River Ambassadors

The River Ambassador program at Independence Seaport Museum gives Philly high schoolers an opportunity to participate in hands-on, scientific learning experiences. Throughout the duration of the program, students use these experiences to learn about the historical, scientific, and regional importance of Philly’s waterways, while simultaneously uncovering what the watershed means to them and what they can do to help protect it. The River Ambassadors are integral to better connecting Philadelphia's communities with our waterways. Stop by and see what they're learning here!      

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Last Week with the River Ambassadors!

This week is our final week for the River Ambassador Summer Program. This summer was a triumph, as we expanded our program to 21 students. It was full of new experiences for everyone involved. We had so many fun field trips that helped our students not only learn new things, but expand their outreach to other programs and the public. 

Last Friday, we were able to celebrate such a long, awesome summer by taking some of our Ambassadors on a kayak excursion to Three Sisters.

Despite the rain, the River Ambassadors showed up ready to go. Thankfully, the weather let up for us, and most of what we faced was a light drizzle. 

They even sang songs along the trip! 

Thank you Ali and Alex for accompanying and providing safety for our excursion! 

This week, we are winding down with our lab programs. Some of our students are already going back to school! River Ambassadors will be wrapping up their final projects to present this upcoming Saturday! 

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Electrofishing!

The River Ambassadors had their last field trip last Monday! Thanks to Paul and The Academy of Natural Sciences, our Ambassadors were able to participate in electrofishing. It was a fun and new experience for everyone, and despite the heat, the Ambassadors had the best time. Some even said it was their favorite trip!

The River Ambassadors geared up in waders and gloves, and were equipped with nets.

The first group headed out into the water! While Ambassadors hold buckets and nets, our group leaders from The Academy of Natural Sciences sent soft electrical currents into the water. The electricity safely shocks them, causing them to float up to the surface belly up. Once revealed from their hiding places, the River Ambassadors scooped them up in nets. 

We took turns getting into the water and hiking Chester Park! 

We caught so many cool things! There were a lot of eels, but we still found some other species, such as crayfish! 

The River Ambassadors bravely handled the fish, with some even petting the eels!

It was an awesome experience. 

It was our last and final day with River Alive! Programs Coordinator Mayci. We all miss her! 

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River Ambassador Eco Exhibit!

The day finally came yesterday, Saturday August 17th, to present our River Ambassador Eco Exhibit! Throughout the summer, River Ambassadors chose their favorite photos to represent their experience throughout the program. Each Ambassador provided a caption for their photo, as well as some items to showcase what they do from day to day. Our lovely curator Dan designed and created the Exhibit, and we think it came out beautifully! Thank you Dan!

Please come by the Independence Seaport Museum to see all their hard work!

Our Eco Exhibit can be seen right in our River Alive! gallery. 

The theme to our Eco Exhibit is “(well you see) What Had Happened Was...”. A phrase first said by Romeo on the first day of training, it became a fun inside joke for all River Ambassadors! 

River Ambassadors’ friends and families were all invited to join us for the opening of the exhibit. 

Thank you to all of you who support our River Ambassadors and this program! 

Each River Ambassador gave our audience a presentation of what their photo and the program as a whole meant to them. 

Taniyah!

Kadidia!

Brianna! 

Mara!

Carmen!

Andy!

Antonee! 

Jose!

Germilus!

Isaiah!

Nevaeh!

Romeo!

Aretha!

Jaden!

Kennedy!

Roxan!

Bryanna!

And Naseem!

As well as celebrating the River Ambassadors, we all said goodbye to AWE Fellow Kayla as she heads back to college! Kayla has been involved with ISM for the past 5 years, and this summer she joined us again as our AWE Fellow. She has played such a great part in helping supervise, educate and organize our River Ambassadors over the summer. We will miss you Kayla! Thank you for everything! 

We also began to say our goodbyes to Mayci, who will be leaving to pursue her master’s in Environmental Science at Villanova. The River Ambassador program was handed to Mayci three years ago, and she has done a standup job of making it a fun, enriching program. We have Ambassadors who have been with her all three years, which proves how incredible she really is. We will miss you Mayci!

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Last Wednesday, all Riverways interns gathered for their final exchange at Glen Foerd on the Delaware. Bartram’s Garden, Urban Promise and Independence Seaport Museum teens all gave presentations of what went on in the course of their summer, and combined all their photos to make unique collages. After lunch, the rain set aside and we were all able to get out on boats! It was a very successful day and we look forward to next summer’s exchanges! 

Glen Foerd hosted us in this beautiful, historic mansion! 

Everyone gathered around for each other’s presentations. 

Our River Ambassadors start off their presentation discussing their daily duties, such as giving lab programs in the Citizen Science Lab and Drive Thru Science window. 

It was fun to tour the mansion!

After presentations, Ambassadors split off into groups to create their collages. Their collages were made of photos collected over previous exchanges, as well as journal entries. 

After lunch, everyone got to get on row boats or kayaks! It was much cooler on the water.

River Ambassadors Aretha and Kadida hanging out in a tandem. 

It was a great summer! Thank you to Urban Promise and Bartram’s Garden for an insight of your programs. And a huge shout out to Joanne for getting us all together! Until next time! 

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Last week, our River Ambassadors braved some storms with Urban Promise and Bartram’s Garden at Palmyra Cove Nature Park. We got there just in time do some fun activities, such as canoeing, hiking and learning different ways to help our watershed. It began to storm right in time for lunch! At the moment we were all ready to eat some pizza, the lights went out! To quote the Ambassadors, “it felt like camping!” 

Later on in the week, the River Ambassadors hosted our River Basin CleanUp! Ambassadors teamed up with volunteers in rowboats and kayaks to help clean up the basin. The most unique and largest find was a rotting public trash can! 

“When we visited Urban Promise, and we did a couple of things. We walked around the woods, went canoeing and did group activities. I believed it was a fun experience. Even though it started raining badly and we had to rush inside, we all still managed to unite and have fun together.” Amairani 

Our group of volunteers and River Ambassadors pose with all their collected trash from the river basin!

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Introducing the rest of our Ambassadors!

As we head into August, we would like to finally introduce the other half of our River Ambassadors. It’s been a crazy month of July, full of field trips, fishing, water testing, mussel and wetland maintenance, and more! 

“My name is Kennedy. I was born on January 25 of 2003. I have always been known for having an energetic and outgoing personality. I love a good joke thus enjoy laughing. To be honest, I laugh at anything. I always try to make time for my family, friends, and myself of course. My favorite activities are volleyball, cheer, and I enjoy reading a good book. I am an aspiring criminal defense lawyer who desires to travel across the world. leaving behind a memorable name for myself. To talk more about myself. I am a strong young woman who takes pride in herself, and what I have made of myself so far. And I plan to continue to strive for my goals.”

“My name is Nevaeh and I am in 11th grade now. I like flowers. And I am happy to be a River Ambassador.”

“Hi my name is Jose and I am going into 10th grade next year. My favorite subject is History, and I am looking forward to the rest of the summer.”  

“ Hi, I am Kadidia and I’m a second year river ambassador. I wanted to participate in this program again because I enjoyed the experiences and the people I had worked with before. I enjoy learning about new things especially within the science and history subjects and I hope to become a pharmaceutical scientist in the future.”

Romeo is another one of our returning River Ambassadors! He will be a senior in high school this upcoming year. We are happy to have him back. He is definitely our resident goof ball. 

This is Carmen’s first year as a River Ambassador, but she has experience with ISM an an EAGLE. She is always eager to try things out! If the camera is pointed at her, she is always ready with a big smile. 

Andy is another of our returning River Ambassadors! We are thrilled to have him back. He will also be a senior in high school this upcoming year. You can always catch him playing Pokemon Go! during down time. 

Aretha is a Returning Ambassador and an upcoming senior. She is a hard worker and always on her A game. We are excited to have her back. She is a great team leader and gets her peers to work! 

This is Bryanna’s first year as a River Ambassador, though she is a previous EAGLE. She is incredibly bright and adventurous. She doesn’t seem to mind to get in the water and mud! 

Taniyah is also one of our returning River Ambassadors! She is very sweet and eager to have fun. We have fully enjoyed having her join us again this summer! She always has the cutest hairstyles. 

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Last week, River Ambassadors hosted their own exchange for Bartram’s Garden and Urban Promise here at the Independence Seaport Museum. It was a packed day, full of over 30 Riverways interns. 

“On July 25th, 2019,

An exchange program between Independent Seaport Museum, Bartram’s Garden, and Urban Promise took place. From this picture, we were at the ISM learning about the history of the Delaware River. Our partners were given a task to clean the river as they took action in our interactive screen game. In the end, the river was purified and aquatic life was brought back by the powers of many who took action in the cleaning.

It was their first-time experience rowing in a kayak, we all had fun struggling to move around at first. Some were having fun splashing with water, while others enjoyed every bit of time they had on a kayak. Overall, the time we spent with each other on the water was not long but the memories will remain forever.” Andy 

“Last week we held our exchange which was very chill and nice. Bartram’s Garden and Urban Promise came to our museum and experienced what we (as river ambassadors) do at Seaport. It was very cool showing them how we go on about our day, with water testing, kayaking/rowing and even fishing!” Aretha 

It was a packed house!

“This picture is a moment captured from the ISM exchange. The sites, Urban Promise and Bartram’s Garden, came to the Independence Museum to join our River Ambassadors in doing activities including kayaking, modified water testing, and fishing!” Bryanna

 That following Saturday, River Ambassadors helped our community and volunteers label storm drains around Queen Village. Ambassadors split off into groups to make sure each storm drain was labeled on our map. All together, we labeled over 60 drains! Each label informs the public about storm drains, and how any illegal dumping leads straight into our river. 

River Ambassadors Andy and Naseem working together to label a storm drain! 

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Last week, our River Ambassadors tried to stay cool and gave lab programs about Mighty Mussels! It was hot, so unfortunately we had to postpone our Storm Drain Labeling event until the following week. 

However, we still got to go to Bartram’s Garden! We took a tour around one of Philadelphia’s Water Pollution Treatment Plant. When we arrived back at Bartram’s we were rained out, so everyone enjoyed pizza and water ice! After lunch, we discussed the relation between Bartram’s Garden and the treatment plant. Despite the rain, the River Ambassadors were in great spirits and made the most of the trip!

“Last week was our trip to Bartram’s Garden which was a wet one, literally. To start of our day we took a tour of a water refinery factory thing. The day started off smelling like well not good and at the end the smell got better. Throughout the tour, we were told what the water had to got through to get to clean. After the tour we went back to Bartram’s for lunch where we were hoping to go on the water but the rain was just a lot and it messed up our hopes of getting into the water. But all in all it was an okay fun day.” Romeo

Last week was our trip to Bartram’s Garden which was a wet one literally. To start of our day we took a tour of a water refinery factory thing. The started off smelling like well not good and at the end the smell got better. Throughout the door we were told what the water had to got through to get to clean. After the tour we went back to Bartram’s for lunch where we were hoping to go on the water but the rain was just a lot and it messed up our hopes of getting into the water. But all in all it was an okay fun day. “During our trip to Bartram's Garden, while waiting to board our bus. Jaden and I spotted an unusual thing. At first, we thought we just discovered a new species that can levitate without wings and would become famous for our discovery. But like all wonders it was dropped because it was just a stem of a plant hanging from a spider's web. Later in the day we went to a Water Pollution Treatment Plant, which had an unique sense of smell.” Isaiah

“Last week we learned a new lab called ‘Cloning Bacteria’ in which we talk to the public about the pros and cons of bacteria. And the public can look at some bacteria that had grown from our samples. Then, they even get the chance to create their own bacteria. We also cleaned and measured our mussels that live in our river near the dock. I got dirty but it was worth it because our mussels are safe and clean.” Kennedy

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At the beginning of the week, the River Ambassadors visited John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. They helped aid the John Heinz AWE Fellow survey for mussels in the marsh. Unfortunately, they were not able to find any mussels, but they got to wear cool waders!

“Last week we went on our very first trip of the summer to John Heinz. Unexpectedly, this trip was very hands on. All of us got chest deep in river water in hopes of surveying mussels that inhabited the river. Although it was disgusting, I had gotten drenched, and we didn’t catch any mussels, overall I would say the experience was very pleasant. It was my first time ever doing something like that, and honestly I could say that I would do it again.” Kadidia

Two days after John Heinz, the River Ambassadors took  to Camden, New Jersey for their field trip to the Aquarium! 

“We got to experience how it feels to be behind the scenes at an Aquarium. My favorite part was getting to see the sharks. I learned that sharks actually don’t think humans taste good because of all the things we put on our body like soap and perfume.” Germilus

“This week, we have visited the aquarium in New Jersey! It was very fun. We were able to visit the top of the tank and learn about the different creatures. We were also able to learn how the tank works!” Taniyah

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This past week, our River Ambassadors started their first full week of lab programs, and mussel and wetland maintenance! Each day, Ambassadors lead lab programs on Aquatic Acidification and Classy Plankton. As well as lab programs, Ambassadors also perform daily water testing on the Delaware River to help educate the public on the quality of our water. This week especially, Ambassadors took care of our own mussels and floating wetlands. 

Here are some of their personal experiences this week:

“Last week we did wetland maintenance. For us to do Wetland maintenance, we have to get into kayaks and check to see if there’s anything on our wetlands. I almost tipped over when I got a Milk crate out of the river, but I’m glad I didn’t tip over. Then, I saw a duck that was sitting in one of our wetlands that started swimming off when it saw my kayak. Overall, I had fun cleaning up the river, wetlands, and I am excited to do it again.” Nevaeh

Our little duck friend!

Kayaking to the floating wetlands!

Germilus found lots of balloon trash!

Kimorae and Roxan opted for Row Boats instead of kayaks for trash pick up. 

Ambassadors Nevaeh and Bryanna posing during a walk around the gardens at Independence Hall. River Ambassadors are participating in an iNaturalist project about the biodiversity in Philadelphia! 

Ambassadors also have the opportunity to create a DIY bat box. Once finished, the bat box will be placed on the roof of ISM and hopefully home some bats next summer!

“In this picture we were testing the water, which is a way to know if the water is progressing to be healthy, or if it is not improving at all. We test the water every day. Its something really fun to do because we get to use small tubes, we put small pills in and then we get to see the tubes changing colors. The different colors tell us if the water in in good condition. Its also really fun to do because we all get to do something different everyday.” Heiley

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First Week with River Ambassadors!

Happy summer! It’s the first week of July, meaning our new crew of River Ambassadors are in full swing. This year, we’ve expanded our program to 21 River Ambassadors! Last week, starting June 24th, we had all of them get together and meet. We did some fun icebreakers, went on hikes, learned to row boats, began practicing lab programs and discussed the bulk of what will be happening throughout the summer.

It’s a full house!

This year, the River Ambassadors will be giving lab programs, as well as working on a new Eco Exhibit and working with iNaturalist for their final projects.

Because we have so many ambassadors this year, we will introduce them in parts. Say hello to the first half of our group!

“Hello. My name is Antoneé and I will be a junior this upcoming school year.  Some of my favorite subjects are Portuguese, Chemistry, and Biology. I think my interest in these subjects are one of the many reasons why I decided to join this science-based program. Some of my favorite activities included baking, kayaking, and going on nature walks.”

“Hello, my name is Amairani. I am 16 years old and I am Mexican. I like to write my own poems and short stories, a well as exploring new things.”

“Hi! My name is Brianna. I turn 16 August 12th and this is my second year being a River Ambassador. I am very excited to return and teach others all that I have learned, and to learn new things in this program :)”

“My name is Germilus. I am 16 years old going into 11th grade and go to Bodine high school. I’m glad to be a River Ambassador.”

“Hello. My name is Heiley. I study at Bodine high school for international affairs. I am 16 years old, my favorite subjects are science, math and art. I like science because I like to learn new things and science is very interesting."

“My name is Jaden. I am 16 years old and I currently attend St. Joe’s Prep. I am a rising junior and can’t wait to start the new school year. I fell in love with the Independence Seaport Museum in 7th grade when I was given the opportunity to join the Museum’s Sailor program. In the Sailor program, I was taught how to use various tools and many other skills. The result of learning those skills was that my fellow managers and I built a row boat that is still rowed on the Delaware River today named “Nautilus.”  I learned so much from the program that I wanted to come back to the Museum and help people learn more about the Delaware river and why we should protect it.”

“Hello! My name is Kimorae. I attend Bodine High School. When I’m not working at the museum, I like to hang out with my friends, family, listen to music, and work out. In the future, I plan on attending college as a Biology major. I chose to participate in the River Ambassadors Program this year because I wanted to learn more about the Delaware River.”

“Hi, my name is Mara. I am heading into 10th grade in the fall. I am interested in math and science.”

“I am Naseem. I am 16 years old and go to Bodine. I guarantee that most of the time I am wearing a white T shirt with jeans. I don’t complain about much nor talk much. Lastly I can endure just about anything.”

“My name is Roxan. I love to write poems to express how I’m feeling and also love to learn new things. In the future I would like to become a pediatrician or a soldier. My philosophy is if you don’t see a book on the shelf that you want, write your own.”

“My name is Isaiah, I am 15 years old and a River Ambassador at the Independent Seaport Museum. I love the outside environment and want to make it a better place for all people and animals. One of my dreams in life is to become a science engineer and to create new technology that will help the world around us and make it cleaner and safer.”

This year we have the pleasure of having a previous River Ambassador come back to ISM as an AWE Fellow! She will be helping us teach lab programs, attend field trips and help guide the Ambassadors through the program. We are so happy to have Kayla back!

Our ambassadors began learning about dissections last Friday. Some of the things we dissect are frogs, owl pellets, mussels and catfish caught right from the Delaware River by our Ambassadors!

Stop by every Tuesday to follow up on new posts written by Ambassadors themselves. They will give you a first hand look at what they’ve been up to every week!

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Welcome Back, Ambassadors!

Happy Fall from Independence Seaport Museum!

Can you believe it’s already halfway through October?? We sure can’t! Lucky for us, four of our summer River Ambassadors decided to brave the cooling weather to stick around for the year and help us out around the Museum! We have a lot of exciting events coming up over the next few months, from our Halloween Spook-tacular to the opening of our new River Alive! Exhibit! Be sure to keep an eye on our calendar of events! 

Re-meet our Ambassadors!

Name: Jayla

Grade: 12th

School: Bodine High School of International Affairs

Why did you want to stick around for the school year?

“1) I like teaching people the importance of keeping the river clean. 2) I like the museum. 3) I like some of the museum. 4) I like the labs.”

What’s your favorite thing about being a River Ambassador?

“I like the labs and cleaning the river, because I get to row and kayak.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Skate, watch Netflix, ignore my friends while watching Netflix, and play games.”

Name: Kenaizha

Grade: 12th

School: Mariana Bracetti Academy

Why did you want to stick around for the school year?

“I figured since I rarely do anything on weekends, I thought, since I enjoyed the program, I should absolutely continue to be here and always learn something new.”

What’s your favorite thing about being a River Ambassador?

“I love teaching the kids--for them to be interested and excited. I also love learning about the water; I look forward to learning in college too.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Netflix, Youtube, and too much Instagram. Hang with friends. Eat. Sleep.”

Anything else you’d like people to know about you?

“That I am dedicated and work hard.”

Name: Aretha

Grade: 11th

School: Mastery Charter-Shoemaker Campus

Why did you want to stick around for the school year?

“1) I love this program. 2) The museum is very important to me, especially since I don’t come here for STEM [our Eagle high school program!]. 3) For the experiences.”

What’s your favorite thing about being a River Ambassador?

“I love being near the water. I love the labs and what they teach me.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I like to watch Netflix, read books, and go to museums.”

Name: Nevaeh

Grade: 10th

School: Mastery Charter-Shoemaker Campus

Why did you want to stick around for the school year?

“Because this job gives me something to do. Also, I really like learning new experiments and, of course, I’m getting paid.”

What’s your favorite thing about being a River Ambassador?

“Dissection, because it’s fun learning about what’s in an animal’s body.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Hang out with friends, homework and watch movies, sleep.”

Anything else you’d like people to know about you?

“That ‘if you are not smiling, then you’re doing it wrong.’ :)”

Throughout the year, the Ambassadors will be helping us out with various events, offering enrichment opportunities for our new River Alive! exhibit, providing programming in our Citizen Science Lab, and occasionally working offsite with other environmental and scientific organizations, like the PHS Flower Show and the Philly Science Festival! Keep an eye out for what they’re up to here!

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Final Days of the Summer

Last Saturday (9/1), was the last day of the summer River Ambassador program. With all of our students returning to school, we celebrated the end of the summer with a new mini-exhibit opening in the Seaport’s Makerspace with friends and family of the Ambassadors. You can find the online version of the exhibit on the Eco-Exhibit page!

For their eco-exhibit, the Ambassadors each chose a photo that they felt best represented their summer experience. In their captions, they reflected on what the photo was, why it meant something to them, and how it highlights their experience as a River Ambassador. 

During their last couple of weeks as River Ambassadors, they also had the opportunity to see our floating wetlands in action! Though we’ve had some hiccups in their growth, between geese eating the plants and weather events turning them over, we were finally able to see just how important they can be do an ecosystem! While out fishing, we had the chance to meet our newest friend, a muskrat we named Willy. You can see him having a snack and a swim in the video below!

To finish up their program, the Ambassadors put together a project that either reflected on or related to their summer experience. Some of the students created powerpoints to talk about topics that interested them, like invasive species and wetland plants, while others took creative approaches through photo collections, written stories, and poems. You can check out some of their projects here.

Needless to say, it has been an absolute whirlwind of a summer. Whether they were working in the lab, taking care of our mussels and wetlands, exploring new parts of Philadelphia, hopping in the boats to cleanup the basin, or simply goofing around, the Ambassadors’ presence at the Seaport will be missed! Though four of them will be sticking around for the school year (expect more tumblr posts coming soon!), we wish the very best for our other students! Happy Summer!

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The Last Week of Exchanges

Last week was the Ambassadors last week of Riverways Exchanges. On the 15th, they had the opportunity to host the other groups from Bartram’s Gardens and Urban Promise here at the Seaport Museum. 

During the exchange, everyone went out onto to the basin to row, kayak, and pedal a swan boat. Afterwards, they were split off into four groups. The first group joined some of our Ambassadors to water test over by our WWI Ship, Olympia. The second group helped pick up trash from the basin and looked after our wetlands. The third joined Melania in cleaning up and measuring our freshwater mussels, and the fourth group joined Mayci to talk about species biodiversity in the basin and identify the fish caught (they were later released!) in our minnow traps. 

Jayla talks about her experience hosting and checking out the minnow traps below!

“Last week, on the 15th, the River Ambassadors hosted the ISM exchange at the museum and taught the other Riverways groups about our job as ambassadors and how we help keep the Delaware River clean, as well as inform the public about the importance of the River. We were split up into groups and we explained the history of the river, why we have freshwater mussels and wetlands in the basin, and why we test the water everyday. We then took them out on the docks to show them a bit of what we do on a daily basis, because seeing something for yourself is better than hearing about it from someone else...”

“...My group went out to the minnow traps, which are small fish traps that have of two funnel-shaped entrances at either end of a mesh box or cylinder, while there we took out the fish we caught and classified them by their looks (no fish were harmed in this process) then carefully released them back into the water. The ISM exchange was very eventful and I had fun a lot of fun hosting it with my fellow ambassadors.”

Brianna also enjoyed her time hosting and had a chance to come out of her shell!

“Recently, the River Ambassadors held a nice exchange and it was interesting to me, being as though I never hosted anything before. There was a lot of responsibility on the Ambassadors, because we had to make sure everyone was happy, that everyone was safe and learning a lot from us and our experiences being here. My group was rowing boats and teaching some of our peers that came to our exchange how we usually do water tests. They seemed interested at first, but then started to get bored. So, it was my responsibility to make sure they were content, which is why I started to make small talk with them all, keeping them engaged. I’m glad I had this experience, because it proved I was responsible and was able to do something I didn’t know I had in me, with me being so shy and all.”

Stay tuned next week for a recap of the Ambassadors’ final days in the program!

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On the Edge of Philadelphia

Two weeks ago, the Ambassadors had a pretty calm week before venturing northeast to the border of Bucks County to visit Glen Foerd, a historic estate that overlooks the Delaware River and Poquessing Creek. They wrapped up their week on Saturday by cleaning up our river basin at ISM. Taniyah provides some insight into their week below!

“This week at Independence Seaport museum (ISM), it has been a very fun, relaxing week. Tuesday was a regular teaching day. However, no one came into learn about plant dissections that day. My coworker and I ended up leaving work early because we finished everything early. The next day, we went to Glen Foerd. That day was fun due to being able to row boats out into the Delaware River. It was different from being at ISM due to the open space. Thankfully, we got to do a competition to see which team filtered the best water. My team won!!! This day was my favorite. Thursday, was another regular day. Adding on, Saturday was Basin cleanup day. We cleaned up the River, and Mayci found a giant pipe! Lastly, that day we left earlier than ever. I'm excited to see what the next week holds!”

Ivan also seemed to enjoy his trip on the 8th! He provides his perspective of their trip, as well as his experience in the program so far, below!

“So far, my experience as a River Ambassador at the Independence Seaport Museum has been absolutely wonderful. This youth program is definitely a space where one is able to be who they are and connect with their peers. No one is left behind. When us Ambassadors aren't busy teaching the public about the importance of our interactions with the environment, we do various exchanges with youth organizations like us...”

“...One of the places I actually went to was named Glen Foerd, which is located near the division of Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks County. To start off the exchange, I was pretty happy that we didn't have to reintroduce ourselves. Instead, we all partook in a team challenge to create a water filtration device out of bottles and other, natural materials. Later on, we rowed boats in the river nearby. My group went near the shore to collect rocks and shells as souvenirs! I was also very mesmerized by the interior of the mansion on the property. Plus, Amber was a great guest as always...”

”...Like every week or so, all Ambassadors have to participate in Wetland Maintenance where we rid the basin of as much trash as possible. We find many unpleasant things there. You could find a 3 meter branch, a dead bulgy rat, and even a mutilated fish. Any dead animals and large pieces of debris can stay; however, all plastics have to go in a trash bag. The Delaware River will always have trash in it, so it makes sense to only remove the inorganic material...”

”...Speaking of Wetlands, during a thunderstorm, one of our floating Wetlands had flipped over. Me and another Ambassador, who goes by the name of Romeo, decided to jump into kayaks and flip it back over. It was a very inconvenient process because the material used as a flotation device gathered a lot of water. So, to fix the problem, a kind museum staff member had the ingenious idea of placing one cinder block on each side of the of the wetland to keep it balanced while the water left from inside. So as you can see, this job requires a lot of hands on action. And honestly, that's why I love it so much.”

Want to hear more from our Ambassadors? Stay tuned for Brianna and Jayla’s perspective of last week!

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A New Perspective of Philly

With the beginning of August, the Ambassadors continued their normal routine of learning new lesson plans, checking on our freshwater mussels, taking care of our wetland plants, and teaching visitors. On the 1st of August, they traveled over to Bartram’s Garden, located in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia, for their next Riverways Exchange. Kadidia and Kenaizha reflect on their experiences that day, below:

“On Wednesday, we had visited Bartram's Garden. The area had seemed very different from where the Seaport Museum is. It’s more secluded and has more of a green space [than the Museum]. During our time there, we were able to go rowing to collect samples for water testing. Their water is much more polluted than ours, and their way of water testing is much more complicated. After that, we were able to go on a tour of the garden and learned a bit about its history and how it was used by the inhabitants of the area.”

“[At Bartram’s Garden] we learned a lot about what the other interns do there and the history of the garden. There were some similarities of what we River Ambassadors do [and what] the students at Bartram's Garden do, such as row boats and do water testing. Some differences we’ve learned from them is their water testing is a lot more accurate and difficult, since they go to different parts of the water to test, save the water samples, and use high quality water testing tools. Another difference [between] their area [and] the Independence Seaport Museum is [that Bartram’s] is a less populated area--it is an urban area but with a very rural feeling.”

While going out on the Schuylkill River, the Ambassadors were also exposed to some major differences between our part of the Delaware River and this tributary. At Bartram’s, they were able to explore more of the area than we usually get an opportunity to at the Seaport in our protected basin. However, they were still confronted with industry on the river banks, as Bartram’s looks directly across the river at the oldest (still operational) oil refinery in the United States (hence why the water was so much more polluted!). 

However, they also got a glimpse of how nature persists in urban and industrial landscapes, when a young doe made her way onto the banks.

They also had a few fun experiences in the Garden itself, taking a ride on the engraved swing, trying out some mouth-numbing berries, and collecting rocks along the Schuylkill’s banks. 

Want to hear about our Ambassadors’ trip to Glen Foerd last week? Stay tuned for another blog post coming soon!

[riverambassadors]

Rain, Rain, Go Away

During the last week of July, the Ambassadors demonstrated how well they can go with the flow! The weather was pretty temperamental, fluctuating between sunny and pouring rain, often in a span of ten minutes. On Monday, we attempted to check on our freshwater mussels, but the weather seemed to have other plans...Antoneé describes our experience Monday below!

“This week at Independence Seaport Museum was very interesting. On Monday, we had to clean the mussels that are living in the river near Penn's [Landing’s] ‘Boat Docks. We were almost finished cleaning the mussels when it started pouring rain outside. We then had to run back into museum to escape the rain. Fortunate for us, we didn't get too wet from the rain and the air in the museum helped to dry our clothes while we prepared for our lab in the Makerspace. The lab that we were conducting on Monday were “Owl Pellet Dissection”. Owl pellet dissection is a very hands on lab and the museum visitors enjoyed it very much.”

Though our Tuesday was pretty uneventful, Wednesday was our Ambassadors’ first Riverways Exchange over in Camden, NJ with Urban Promise. Unfortunately, with the potential thunderstorms, we weren’t able to go out on the water as initially planned. Antoneé summarizes her experience as follows:

“On Wednesday, we went to the Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum.  When we got there, we met up with the Urban Promise and Bartram’s Garden River Ambassadors.  Everyone was very friendly, and although there were a few surprises during the trip, good surprises, the trip ended up being a success.”

Instead of going out on the water, the Ambassadors participated in a workshop led by Amber, an artist from North Philly, who taught them about photography and how to tell their stories or share things that interest them. After spending an hour with Amber, they were surprised with a tour of a nearby wastewater treatment facility. Though the tour was certainly enlightening, it’s likely that they will be passing up their next opportunity for a tour of a sewage plant.

After a long, hot day offsite on Wednesday, the Ambassadors returned to their regular duties at the Seaport for the rest of the week. Here’s Aretha’s perspective on Thursday!

“Last week Thursday, one of my good friends, Kadidia Keita and I went fishing in the Delaware Basin. It was an extremely hot day, but I ALWAYS look forward to fishing on Thursdays, especially when the tides are satisfactory. We were out there for about 2 hours, because we didn’t catch anything yet and I still wanted to fish… BUT in the end Kadidia caught a huge catfish! It was a huge accomplishment for her, considering that it was her first time fishing :)”

One of our regular summer campers also joined us for the fishing experience, setting a trend of laying down to fish once an hour had gone by.  

Check in at the end of this week to hear about Kadidia and Kenaizha’s experience last week!