All posts by Gaby

To Plant or Not to Plant?

Marsh Restoration

We have changed the world.  Humans, as a species, have been taking from the earth for centuries, without giving anything back.  As a result, today we face serious issues such as global warming and melting glaciers.  We have started something that may be irreversible and will ultimately hurt us.  Because of Human actions, many native plants in salt marshes have been replaced with new plants.  The question is, now that we, humans, have realized our detrimental effect on the environment, what can we do about it?  Should we attempt to regrow these plants, even though the environment has changed?  Is it even possible to change it back?

Nature has a way of providing checks and balances to everything that lives on this earth.  Whether it is a plant, an animal or insect, nature has a way of making sure that species of any kind do not monopolize the environment.  If we decide to incorporate the original plants to Salt Marshes, nature is not ready for the change.  Even if we experiment in a smaller, controlled environment, we still cannot foresee all the inadvertent changes reintroducing a plant would cause.  Instead of making the situation better, it could potentially disrupt the ecosystems of the marshes even more.  For example, if you introduced a new type of grass, you have to make sure that they do not encroach on another plant’s territory.  There are too many factors that cannot be predicted.

Another problem with restoring new plants into the ecosystems is all the complications that come with it.  When introducing a new plant, there is a process that needs to be followed.  First, if planting new seeds, precautions need to be enforced to prevent plants or insects from uprooting or eating the premature plants.  To disrupt the new ecosystems would not only require an unprecedented amount of foresight, but even with it, there is no way to fully predict the results.  While leaving the new plants might not be the alternative, replanting the old plants requires too many factors to uncertainty.

Lack of Science, or Sabotage?

Destruction of the Salt Marshes

In Europe, in the 1600’s, there was no real sewage system.  When the population grew, the problem grew worse and illness was common because of the deplorable conditions.  Which is why when, around that time, settlers started coming over to America, they did not know to take precautions to preserve the environment and how to responsibly take care of their waste.  The earth was plentiful and seemingly never-ending, and the life span was short; there was no reason to care about how their actions effected the environment.

Before the settlers came, nature was relatively untouched. The Native Americans were respectful when it came to their waste and never killed in excess.  As it says in City at the Water’s Edge by Betsy McCully, “All this wonderful abundance was threatened as soon as the Europeans began to colonize the region” (80). The mantra of the settlers was that undomesticated land was wasted land.  Swamps were not useful, and therefore had to go.  To some extent, the settlers changed the land to survive.  They needed somewhere to make food the only way they knew how: by planting.  Surviving was their first goal, anything after that was secondary and unimportant.

Restraint was a concept the colonist should have learned from the Native Americans. By not exercising some restraint, ecosystems and entire species were destroyed and demolished. Pollution was another big cause for the permanent disturbance of salt marshes. In New York, the pollution was not handled responsibly; in 1929, a report stated that from a population of ten million, one billion gallons of sewage was dumped in the waterways, reducing the oxygen in the water and thereby killing the sea life that requires a certain level of oxygen to survive. Dead fish were a common sight, and an incredible waste of both a food source, and nature.  In 1877, an article in the New York Times stated: “…The fishing too. Which was formerly excellent, has been irreparably destroyed.”

Sadly, it was not until the 1880’s that some legislation was passed to attempt to overturn the massive destruction of the environment that had been getting progressively worse since the arrival of the Dutch. Even this act, the New York Harbor Act, did very little to prevent accidental oil spills or monitor people with disregard to the little. By this time, science and the law had both understood the consequences of the irreparable damage that was being done.  Unfortunately, the majority of the population refused to care or do much about it.  Still today there are people who have a complete disregard to the effect they have on the environment.  The people had an excuse to abuse their environment when their only real goal was to survive harsh conditions, and later when they did not know better.  However, it became apparent in later years, when the technology and the knowledge of what they were doing were available, that the people simply could not be bothered to change their ways.  At a result, we are now faced with the consequences of callously causing irreparable damage to our environment.

The Lenapes as Hunter-Gatherers

Land of the Lenapes

Before the world was filled with the modern cities that it is today, there was simply land covered with grass, forests, dirt, and rocks.  At that time, humans had not yet adapted the concept of agriculture, and survived in a semi-nomadic state.  Their culture, lifestyles and survival depended completely on what they could hunt and catch.  This nomadic existence and people’s ability to adapt to their environment enabled them to survive the harsh conditions of the ice age and, after, the dramatic warming of the climate.  The way of life of these nomadic people not only benefited them, but also was also relatively respectful of the environment.

The Lenape have a legend that has been passed down through generations.  In this legend, the Animal Spirits escaped to the Giants World and would not return until the people promised that they would start treating the Natural Spirits with respect.  It is because of this legend that these nomadic people never abused nature.  They took what they needed to survive and used everything to its fullest extent.  When they would kill a mammoth, they would not only eat the meat, but also use the bones for tools and save other parts for later use.  One mammoth could feed from 20-40 people, and sometimes there would still be carcass left over.

Not only did these people kill sparingly, but they also did not stay in the same place for too long.  They needed to go where the food was, and when the food has four legs; the food is not likely to stay in the same place for an extended period of time.  This constant moving was beneficial to the environment.  Although these people disturbed the ecosystem where they stayed, it was not devastating.  The Lenapes were only in one place for a relatively short period of time; and when they left, it was fairly simple for the ecosystem to repair itself.  Now, people have stayed in the same place for so long, some ecosystems have been permanently altered.

When the mammoths, mastodons and giant beavers no longer walked the earth, the Early Archaic people had to learn to adapt and find a new food source.  Indeed, as the culture was completely dependent on these animals, it was very probable that some died out, while others split in search of a new way of life.  Some were able to diversify their diet with elk, caribou, fish, rabbit and acorns.  To adapt, they discovered that boiling the acorns made them edible, without the bitter taste.  They kept moving, always settling for a time near water, and then moving to the next camping grounds.  It was not until the population grew to an extent that there was not enough hunting grounds did they have to turn to a bigger, more stable food source: agriculture.  But until then, these nomadic people did not kill in excess; they took what they needed and nothing more.  Then, the environment could sustain us as a visitor, but as a permanent houseguest today, we seem to be on a path headed for destruction.

My Bio Blitz Experience

Bio Blitz

When you think of the city, nature is the not the first thing that comes to mind.  Instead, the tall buildings, the grimy sidewalks, and the bright lights make up the image of New York City.  When I heard that the sophomores of Macaulay were allowed to explore the biggest park in New York City with specialists, I was proud and excited.  I was even willing to get up at the ungodly hour of 4 am.  A time that looks a lot different waking up than it does going to sleep.  I couldn’t wait to learn about the previously uncharted natural element of New York City.

However, due to a few unfortunate instances and bad luck, I was unable to properly enjoy the exclusive opportunity that was given to me.  The trains are not as frequent as were expected, so instead of getting there promptly at 5:45, we arrived precisely at 6:30.  Despite the timing, the muggy weather and the early hour, my energy was up and I was ready to learn about the birds of New York City.  Unfortunately, the birds were not ready for me.  Due to the rain the night before and the awful weather, most of the birds were somewhere else.  As a result, my group wandered perpetually uphill in search of a morning dove or a robin.

The beginning was promising.  Before we were put with a group, the director of the program led us around.  She was incredibly knowledgeable about the few birds that we saw.  We saw a morning dove, and learned about the origins of the robin and how it came by its name.  Apparently, there is another type of robin in England, with no relation to the one here in New York.  Here, they were originally called thrushes but when people came from England they thought that the birds looked like the robins in England so they named them robins.  This is why every species has its own Latin name as well as a common name, so they are never confused.

Partly due to the lack of birds and partly to the weather and hour, I did not have the exciting experience I was hoping for.  One of the good parts of the very long, uphill journey was that I was able to see the more scenic side of Central Park.  I went down some paths I never knew existed and would have certainly never seen if they had not been directly pointed out to me.  There were a few times where, and this could have been contributed to the lack of sleep, that I forgot I was in the middle of the city, and not out hiking in Long Island, where I grew up.  I saw some beautiful landscapes that I had never seen before, despite having been to Central Park many times.  I saw a turtle, a new experience for me in the city, and some gorgeous ponds.

I think maybe I was unlucky; Mother Nature was against me.  Between the weather and the lack of birds, I was unable to truly get a sense of how much wildlife inhabits Central Park.  I learned a few interesting facts here and there; for instance, many of the birds that live in the park did not originate there.  They were brought over so that the park would have every bird ever mentioned in Shakespeare.  Other than that, my experience was not very eventful.  However, I was able to fully appreciate for the first time the expansiveness of the park.  I never really understood its vastness until that day.  The fact that there is a place in the middle of the city where you can be enveloped by nature is an incredible feat.

I am not usually a nature girl.   However, I can appreciate the miracle of nature and how important it is to maintain it and help it thrive.  I am thankful for Central Park and the wildlife that it brings to New York City.  While I did not have the experience I thought I would have, I did learn to appreciate the natural element of New York City.