Tag: city at the water’s edge

“City at the Water’s Edge Chapter 10: Weathering” Response

While the other chapters of City at the Water’s Edge focused primarily on the history of colonial settlement and its effects on the ecology of New York City, this chapter discussed some of the future ramifications of current environmental practices, and it was only fitting that it was the last chapter. Aside from the centuries-old anecdotes about dams in the Netherlands being built to ward off flooding from the North Sea, many of the storms that were mentioned to have affected our area were from around the 1900s to the present-day. Interestingly, this book was published in 2007, two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, so Hurricane Ike (2008), Hurricane Irene (2011), and Hurricane Sandy (2012) were all never mentioned. All four are within the top ten costliest Atlantic hurricanes in history, and it is worth noting that they have all occurred with the past decade.

Winds, flooding, and even tornadoes were common with these storms, but as described in the chapter, the most catastrophic meteorological event associated with them was their storm surges. Their magnitudes may have been exacerbated by factors out of our reach, such as weather patterns, tides, and celestial events, but our constant reshaping of the coast definitely played a role. Rather than let the motion of the water naturally carry sand and silt and form inlets, we have decided to build expensive development projects and extend the coastline to dangerous distances, and then wonder why the price tags of these storms is so expensive. Besides economic profit generated from tourism, this is also done because we believe that the pre-existing shape of the land will not shield us from flooding, but in reality, we are not helping.

Specifically regarding the West Hampton Dunes, McCully quotes Cornelia Dean, who states that, “When the groins made the problem even worse, they turned to federal, state, and local governments – that is, to the taxpayers. The taxpayers, in turn, find themselves committed to spending tens of millions of dollars to protect the property of people who, in many cases, had every reason to know that they were building or buying in an unsafe place” (McCully 154). In other words, we are just digging ourselves deeper into a seemingly never-ending cycle by continuing to construct condominiums, boardwalks, public areas, and the like by coastlines knowing full well that we are highly susceptible to nor’easters, hurricanes, and other powerful storms. It is undeniable that beaches and the bays and oceans that they are located on are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. However, selfishness has led us to want to live right next to them instead of having to travel, and we are slowly but surely paying the price for disrupting the ebbs and flows of nature.

“City at the Water’s Edge Chapter 6: Muddied Waters” Response

I personally found this chapter to be the most depressing and pessimistic of the ones that we have read in the book. The only humorous part was probably the reference to the blues singer Muddy Waters in the title of the chapter. The content itself just reinforced McCully’s scathing condemnation of the practices that European colonists and even recent inhabitants of the New York City metropolitan area have carried out in the waterways that have been a major part of our history, culture, and geography. From personal experience, I am a resident of Northern Queens, and whenever I travel during low tide on Astoria Boulevard or the Whitestone Expressway by Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, I have to deal with the ungodly stench of decades-worth of dumping. I never would have thought that so many fish, mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic plants, amphibians, and reptiles once called places like these their homes, which are now wastelands deprived of oxygen and nutrients and full of materials toxic even to us.

All of the habitats that McCully discusses in other chapters, when taken as a whole, highlight the rich biodiversity that we take for granted, but this chapter in particular shows how our own population has been directly affected by our destruction of the environment, not solely the other organisms and non-living components. For example, the water pollution caused by dumping from factories located along the water has sickened and killed hundreds of us over the years, but the same cannot be said of deforestation, over-exploitation of the natural flora, or the hunting of birds. This does not even take into account the 2,215,890 fish and billions of fish eggs and larvae destroyed by the Indian Point nuclear power plant in 1977 (McCully 88). One would think that this would have encouraged us to do something about this issue before it got out of hand, but despite its severity, it has been treated with the same negligence and indifference as many other ecological problems. Also, since water flows all around the globe and is not static like a forest or grassland, McCully emphasizes this by saying that “Industrial wastes combined with commercial and domestic wastes – a total of 50 million gallons of untreated wastes – were discharged into the river daily, polluting the waters upstream and down. No longer confined to the New York metropolitan region, the problem now concerned the whole watershed.” (McCully 86).

At least the government has passed some legislation to combat this situation, including the creation of agencies to regulate dumping and advocate transparency and accountability, as well as sewage treatment plants to render the areas cleaner and more suitable for species to live and breed. Many of these have worked, and the amount of different species in areas has grown exponentially in just a few decades. On the other hand, building a sports complex in the Meadowlands has definitely not helped biodiversity; the fact that a deal had to be made to develop part of the land in exchange for restoring other parts of the land demonstrates the preference for short-term profits to benefit a few instead of long-term solutions to benefit everyone. Hopefully this mindset can shift in the right direction, but as history has shown, not even the dire, devastating effects of water pollution can ring the bell loudly enough for immediate change.

 

“City at the Water’s Edge Chapter 7: Footprints” Response

In this chapter, McCully discussed the importance that plant species of all kinds, from flowers to weeds to grasses, hold for humans and other organisms, and how ecosystems such as prairies or grasslands are often seen as barren wastelands, but that they are critical ecosystems themselves. We often overlook this fact since we are only concerned about the potential benefits that nature has to offer us, but it will stop supplying us if we do not take a serious look at the effects of our actions on our environment, which seem to grow monumentally every day.

Similar to the discussion in chapter eight, which was titled “Forests for Trees”, McCully mentions how “nature could be tunneled, quarried, mined, leveled, straightened, drained, and diked; wild lines – like wild men – could be subjugated and domesticated” (McCully 103). The comparison to slavery is a very heated topic, so I do not want to discuss it without generating some sort of controversy, but the main point that she is trying to get across is that we torture nature for its secrets and once one portion of it is drained dry of knowledge, we do the same thing to other areas. On the other hand, Native Americans lived harmoniously and equally with nature; it was considered something to cooperate with, since it was vital to understand the balance between its effects on their livelihoods and the effects they personally had on it. Parts of forests that were chopped down would be replanted or burned down to clear weeds, underbrush, or other undesirable plants, and trees that held some sort of spiritual or geographical purpose would be revered and preserved. European colonists instead sought to extract precious oils and herbs to create precious elixirs in a strictly economic sense. The fact that a plant like sassafras was treated as a cure-all and exported by the ton (McCully 101) demonstrates how companies were willing to profit from stripping nature until nothing was left; even more remarkable is that it was thought to be a panacea for just about every imaginable disease, but one does not need to be a scientist to understand that this is impossible.

On a more positive note, I was amazed by how hundreds of species came over unintentionally to the New World from Europe and possibly Africa and Asia by attaching to the clothing or shoes of the colonists and then being spread by wind or birds all over the continent. Of course, some plants and animals were brought over on purpose, but how else could one explain how bluegrass, which is now a symbol of the state of Kentucky and closely associated with country music, is actually of European origin? Even though nature has been extremely impacted by human activities, it is true that it has shaped and influenced our culture, and it would be wonderful if we as a whole can get together and reach an equilibrium point that satisfies our needs and protects our environment at optimal levels.

Chapter 9 Response

Similar to the last chapter, this one started off with beautiful imagery. It stated how NY can be  safe haven for all these species of birds to land and rest in between flights. Central Park being a green oasis in a concrete jungle. While reading this I was felling slightly jealous of her and her husband’s journey to see all of the birds. It made me want to look up more and observe nature. Not only nature in regards to trees but also the wildlife that depend on the greenery as a safe haven.

Then all of this imagery has taken a turn.  The reading describes the difference in approaches the Europeans and Natives had in their environment. The Europeans would just look up and unload bullets into a flock of birds in the air. This systematic annihilation of the birds lead to the extinction of many species. The Natives however saw their environment and nature as a blessing. They made sure to never over hunt any one species.

The ending was really poignant. “What has been destroyed can never be created again.” That quote has stuck with me after reading this chapter.

“City at the Water’s Edge Chapter 9: Urban Flyway” Response

I was excited that the subject of this chapter of “City at the Water’s Edge” was about birds in New York City, especially since I have been paying close attention to the species in my neighborhood. The synagogue next door to my house has a blackberry tree that is taller than my three-story house, and its branches are sturdy enough to support a wide variety of wildlife, including birds, squirrels, and even wasps. Every morning for the past several months, my dad has been leaving out breadcrumbs for the birds to eat; at first, I thought that there would just be pigeons and sparrows, but I was thrilled to have encountered rare blue jays, European starlings, American robins, a Northern cardinal, a mourning dove, and a dark-eyed junco (I have photo evidence if anybody is interested). Ever since then, I have been trying to identify birds that I am unfamiliar with by searching based on their plumage, size, calls (if I hear them) and other identifiable features.

I am not a birdwatcher like McCully and her husband are, and I do not think that I would enjoy staying in the same spot for hours just watching birds fly by, regardless of how many species there might be. Nevertheless, I still have a soft spot for birds, along with most other people, most likely because of their aesthetic appeal, graceful flight, and beautiful songs. However, their variety probably sparks the most interest; to be honest, I did not think that the avian portion of biodiversity in New York City would be such an issue, but I was completely wrong. In this chapter, McCully mentions the passenger pigeon and heath hen becoming extinct over a century ago, so we probably only have crude drawings or black-and-white photographs to remember them. They met their demise by businesses trying to satisfy the fashion fads of the time or even hunters not hunting for food or survival but for sheer fun. This is yet another example of how people will take in everything that their environment offers them to the point that there is nothing left.

Despite the extinction of at least two species, McCully discusses how many harmful pesticides have been banned and how conservation organizations such as the National Audubon Society continue to function today. As great as this has been, some populations have been increasing tremendously, including the black-crowned night heron, growing from 1105 pairs in 1992 to 1887 pairs just a year later, and the double-crested cormorant, growing from 585 pairs in 1985 to 3528 pairs just a decade later (McCully 136-137). These birds may actually cause harm with their toxic droppings, nesting on private properties, and predation of insects that benefit us, such as bees, so their populations should be reduced to sustainable levels. The chapter is interestingly ended with a bittersweet quote that “what has been destroyed can never be created again” (McCully 145); extinct species cannot be brought back under normal scientific means, but we can definitely restore places to almost exact replicas with a few differences, and learn from our mistakes to provide for future generations.

Chapter 8 Response

While reading this chapter I was thinking off all the discussions we had in class and they fit right into this chapter. This chapter did a great job in not only throwing facts but by telling facts within anecdotes and easy to read stories.

Trees have long been ignored and just seen as a resource. It has been used in the past to build massive ships and homes. There was never a connection between Europeans and nature like the natives shared with nature. The main reason Europeans came was because in their land, trees have already been close to depletion. This is also shown in the last reading where letters have been sent back stating how great of a land America is to exploit.

If only we can now share the connection that Native Americans had with their environment and seeing the true necessity and history trees can have, then maybe our world can look very different.

Too Late for Preservation?

A lot of the information presented in Chapter 8 of City at the Water’s Edge was not as shocking after reading (and discussing in class) “Manahatta: An Ecological First Look at the Manhattan Landscape Prior to Henry Hudson.” Instead, I was expecting to read the same facts about New York’s previous natural life. The articles previously assigned in this class has made me realize that humans are willing to destroy for their inherent greed. It may be cynical of me to think that but history constantly cycles back to this belief that people only care about their own good fortune. Therefore, a little deforestation here and a little pollution there won’t make that much of a difference, right?

Betsy McCully briefly discussed the Native American’s lifestyle in comparison to the Europeans. It was slightly biased, but she articulated that unlike the Europeans, whose sole purpose was to exploit the land, the Native Americans did not unnecessarily or excessively use their resources. Perhaps it is due to their reverence for nature and other living things that allowed the Native Americans to tend to the land properly. There was a mutual benefit for the Native Americans and the environment, while the Europeans devastated the forests for profits and urban development.

Can human civilization advance with the coexistence and preservation of nature or will humans continue to clear and befoul land to build bigger cities? Is reforestation remotely possible in New York City and other densely populated cities?

Chapter 8 Response

I find McCully’s book a lot more digestible than the last because instead of throwing many scientific terms at us, McCully tries to get us to connect on an emotional level by talking about her own experiences and work which we might relate to. She ponders the same question we do about why we are drawn to trees and forests in general: “Is it that they mark time, living beyond our individual lives, and connect us to history?”

And they do connect us. The southern-most tip of Brooklyn that she mentions was marked by a tree is a place I’ve passed many times in Flatbush. There’s also the 450-year-old tulip tree in Alley Pond Park where my high school’s softball and soccer teams used to practice. It’s weathered and gnarled, but still standing tall. Or Forest Park, in general, which I cut through to visit my best friend in Richmond Hill. All these trees are older/were older than I will ever be and they connect me to everyone who’s come before me and will come after me. It’s as close to immortality as anyone will ever get.

Trees have been through a lot. Incoming European settlers thought the forests to be infinite – they used them for ships, for trade, for houses, for firewood. Unlike the Native Americans, they didn’t have a spiritual connection with nature. It’s this spirituality that I think we need to bring back to society. Every forest and every tree has a story and it’s up to us to learn and preserve these stories.

“City at the Water’s Edge Chapter 8: Forests for Trees” Response

Trees are one of the organisms that we New Yorkers take for granted, coming across hundreds of them, every single day, but not knowing how long they have been there, what types of animals inhabit them, or even what species they are. To our colonial ancestors, they were a constant source of wood for building ships, houses, factories, and tools, but we continue to deplete them today since they often get in the way of our development projects. They are just another example of the tremendous impact that we have on our environment just to fulfill our insatiable needs.

Our area used to be home to chestnut, beech, ash, linden, sycamore, maple, tulip-tree, and at least a dozen other different types of trees (McCully 116), many of which I have probably encountered but did not know what particular type they were. McCully does an excellent job at recounting the chronological history of the decline of forests, from colonial times to the revolutionary war and even time periods such as the Industrial Revolution with inventions like the steam engine. By doing this, she emphasizes how the rich biodiversity of our area was one of the main reasons colonists, especially from England and the Netherlands, decided to settle here.

McCully also interestingly compares their callous treatment of the forests to the reverence that the Native Americans showed by strategically burning areas to kill weeds and underbrush and leaving historic, sacred trees alone. However, I wish she would have included more about conservation techniques, which constitute only a few paragraphs on the last page of the chapter. It is important to identify that a problem exists with the environment, but rather than condemn our ancestors, I think it is also important to highlight the importance of trees to our lives, not just for clean air and resources, but since they are such relevant markers in time and space, with some very lucky ones lasting for more generations than we can count with our fingers.