Q&A with John Henkelman: Paddler of the entire Hudson River
2025-08-12 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
John Henkelman is an experienced paddler, Registered Maine Guide, American Canoe Association instructor, and Ph.D. student in Natural Resource Management whose research focuses on the human connection to rivers. This summer, he is paddling the entire 315-mile length of the Hudson River — from its source in the Adirondacks to New York City — to raise awareness and funds for American Rivers, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring waterways nationwide. Along the way, John is measuring water quality, documenting the river’s health, and engaging with riverfront communities to understand their relationship with this iconic waterway.
John’s paddle journey ended this weekend, at our very own 19th St. Bunker dock! Join us Tuesday evening at the boathouse for a casual chat and Q&A with John to hear about his journey raising awareness, measuring water quality, and connecting with fellow paddlers!

MUCKING THINGS UP: May
2025-05-06 19:00 - 20:30
MUCKING THINGS UP:

an intertidal talk with the Gowanus Dredgers

May 6, 2025
7 pm
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
Free
Carrie Roble (she/her) is an aquatic ecologist, science communicator, STEM mentor, and life-long water adventurer. As the head of Hudson River Park’s River Project, Carrie leads complex coastal resiliency projects, cross-sector partnerships for innovative STEM research, place-based environmental education, and interdisciplinary teams. She dedicates her work to the health of urban waterways and to empowering local communities to be environmental stewards through participatory science. Carrie has a M.S. in aquatic science and environmental justice from University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability and is a proud Bowdoin College polar bear.
Siddhartha Hayes (he/him) is a field scientist, aquarist, etymology enthusiast, and fish whisperer. As Manager of Research & Aquaria at Hudson River Park, he conducts and oversees various ecological sampling projects, from year-round fish trapping and river condition monitoring to surface water pathogens, shoreline plastics, oysters, and more. He also manages the Pier 40 River Project Wetlab, a flow-through aquarium of native Hudson River organisms that serves as one of the Park’s primary education sites. He has worked for 10 years to facilitate research that answers important questions about the river and its denizens and spark a sense of wonder by connecting people with their aquatic neighbors. Siddhartha has a Bachelor’s in Biology and Greek & Roman Studies from Vassar College.

Made possible with support from Citizens Committee for New York City.

MUCKING THINGS UP: CHARLES OLSON & JOHN HILL
2025-03-11 19:00 - 20:30
MUCKING THINGS UP: CHARLES OLSON & JOHN HILL
an intertidal talk with the Gowanus Dredgers

March 11, 2025 7 pm
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
Free

Join the Gowanus Dredgers for a talk in our Mucking Things Up series! This is a series of informal talks focused more on storytelling than slideshows. Our speakers this month are CHARLES OLSON & JOHN HILL.

Charles Olsen is an artist and sewer expert. Charles works for the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations where he assists with planning drainage options in the face of climate change impacts. He has continued to make and exhibit his sculptures since 1981, and is currently a member of Noho/M55 Gallery at 548 W. 28th St. in New York City.
John Hill is an active diver in the local area with Randive based out of Keyport NJ. Since 1959 they’ve specialized in highly technical problem solving serving the maritime industry in NY/NJ. As Randive grows as a company they’ve been able to be apart of some really cool and important projects that he’s looking forward to telling us about.

Support from Citizens Committee for New York City.

MUCKING THINGS UP: Cody Herrmann
2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:30
MUCKING THINGS UP: Cody Herrmann
an intertidal talk with the Gowanus Dredgers

Feb 20, 2025 7 pm
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
Free

Join the Gowanus Dredgers for a talk in our new Mucking Things Up series launching this year! We’re hosting a series of informal talks focused more on storytelling than slideshows. Cody Herrmann will share her experiences working with Billion Oyster Project, Guardians of Flushing Bay, and other projects. Come learn about our harbor habitat!

Support from Citizens Committee for New York City.

MUCKING THINGS UP: Noah Chesnin & Tanasia Swift
2025-01-27 19:00 - 20:30
MUCKING THINGS UP: Noah Chesnin & Tanasia Swift

an intertidal talk with the Gowanus Dredgers

January 27, 2025
7 pm
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
Free

Join the Gowanus Dredgers for the first talk in our new Mucking Things Up series launching this year! We’re hosting a series of informal talks focused more on storytelling than slideshows. Come learn about our harbor habitat.

We’ll be hearing from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Noah Chesnin about the little-known Hudson Canyon, a giant underwater landform out in the ocean in the coastal shelf off New York. There’s a movement afoot to designate it a national marine sanctuary, and we’ll learn why it’s so special – from the marine species (including some Gowanus creatures) that need it for habitat to the chemosynthetic undersea vents awaiting further exploration in the Canyon. Learn about an upcoming series of dives into the Canyon coming up this summer.

Our second speaker is someone who’s known around New York Harbor for her work with the Billion Oyster Project, Tanasia Swift. A diver who knows a thing or two about many unusual nooks and crannies around the estuary, Tanasia will let us know more about the organisms and ecosystems that we might not notice in our day-to-day interactions with the waters we encounter.

Support from Citizens Committee for New York City.

Inner and Outer Transformations: The Climate Crisis By Olive Toran
2024-12-15 14:00 - 18:00
“Inner and Outer Transformations: The Climate Crisis,” by Olive Toran, is an immersive multimedia exhibition that weaves fine art photography, poetry, live music, and community climate engagement activities into a cohesive experience. At its core is Olive’s journey, reflecting the synergy between personal healing and climate action. Invoking spiritual solutions through poetry, song, and music—expressions rooted in her healing journey—Olive illustrates how inner transformation can inspire outer change. This ongoing dialogue between self and environment suggests that nurturing personal well-being can spark systemic transformation. Exploring the multimedia displays invites visitors to reconnect with nature, foster resilience against eco-paralysis, and deepen their commitment to environmental and social change.
RSVP HERE [free]
Sunday, December 15th, 2:00 pm-6:00 pm
2-5pm Exhibit viewing and climate adaptation activity,
5 – 6pm live music and Q&A

Olive is a force on the front line of climate action, leveraging her 12 years of expertise as a Communication Specialist and Climate Adaptation researcher having worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean, to drive meaningful change. Olive has dedicated herself to addressing the urgent challenges posed by human-induced climate change by crafting compelling narratives that amplify the urgency of the climate crisis and calling for collective knowledge and action to foster context specific, people centered climate solutions.
https://www.olivetoran.com/

Annual Ribbed Mussel Population Survey
2024-10-13 09:00 - 13:00
Join the Gowanus Dredgers, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and local research scientists to help find, count, and measure ribbed mussels living in the Gowanus Canal. As part of our ongoing research into this hearty, helpful bivalve, we are investigating the variety of conditions in which they live and thrive through annual population surveys.
We’ll provide safety gear, gloves, and tools for documentation to all participants. Wear shoes with good wet-surface grip and clothes appropriate for scrabbling around in the damp, intertidal zones of our local waterway!
We’ll start and end the day at the 2nd St. Boathouse. Registration for this event is now closed. Join us next year!
Please note October 27 is the rain date for this event. In case of weather, we will notify participants by 8am.
