lab: Year 4 web pages. The 2024 season was made possible by generous support from a Crossfield Collaboration Grant and the Rubin Family Foundation, in collaboration with ongoing support from Riverkeeper‘s water quality monitoring program.
Year Four Radio & Video Stories
On July 12th, Water Justice Lab hosted the art-science workshop Forensic River: Community Science & Water Justice with artist Isidora (Ipi) Fernandez. Following the workshop, Youth Science Fellow Muzzamil Moate interviewed Ipi about her work, how the workshop impacted participants, and the power of citizen science. Listen to Ipi and Muzzamil here!
On August 2nd, the WJL team met with advocates and activists working on the lead pipe issue in Troy, and visited the Rensselaer County Drinking Water Treatment plant together to see how local water gets cleaned, processed, and piped out to our homes. Before the tour, youth Science Fellow Muzzamil Moate interviewed local clean water advocate Jona Favreau about her experience with lead contamination. NATURE Lab correspondent Emily Shusas then spoke with WJL mentor Ellie Irons about what the team learned on the treatment plant tour. Listen to Jona, Muzzamil, Emily and Ellie here!
After the August 2nd drinking water treatment plant tour, Trey Dickson interviewed Adriana Ortega of environmental advocates of NY about drinking water policy, advocacy and activism. Listen to Trey and Adriana here!
On July 26, 2023, the team visited Otter Creek, a tributary to the Tomhannock Reservoir, which serves as a water source for the city of Troy. While sampling there, one of the lab’s fellows spoke with Sebastian Pillitteri, a Water Justice Lab team member and community science manager from Riverkeeper, a clean water advocacy group that protects and restores the Hudson River. Listen to Sebastian and Trey here.
On August 9th, the Water Justice Lab team toured the Rensselaer County Sewage Treatment Plant. After the tour, media intern Aljahraun Wright interviewed Dr. Shannon Roback of Riverkeeper about her water pollution research. Listen to Aljahraun and Shannon here!
On August 15, youth fellows Muzzamil Moate and Aljahraun Wright and mentors Kathy High and Alycia Bacon took a solar pontoon boat trip along the Albany waterfront with Scott Kellogg of Radix Ecological Sustainability Center. Aljajraun and Muzzamil interviewed Scott during the boat ride. Listen to their interview here!
On August 31, water justice lab hosted a joint event with Riverkeeper and the Lewis Pugh Foundation at Ingalls Avenue Boat Launch in North Troy. Media intern Aljahraun Wright interviewed Pugh about his experiences in the river & about water advocacy in the Capital Region and beyond. Listen to Aljahraun and Lewis here!
Across the 2022 and 2023 season, the Water Justice Lab team worked with mentor Doug Reed to assess macroinvertebrate populations in local streams. Muzzamil Moate interviewed Doug, and fellows and staff documented the work photographically, creating an audio photo essay. See it here!
