NEW YORK -- To train educators and youth coaches about aquatic life, more than two dozen New York City educators are goin' fishin' on Thursday, Sept. 23, in Central Park.

Cornell Cooperative Extension-NYC and the New York State 4-H Sportfishing and Aquatic Resources Education Program (SAREP) are conducting a training program for New York City educators as part of the Aquatic Resources Education and Stewardship project. The purpose of the program is to train educators how to teach youth about aquatic life and habitats, how to keep the aquatic environment healthy and how to participate in a catch-and-release fishing program.

The training will take place at the Harlem Meer, located at the northeast corner of Central Park at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue. The participants will be engaged in hands-on fishing on the south side of the Meer from approximately 2 to 4 p.m. If the anglers are not immediately visible, inquire at the Dana Discovery Center (located at the north side of the Meer) for more information.

Participants include staff and volunteers from the Police Athletic League, the New York City Urban Park Rangers, the Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Housing Authority.

The SAREP program is designed for youth to meet with adult mentors and experience the natural world through fishing and stewardship activities. SAREP trains and supports volunteer instructors in conducting community-based youth programs involving fishing and aquatic resources education. Last year's pilot SAREP program reached more than 19,000 young people in New York City through CCE and its partner organizations' education efforts.

Established through the Federal Sport Fish Restoration Act, SAREP is a cooperative effort of Cornell University's Department of Natural Resources, Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York Sea Grant and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Funding is provided by the New York City Environmental Fund, administered by the Hudson River Foundation.