Alewives are fish that spend their adulthood in the ocean, but swim upstream to spawn, or lay eggs.

Image Credit: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bluefish are predators that like to chase smaller fish up the river.

Image Credit: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CSOs are “combined sewer outflows”. The water from your house (when you wash dishes, take a shower, flush the toilet, etc.), usually goes to a sewage treatment plant to be clean. However, sometimes when it rains a lot, this water mixes with stormwater and is disposed of in waterways.

Image Credit: Sally Connolly

Doing business - lots of people work along the Hutchinson River. Some people work at Eastchester Depot, making sure your buses are safe to ride. Others work at recycling facilities or concrete plants. These people help keep our world in motion!

Image Credit: Inphinite Nazario

The Hutchinson River is an estuary – where fresh water and salt water meet.

F is for feminism - The river gets its name from Anne Hutchinson, a strong woman who had the courage to speak up in her strict Puritan community. She settled near Co-Op City and died in 1643.

Image Credit: Edwin Austin Abbey, via NYPL Digital Collections

Some grasses like water! Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens (aks saltmeadow cordgrass) can withstand the coming and going of the tide.

Great Blue Herons call the Hutchinson River home during the summer. Plentiful fish keep them full and happy.

Image Credit: NPS/Jim Peaco, via Wikimedia Commons

In the middle of the Hutchinson River is a tiny island known as Goose Island. This small island was once the home of “Mammy Goose”, who would serve clams and beer to local fishermen. -Historic Pelham

Jewelweed, also known as touch-me-not, is a flower that grows in the wet soils near the Hutchinson River. If you touch its seed pods, they will pop open!

Image Credit: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A fun way to explore the Hutchinson River is by kayak – however, you’ll have to launch from City Island!

Image Credit: Matthew Umbro

The Lenape were the original inhabitants of the land in the Bronx. They grew crops such as corn, beans, and squash, and fished in the waters of the Hutch and the Long Island Sound.

Image Credit: George Hayward, via NYPL Digital Collections

Menhaden are tiny fish that are often found in large groups, or schools as the bluefish chase them upstream.

Image Credit: Artemas Ward, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Nitrogen is an ingredient in fertilizers that people use on their lawns. However, when it rains, that nitrogen washes into storm drains and into rivers like the Hutch. This can lead to too many nutrients in the water, which feeds algae, who prevent oxygen from reaching other organisms.

Image Credit: Greg Robson - Application: Inkscape, CC BY-SA 2.0 uk, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=261589

Water needs to have oxygen to keep fish and other creatures happy. If the oxygen levels get too low because of pollution, the life in the river can die. This chart shows what different sea creatures need to survive in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, a similar ecosystem to the Hutchinson River and the Long Island Sound.

Image Credit: Environmental Protection Agency, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Some pollution in the Hutchinson River comes from sewage, other pollution comes from cars on the highway. Litter can be pollution, too.

A quiet walk along the river can be a wonderful way to relax and enjoy nature.

Several roads cross or run alongside the Hutchinson River. These include I-95, Shore Road, and of course the Hutchinson River Parkway.

The shoreline is the land where it meets the water. A shoreline with lots of grass and soil can protect us from storm flooding.

The Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary is stunning year-round. This beautiful piece of land, in Pelham Bay Park across from Co-Op City, was set aside to protect habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

Co-Op City is right next to the Hutchinson River, and it can be considered a very urban area. It’s almost like a city within a city!

A walk along the Hutchinson River Greenway and crossing the bridge can give you fantastic views of the Hutch.

Hear splashing in the water? Birds flap their wings to take flight - you'll often see flocks of spectacular birds take off in the Hutchinson River.

X marks the spot! The Hutchinson River begins in Scarsdale and ends in Eastchester Bay, near City Island.

You can keep the Hutchinson River clean – simple steps like throwing away your trash can make a big difference. Your trash can wind up in the water even if you don’t think so.

Zero tolerance for pollution! Let's all work hard for a clean river and clean planet!