We are living in an era of unprecedented conservation efforts: hybrid cars, organic produce, An Inconvenient Truth. However, we are also living in an era of unprecedented destruction to the natural world. In the past 150 years alone, we as a species have wreaked more havoc upon the natural environment than our collective ancestors. It can be argued that this was initially a form of “innocent destruction,” that our predecessors were not consciously aware of the monumental after effects of the abuse of natural resources. It can also be argued that the Western culture which eventually infiltrated the coastland salt marshes of the United States is deeply rooted in a culture of greed, and thus, a conglomerate of thoughtless actions has built up to the current destruction of salt marshes, amongst other natural habitats. 

The advent of the Industrial Revolution created a world unseen before: an urban landscape thriving on industry and its subsequent economy. Things were being produced and services were being provided for profit. But this system of goods and services is not new or novel. The scale of it, however, is. Examining the Native Americans (e.g. the Lenapes) who a few generations ago inhabited the same areas dominated by smog and factories at the turn of the 20th century would show there was a system of economy in place, but a much more egalitarian one. Each member of the society took merely what was enough for him/herself and the family or community he/she was providing for. Even if one were to move away from the communal aspect of Native American life and examine other cultures, one would realize these are cultures invested in trade rather than industry. Pre-industrial trade was checked by a variety of factors: travel routes, time, specialization of labor. Those checks created a flourishing economy, but kept human use and abuse of natural resources in check, as well.

With respect to the colonists, they of course had major reasons to engage in “innocent destruction,” for the sake of mere survival. However, they were met with indigenous people who had been surviving for generations beforehand. This is not limited to the New York area, but to all areas subject to Western colonization. As previously stated, there is a greed culture tied to the Western psyche. To take a huge step back, one of the major causes for colonization was profit, through channels of religion, glory, or money. The colonists completely disregarded the “eco-friendly” habits of the Native Americans for their own personal gains.

The ways of the Native Americans were completely lost when the efficiency of modern industry came about. When profit became the sole motivator with little to no regulation, the environment suffered terribly. Any and all reverence for the natural world went out the window. In the early 20th century, northern Queens become a literal dumping group in the years immediately following New York’s industrialization period, even referred to as the “valley of ashes” in The Great Gatsby. The area was eventually buried and paved over to create Flushing Meadows-Corona Park with little attention paid to what those substances would mean for the neighborhood’s health and the natural surroundings. In addition, as industry flourished, so did the need for usable land, and since there were no immediate uses for salt marsh estuaries, many developers in the 1950s began to uproot these ecosystems and fill them to create areas for homes, businesses, and public spaces, with no real understanding or interest in the consequences.

Luckily, many safeguards have been put in place to preserve the remaining salt marshes we have. In addition to providing scenery, their ability to act as a buffer against storm surges has proved very utilitarian. Considering more than half of the United States population lives near the coastland, it is incredibly important we conserve these natural habitats. Although there is no reversing what has already been done, it is critical we as a society find ways to check industry and prevent anymore destruction to salt marshes and other natural environments.