It is without a doubt that mankind is the dominating species on planet Earth. Over the past few thousand years humans have continued to cultivate a desire that has been a part of man since the dawn of time – a yearning to control and rule over the natural environment. Man’s ability to adapt and create new things from his environment has been evidenced as early as the creation of fire. It is in our nature to use our surroundings to better our own situation. In light of this, it should be no surprise that in the course of man’s self-centered quest for the continuous betterment of his condition there have been more than a few instances of collateral damage. In our haste to implement what we view as improvements, we often find that we should have looked before we leapt. One such example is the case of New York City’s salt marshes.
We are living in an age where our grasp is catching up to our reach. Our technological and scientific breakthroughs are accompanied by equal developments in public philosophy and social culpability as the global network continues to fortify and expand. I think that this increased connectivity, which we are lucky enough to have at our disposal, has imparted upon us a wider sense of responsibility for the harm we may cause and a feeling that we need to be aware of the consequences to our actions. The restoration effort that has gained traction in the past decade is a wonderful step in the right direction. Yet even here we are plagued by the nagging doubt that we might not know best. In the reading, there was quite a controversy over which plants to have reintroduced to salt marshes undergoing restoration. While we do not know now if there will be a lasting effect if phragmites is introduced in lieu of the native spartina, it is definitely a step in the right direction. As Bill Sheehan said, “Phragmites, it’s green most of the time, and it ain’t condos.” Certainly, as a civilization that praises the pursuit of perfection we can hold ourselves to a higher standard than that for restoration efforts.
