All posts by Zoe Isaacson

About Zoe Isaacson

I'm Zoe. I love musical theatre (and general theatre) above anything, especially WICKED. I adore books and dance. So excited to be in college!

Salt Marsh Restoration

Marsh Restoration

When addressing the issue of salt marsh restoration versus recolonization of non-native plants, I think that each situation must be looked at individually. As human begins, we so often make broad generalizations about problems in society and tend to forget that every situation is unique, poses its own challenges, and therefore requires individual attention. When making generalizations, we run the risk of leaving out important steps in our attempt to alleviate a problem. While intervention may be appropriate with certain marshes, other marshes are meant to be left alone. Also, in terms of the salt marshes (and environmental issues in general), even when we look individually at situations, we face not only biological complications but also political legislation that threatens to tear down our efforts.

The word “restoration” implies helpful intervention that will aid in getting the salt marshes out of harm’s way. However, in many cases, the situation is so complex that the actions we take to “restore” the marshes actually make things worse. Weis and Butler describe Phragmites-dominated marshes that we try to restore by using herbicides. One herbicide used, glyphosate, is toxic to other plants besides the unwanted ones as well as invertebrates and “cannot be said to be good for the ecosystem” (175). To make the situation worse, repeated applications of glyphosate is necessary to kill the unwanted plants, but these plants often return anyway because underground, they are protected from the herbicides and have not been fully destroyed. This creates an endless cycle where our attempts to better, or restore, the marshes only exacerbate the problem we started with.

Replanting is another common method of restoration that brings with it more complications. For example, when planting with Spartina, the nature of the water has everything to do with the restoration’s success. The salinity of the water can be too high or the soil can have the wrong texture and the attempt will fail. If the water flow is too rapid or experiences too much wave action, young plants that are not yet rooted in place may erode. In addition, something as simple as the elevation of the marsh as well as drainage can affect whether a plant lives or dies. There is also the problem of larger animals such as geese that eat the newly inserted plants and reverse our efforts. The situation with Spartina is just one example of Mother Nature reminding us that she is in charge. When we try to intervene with nature and keep getting pushed back, it may be nature’s way of telling us that it will take care of itself as it did before humans started getting involved.

Lastly, even when our efforts are in good faith and nature is on our side, we face never-ending political legislation that can throw us back to square one. Weis and Butler write about the $8 billion effort to restore the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee in Florida into the Everglades in order to ensure adequate water supply for the area. In 2003, the Florida legislature refused to enforce pollution regulations in the area until 2016. In 2007, the Everglades National park was removed from the list of endangered World Heritage sites, which according to Weis and Butler, sent a confusing message that everything was fine in the area. As hard as we try to protect our environment, we seem to always run into two obstacles: nature and legislation. In the end, we are humans interfering in nature, something that has rarely seen positive effects and to top it all off, political legislation frequently stands in our way. Therefore, each situation of restoration must be approached from a different viewpoint and “restored” (or left alone) in a way that will minimize potential barriers and prevent further destruction.

Destruction of the Salt Marshes

Destruction of the Salt Marshes

The United States has been known throughout history to have an obsession with expansion: When we discover a patch of unused land, we seize it and mold it until it suits our needs. Since people have been largely unable to appreciate nature for nature’s sake without destroying it, we have had to create national parks for this purpose. A similar situation exists with salt marshes. I believe that we as humans have an innate need for instant gratification and we change what doesn’t immediately serve us. Therefore, the destruction of the salt marshes appears to me a representation of a lack of values and thoughtless action towards the environment.

We have been modifying salt marshes since as early as the 17th century. Dutch settlers needed land to survive so they installed dikes in salt marsh areas to prevent flooding. Mud banks and dikes were also built in order to create a landscape conducive to the production of salt hay. Early settlers discovered that salt hay was useful for bedding for horses and cattle, thatch for barn roofs, road traction, among many other things (Salt Marshes, 92). The destruction of salt marshes in earlier times seems less of an act of thoughtlessness than in the present day. Settlers had fewer resources and technology, and salt marshes were necessary sources for their survival. They probably had also had less knowledge regarding environmental consequences of their actions, and this makes their modification of the marshes seem more condonable.

In current times, however, we have taken what earlier settlers started and gone completely overboard. Now that we are an industrialized society, we have turned to salt marshes for urban development. For example, marshes have been filled to create airports and highways (Salt Marshes, 95), entities not necessary for our survival. Also, in recent years people have taken to the idea of living by the ocean and to do so have removed vegetation from the salt marsh borders. This destroys the habitats of the organisms in the marshes and the marsh itself. Other consequences come about as well, such as chemical changes in the soil (96). Neighborhoods are destined to develop but we now have the knowledge and the tools to choose where and how to construct them. We disregard the natural environment when making such decisions because it satisfies us in the moment.

One of the most troubling parts of salt marsh destruction is pollution. Human beings are notorious for polluting Mother Earth and salt marshes are no exception. We dump pesticides and the like into salt marshes because it gratifies us in some other way. We know what we are doing, as Weis and Butler state on page 128, but we do it anyway. The label of Scourge, an insecticide used to combat salt marsh mosquitoes, reads, “This product is toxic to fish and birds. Do not apply to lakes, streams, or ponds. ” Scourge is still being applied. We are also presented with healthier alternatives, such as organic methods, but because they require more time and effort, we ignore them. These pollutants affect our health as well so it makes little sense that we are so careless. Overall, while the settlers had less to work with and their alteration of the marshes makes more sense, our present obsession with what serves us in the moment (in spite of our increased knowledge and tools) and lack of environmental ethics have led to the massive destruction of the marshes.

The Lenapes and Agriculture

Land of the Lenapes

“What do you do?” This is one of the first questions asked when two people are becoming acquainted. Common responses might include doctor, teacher, lawyer, or accountant. Rarely does a person respond with the phrase “I am a farmer”. In our modern, industrialized society, fewer and fewer people are making their livings directly through agriculture. In the much earlier times of the Lenape Native Americans, agriculture was everything to these people because farming was a crucial way of surviving without modern technologies. The way in which the Lenapes utilized agriculture greatly impacted their relationship to and interaction with the natural environment.

For a long period of time, the Lenapes mostly relied on small-scale cultivation of their native plant species. About a thousand years ago, some Lenapes made the switch to the cultivation of maize. Eventually, the entire Lenape society shifted to maize-centered agriculture but the decision to do so, McCully writes, was entirely dependent on the natural environment. The Lenapes had to determine whether or not their soil would be reliable enough to withstand such a drastic shift. Luckily, the natural environment of the New York City Lenape region had sandy soil that was ideal for growing crops. According to newhopepa.com, the Lenapes used primitive tools such as bone, wood, and shells to grow crops. Such tools came directly from the natural environment and therefore must have required the Lenapes to have a good sense of their natural surroundings in order to know where and when the tools were available.

The Lenapes’ shift to maize-centered agriculture drastically changed their relationship to the natural world. Rather than using their previous method of depending solely on available resources to survive, the Lenapes could now take control and become “managers” of their land. I interpreted this to mean that as opposed to passively accepting the available, the Lenapes could now choose what they wanted to be available and when. They could manipulate the natural environment to suit their needs, rather than merely taking what they were given. For example, the Lenapes had the agricultural tools and knowledge to regularly use fire to clear fields and keep down weeds in areas where they wanted to grow crops. This “controlled burning” not only improved the soil, but it more importantly created “edge” habitats between grasslands and forests that attracted hunting animals and facilitated the growth of edible berries.

The seasons also played a large role in the Lenape use of agriculture. Because each season offered something different in terms of agriculture, the Lenapes’ entire way of life was dependent on the natural rhythm of the seasons. For example, during the summer they stayed near the coast to more easily grow crops. The Lenape use of agriculture rendered them a mostly sedentary people who moved only according to the seasons. As a result, the Lenape culture respected the natural world by not staying in one place long enough to be damaging with their agricultural methods as well as frequently switching their agricultural methods to best make use of each aspect of the natural environment.

 

Nature in the City

Bio Blitz
Cars, trains, and loud noises are only five minutes from here!
One of the many paths at Wave Hill. Cars, trains, and loud noises are only five minutes from here! (Photo taken from Google).

For a long time, New York City to me has always been just that: a city. All I ever saw (and loved) was an endless sea of automobiles, noises, and smells. I appreciated the chaos and unpredictable nature of city life. I discovered another side to the city when I went to Wave Hill for the first time (Since I was unable to attend the Bioblitz, I chose to discuss my experience at Wave Hill instead). Wave Hill is a huge public garden in the Bronx that overlooks the Hudson River. There are acres upon acres of grass, gardens, flowers, and the like. Despite the fact that Wave Hill offers an array of events for visitors, I found myself just wanting to roam the pathways.  It was hard to believe that I was in the middle of the Bronx in this seeming oasis of peace.  It was a completely different world. There was something about being surrounded by trees, the river, flowers, and the dirt roads that made me feel at ease. I normally enjoy nature but knowing that the hustle and bustle of city life was only five minutes away made my experience more meaningful.

As I walked through the gardens and past the ponds, I realized that the elements of nature I was seeing could also be seen all over the city. We just don’t usually take the time to notice them because they are harder to find. Though somewhat scarce, trees do exist in Manhattan. If we “stop and smell the roses”, it almost seems as though the little bush in Times Square was plucked from a place like Wave Hill or Central Park and inserted onto the pavement. While walking through the Village, I have seen some interesting species of insects here and there. I think that as we rush about our daily lives, we often don’t realize that there are hints of “Wave Hill” style nature all around us. A place like Wave Hill makes it easier for us to appreciate nature in a city environment.

One particular moment in Wave Hill highlighted to me the fact that nature is all around us in the city, in some form or another. I was walking around the pond, witnessing the lily pads float on the surface of the water, when I thought about similar looking lake across the street from my house. There is actually a natural environment closer to me than I tend to  realize. Because nature has a loose definition (anything natural), the tree in front of my house would constitute as nature. The bird flying over my house is nature. No matter where we are, some piece of nature is present with us and that is what Wave Hill really made me realize.

My experience at Wave Hill also emphasized the difference between nature in the countryside versus nature in the city. When I visit my grandparents’ rural town, I find the natural sights very pleasing and lovely but I don’t appreciate them as much as I appreciate nature in the city. My grandparents live in the country; nature is a given there. When a place like Wave Hill or an event like the BioBlitz comes along, I start to realize how special it is to have a different kind of nature in the city. It is so much more exciting to discover a bird, tree, or flower in the city than to discover “nature” in a rural area where natural sightings are more expected.  The excitement comes because since we really have to invest the time and look for these things, the discovery of them is all the more rewarding.

Sometimes, I don’t want to take my time and look for evidence of nature in the city. I am too busy getting to where I have to go. Wave Hill was a reminder that even though we might not take notice, nature is there somewhere around us. It is a comforting thought because cities are usually not viewed as peaceful places with hummingbirds and daisies abound. Although this is often true, nature is right in front of us in New York City. All we have to do is look.