Before the class discussion and reading assignment on the area, I knew nothing about Jamaica Bay. I knew the area that the makes it up, but I didn’t know that it was called Jamaica Bay or that the area I thought of as primarily beaches is also a salt marsh. As a lover of the environment and someone who understands the importance of preserving the natural state of the earth, it doesn’t surprise me that, although I had no previous knowledge of salt marshes,  damage to the salt marsh environment and the loss of biodiversity has such a detrimental effect on the ecosystem and the human population that benefits from the salt marsh’s ability to protect the mainland from flooding, as can be caused by events such as superstorm Sandy.

I was happy to read that immigrants, particularly Hindu practicers, were able to continue their practicing their religion after coming to a new world, and that they found a natural space that includes a body of water where they can re-enact and perform their rituals as they would if they were near the Ganges. At the same time though, and this is relatively easy for me to say because I am an outsider and not a part of the Hindu religion or culture, I don’t think their religious rituals should infringe on the rights of the environment to be unpolluted and as unaffected by people as possible. Leaving offerings to their gods in the water and wishing cremated loved ones a speedy way to reincarnation pollutes the water, which incidentally, is the water that they believe is cleansing and purifying and brings “happiness and comfort” (NPS, 124; qtd in Bai 1998:2). Polluting the water is detrimental for the environment and affects the animals in the water and those that consume those aquatic species, and affects the beaches and shorelines that offerings wash up on. It also makes the changes the space and precludes others from enjoying the natural beauty and purity of the area. I agree with Kisa that land ownership, especially of natural spaces like parks and beaches, is a weird concept and that Native Americans were right in making land a shared resource, but I do think it’s important to somehow regulate the use of the land to make sure that it can be preserved, used, and enjoyed by all. We should all feel a sense of responsibility to preserving and protecting the environment; it belongs to all of us, and we should all be stewards of the earth so all of us, including our progeny, will get to benefit from it, too.