Hudson Estuary Litter Prevention (HELP) is a marine debris outreach and education project in New York, NY. Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS) will educate and empower high school students in their Sail Academy afterschool program to become stewards of the Hudson Estuary through public outreach and marine debris collection and prevention. Students will create an interactive display based upon marine debris they find in the Hudson, and use it to engage the New York City community.

The project will have three phases:

The Education phase will include lessons from the NOAA marine debris curriculum and visits to local water treatment and river preservation sites. Students will learn about the properties of materials and the sources of the debris they see out on the water.

In the Collection and Outreach phases, students will regularly collect debris within Hudson River Park and from the surface of the Hudson River. Their findings will be showcased in a display in the Hudson River Park. They will keep a detailed running log of their findings and the weather and tide conditions each day, and translate their findings for the general public. The display will be placed by the park’s pedestrian walkway, and visible to the 17 million visitors the park receives each year. Students will present their findings at local science fairs, and to members of the adult sailing club. Several students will be appointed peer educators in Summer 2017, teaching younger students about marine debris through HRCS's citywide City Sail program.

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