2. There are several stark differences between Black Rock Forest and Central Park. The location of the Black Rock Forest, at the intersection of the New York-New Jersey Highlands and Hudson River Basin, is cause for a large amount of biodiversity in the forest. Central Park, though maintaining a certain amount of biodiversity, does not benefit from such an advantageous location for an extensive amount of biodiversity. Black Rock Forest was designed with sustainability and environmental considerations, whereas Central Park was not designed with such concern of environmental sustainability. Part of Black Rock’s focus on sustainability is seen in the construction of green buildings, another feature that makes Black Rock different from Central Park. One similarity is that both the forest and Central Park feel the effects of human behavior on their natural state; Central Park was a manmade design, unlike Black Rock, but both Black Rock, through research and educational work, and Central Park, through various human interactions, are impacted by human actions.
As a park meant for scientific research and educational endeavors, Black Rock Forest’s conditions, location and focus on sustainability and the environment shows the Forest’s aspects and purposes align. Central Park, now used for recreation, relaxation, scenic views, passing through, etc., its design and maintenance goals support such purposes. There is no extensive focus on sustainability, though the Conservancy works to maintain a clean park, which is fine for fulfilling Central Park’s goals.
3. Black Rock Forest developed 14,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Since then, the forest has changed due to a number of factors including climate change and human activities. At that time, the forest was heavily populated with conifers such as spruce and fir, which gave way to oaks and chestnut as the climate warmed after the glacial retreat. The landscape has also been deeply influenced by human usage, as Native Americans intensively hunted the forest, built large settlements, and used fire as a management tool. European colonization in 1690 affected the surrounding even more as extensive logging and mining, charcoal production, and the establishments of homesteads and farms increased. Most of these activities were uncontrolled, thus at the turn of the century, the forest was terribly deteriorated. However, in 1928, the Stillman family purchased the land and appropriated the forest as a research and educational center, hoping to reinstate practical forestry techniques. He hired a forester and a crew to pull out poorly formed trees and unwanted species. The forest improved in health with treatments such as plantings, fertilizations, and selective logging operations. Since then, the forest has been carefully managed and preserved.
Manhattan as a whole was influenced by Native American land usage until the time of European takeover; periods of development and industrialization created the need and desire for a public park in Manhattan. The Central Park was supposed to offer a refuge from the dirty, busy city and offered economic gains for developers and the city. The park was planned with species and nature in mind, but as time went on, ecology and the environment were not of much concern. In 1980, the Central Park Conservancy was formed to care for and maintain the natural environment that is Central Park. In this way, ecology has become a bigger concern in the maintenance and upkeep of Central Park.
One common definition of “nature,” noted by Raymond Williams, is “unspoiled places,” or anything that has been untouched by man. Following this basic definition, Black Rock Forest can easily be perceived as something very natural, and at a glance most people would agree that it is far more natural than Central Park. Upon further investigation, however, it becomes clear that Black Rock Forest is shaped and “spoiled” by its human inhabitants and that over the last several hundred years its development has been tied closely to its human presence. In this respect, Black Rock Forest is much less “natural” than it would appear to be. Numerous scientists conduct experiments here and in doing so interfere with “nature” in order to find answers to their questions. For example, while walking through the forest, our tour guide pointed out a huge number of “natural” looking objects that were in fact heavily influenced by man. These included way points for hiking trails, the reservoirs, bridges, and even entire populations of plants that had been tailored by researchers. Scientists were actively shaping the environment, creating pools and placing logs in order to create habitats for animals, and sometimes fencing off entire sections from deer in order to protect saplings. Furthermore, before these scientists made their mark, the inhabitants of this area have relied on the forest for centuries (as mentioned above), to the point where our tour guide stated that it would be impossible to speak of Black Rock Forest without speaking of a human presence. Despite what you might expect, however, that same tour guide mentioned this without a trace of remorse, as clearly he did not see this relationship as a harmful one.
If the park is being measured by it’s level of usage by neighboring communities for recreational value, then it is not successful. With the exception of the hunters who go there during deer season, Black Rock Forest seemed to have a relatively low level of casual visitors. The park is not well-publicized; it sits right between West Point and Storm King Mountain, and yet before this trip I had never met anyone even aware that it existed. Furthermore, it offers little to surrounding residents that is not also offered nearby. A protected parcel of woods is far less an anomaly and therefore far less of a draw in a heavily wood exurb (I am not sure Cornwall constitutes as rural) than a major metropolis. Unlike in New York City, where one must specifically go to a park in order to witness ‘nature’, residents of the upper Hudson Valley are surrounded by trees, fields and mountains. People from the more populated and developed adjacent areas, such as the middle and lower Hudson Valley have park preserves closer by that allow them an ambience similar to Black Rock, and so have little impetus to drive up to Cornwall. Another reason for Black Rock Forest’s lack of recreational visitors is it’s lack of options in regards to activities to do there. Black Rock Forest caters to those who wish to hike or do science, which is fine, but many people go to state parks for leisurely activities such as picnicking, boating and being allowed to drink in public; these options are behind the relative popularity of an area like Bear Mountain to Black Rock Forest.
As mentioned in the last sentence, Black Rock Forest is great for hiking and, more importantly, science; if it’s success is evaluated by the resources it offers in regards to science, then it is most certainly successful. Black Rock Forest provides scientists with the optimal environment for conducting research or gathering data, due in part to the limited amount of development. While it may not be as visited as other types of parks, it’s has the capacity to be a helpful educational tool because it provides a setting in which students can perform fieldwork, and in this sense gives a certain tangibility to certain science courses.The lessened extent of human interference allows for animals to act naturally (and therefore be observed naturally) as well as for more accurate environmental monitoring. The development that does exist exists in harmony with the environment; contrasted with the hyper-planned Central Park it requires less maintenance and is therefore more environmentally friendly. It is a success in this sense because it allows for people to be ‘close to nature’ without messing it up.
