ReNewSchool

I've recently joined the ReNewSchool club. I also self-nominated myself for the position of secretary. Here are the first meeting's minutes:

ReNewSchool

1^st Assembly

22 September 2011

ReNewSchool’s first club meeting was called to order by Hannah Kramm, co-chair, at 6:00 p.m., on the fifth floor of 72 fifth ave. on Thursday, September 22^nd, 2011. Owing to the esteemed foresight of our generous co-chair, snacks were also provided.

In attendance: Hannah, Rena, Sasha, Hardy, Trey, John, Marco

Minutes of the September 22, 2011, conference were approved as read.

The meeting proceeded as follows:

I.                    Member introductions

II.                 Goals for the fall semester

a.       Installing a system for materials exchange in the uptown Parsons fashion building

b.      Hosting 3-4 events over the course of the year that will engage, entertain, and inform New School’s students and faculty about issues concerning environmental sustainability.

                                                                          i.      Club members were asked to brainstorm ideas for possible events.

                                                                        ii.      Members were encouraged to explore areas of their own interest, possibly utilizing art, music, or movie screenings.

c.       Establishing a New School annex at a convenient location in Brooklyn.

III.               ReNewSchool’s annual election; self-nominations:

a.       John – co-chair

b.      Hardy – secretary

c.       Rena – treasurer

IV.              Event awareness

a.       The Global Sustainability Jam is an international design-a-thon/brainstorm for sustainable solutions on a variety of issues. If members were interested in pitching an idea, they were asked to contact Cameron at tonkwc@newschool.edu.

b.      Moving Planet will take place on September 24^th at 2:00pm, on 47^th St. between first and second avenues. Participants will be arriving on forms of transportation that do not require the use of fossil fuels (bikes, skateboards, boots).

c.       Green City will take place on October 5^th from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m in Union Square. The co-chair polled for student volunteers (students still willing to volunteer should contact Josh). The following members were available to participate:

                                                                          i.      John and Hardy (2:00 – 4:00 p.m.)

                                                                        ii.      Trey (12:00 – 1:00pm)

                                                                      iii.      Sasha (10:00- 11:00am)    

d.      Fresh Kills will take place on October 2^nd; it is a free preview of the largest landfill that will, in the next ten years, be converted into a park. A free bus will be provided from the Staten Island Ferry.

e.       Proposals for projects sponsored by Green Fund ($50,000 available) are due November 1^st. (Marco showed interest in submitting a proposal.)

V.                 Member issues

a.       John wanted to foster compassion for composting.

b.      Rena is involved with drafting a comprehensive bike policy for the university; she is especially concerned with improving bike-parking availability.

                                                                                                                  

ReNewSchool’s next meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 27^th, at 5:00 p.m.

Honey Locust

The most commonly planted tree on Minetta Lane is of medium height, has dark, rough bark, and groupings of 12 leaves. It is the honey locust tree. Not a native to the New York area, this tree produces bean pods this time of year and in the fall the leaves turn a golden yellow. If the honey locust is not a native, then it must not have any connection to this site. How is it that something with no historical importance to the area is now the most prominent? From observing the area, none of the Minetta Brook natural habitat seems to remain.

CAPTAIN'S BLOG, 21 September 

Oysters aside, I . . . Being that oysters are now out of the picture (so to speak), that is, independent of the picture, I now redeem the vast, black, entrepreneurial hole in my ego in the transport-business--ah, meaning I mean to say through and by sheet rock, granite, marble and what have you . . . That being said, I . . . —Yes, well, gather round then will you? Me, yes, as I was saying: sending great big chunks of grade-A top-nozzle button-your-blouse-and-zip-your-trousers granite-rock (yes’m and yessir, ain’t up to no tricks-and-gags as your everyday salesman of these now modern-times, hear now straight and even: plain as day is long and cows make milk, second-to-none and fresh-pulled from your bona-fide and your all-natural tors them very selves in the flesh, fresh today from the not-your-average-or-your-usual dime-a-dozen massif granite-rock—pink red or white, coarse- and medium-grades simply a matter of taste and locale! Shipped to you the boys in blue for our special- and previously-arranged, agreed-upon-by-all-parties price by the unit-pound for unit-pound or—for you the by-nature-prospectors, the all-or-nothing and aces talkdown-to-brass-tacks deal-cutters and business-doers, and the otherwise starry-eyed—considered broadly in grand-scheme schematics by the bushel or a whole crate-load) on a slow-chugging Steamboat down the Hudson River into the distant and much treasured bobcat-jungles of the Southern United States. That's right, ladies and boot-scuddlers: New York Harbor!

I stand now perpendicular to wide sky in the fixed and steady (up-to-date) daytime-hours; tide is high but securely withdrawing, and not a mist or mote of solid, standing cloud-coverage . . . as American-finch-tweets loft by degrees into the plain blue day.

Striped Bass

While walking along the East River near Stuyvesant Cove I noticed a large fish in the water. I took a closer look and saw a large striped bass that had been disfigured. While striped bass are often introduced into many areas for recreational purposes the Hudson River is a breeding ground for them. This fish is native to the east river as well, yet I found it suspicious that such a large animal would be so mutilated. I am assuming that the fish came into contact with a boat since it doesn’t seem likely that there would be a larger animal in the east river that would attack it.

Is it kelp?

It’s hard to believe that anything lives in the East River. When I jumped down onto the rocks (the bank) of the East River, I encountered a lot of styrofoam, plastic, nylon, food scraps, and a bunch of refuse that doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. But upon closer observation, I saw that life flourished in the East River! There were many small flying insects and although I did not see any fish, I can reason that the quality of the East River is not so far gone that it cannot harbor life. But one of the living things that I could recognize was “sea kelp”, large seaweeds that look like attached leaves of lettuce. The kelp were not immense in quantity but there was a good amount of kelp attached to the rocks at the bank of the East River. Sea Kelp is not grouped with aquatic  or land plants in classification, but are in either the kingdom Protista or Chromista.  Kelp likes to grow in aquatic forests mainly on the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to Canada and in shallow, cool, waters. The conditions they require for growth are usually rocky coastlines (hence seeing them on the East River), and nutrient-rich, waters that range from 42 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. They have “anchors” that they use to grip onto rock and proceed to grow towards the water surface. The strength of the rock really determines the kelp survival and the kelp can get easily swept away with a storm or other high activity. I think that the kelp I observed were “bull kelp”, which is a species that has one main anchor supporting its many blades nearer to the surface. Bull kelp has an annual life cycle meaning its complete its cycle only once a year. It is interesting to see kelp on the bank of the East River since they do not usually extend southward past Cape Cod on the east coast of North America and are found only sporadically on the eastern tip of Long Island. Could kelp spores have been on a ship coming into the harbor and somehow made there way into the ecosystem of the East River? Seems reasonable but then it makes me question if I was observing kelp and if not, what type of brown algae was this?

Lou

Raccoon stand-off

 It was around two in the morning when I turned up my street heading home. Trash day was the next day, and the street was decorated with endless piles of garbage bags, the aroma of which was not pleasing to me even in such a groggy state. In the distance, out of a garbage pile, a four-legged thing leapt out. At first I thought nothing of it, figured it was just one of the many 19^th st. cats that roam the block. I kept moving, heavy-footed, but the creature wouldn’t budge, its green glowing eyes fixed right on me. As I got closer I noticed it was much fatter than any cat, and saw a long, fluffy tail pointed straight – RACCOON! I stopped there, caught right in those bright green beams. I didn’t move, he didn’t move – for about 30 seconds. Did it just hiss at me? (at least I thought it did, could’ve been making that up though). I couldn’t tell if the bastard was frothing at the mouth, but I wasn’t going to take my chances. It slinked away eventually, so I kept moving, slowly, cautiously.

Nat

bike ride

i went for a bike ride and found this mute swan . it was floating around in Tibbetts brook park. this swan was a bully to the smaller geese. i saw it there before i think it could be domesticated because i never see it fly nor with any one else so maybe the park department put him there and cut his flight feathers for the season. 

i have a video i hope this uploads every time i try blogger just crashes.
this was fun i like playing Steve Irwin in new york. 

As far as animal sightings go around Newtown Creek, one would be best positioned if one was nearest the mouth, as crabs, fish, oysters, and a variety of birds are present there. I hang out towards the end of the creek though, so my opportunities for observing visible fauna are somewhat limited by the environmental conditions preventing substantial species population growth.

There was a visible population of what I believe to be ring-billed gulls inhabiting this area, identifiable from a thin black ring coloring around the bill. Most of them were standing on a wooden structure jutting out from underneath the Grand Street Bridge. At any one time between 4 and 5pm there were no more than seven, but no less than three gulls on this large construction, all of them solitary and facing the sun. The birds would occasionally open their wings in a stretching motion, but would generally stay still. Intermittent shrieks were heard, but I couldn’t discern a pattern or cause of such. I only saw one ripple in the creek that betrayed the presence of larger fish, but the gulls seemed to be surveying the water nonetheless. When they chose to fly away from the perch, the almost invariably flew further south down the creek to a location around the bend. There was dried bird excrement on the ledge I was sitting, and I did spy some gulls standing on the tops of wooden poles, but the wooden structure (which I realized was part of an entrenchment for the rotating pivot pin of the swing bridge) seemed to be the main point of avian congregation. I can only surmise that these gulls were using the structure as a resting point before pressing onwards to a further location. The fact that there wasn't even any edible garbage around this industrial area puzzled me. 

Bamboo!

Yesterday morning, I was rushing to get to Duane Reade.  It was raining and I didn't have an umbrella so I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings.  But, as I was walking under the Metro North tracks and 104th and Park, I noticed that there was vegetation growing from the stone walls of the elevated railroad.  I took a closer look and noticed it was bamboo.  I found it fascinating and somewhat hilarious that bamboo and other plants could thrive on a stone wall.  I know bamboo grows quickly and plan to keep my eye on the plant as it continues to grow. 

NYCDEP Commissioner to Meet with Public about the Gowanus Canal Clean-up

*NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Commissioner to Meet
with the Public about the Clean-up of the Gowanus Canal*

** **

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, NYCDEP Commissioner Carter Strickland and staff will
meet with the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) at its monthly
meeting from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at PS 58, 330 Smith Street.  The meeting
is open to all members of the public.****

** **

Commissioner Strickland and his staff will be presenting the latest
information about NYCDEP’s role in cleaning up the canal, including reducing
or eliminating sewage overflows.  ****

** **

As a result of years of discharges, storm water runoff, sewer outflows and
industrial pollutants, the Gowanus Canal has become one of the nation's most
extensively contaminated water bodies. Contaminants include PCBs, coal tar
wastes, heavy metals and volatile organics. The contamination poses a threat
to the nearby residents who use the canal for fishing and recreation.****

** **

On March 2, 2010, USEPA added the Gowanus Canal to the Agency’s Superfund
National Priorities List (NPL), allowing the Agency to further investigate
contamination at the site and develop an approach to address the
contamination. ****

** **

--Jeff Edelstein****

Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Facilitator****

(207) 632-8440****

links o' the day

hell gate mix:

http://windagainstcurrent.com/2011/09/09/irene-and-lee-have-left-quite-a-mess-in-new-york-harbor/

flooding photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109559470569812944573/IreneFloodingHudsonRiverWatershed

hudson river almanac:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html

great lakes ballast water standards:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/129743498.html

gowanus by design:

www.gowanusbydesign.com

Long Island Sound

It was early. The sun had yet to shape the eastern sky, but night was casually receding from the heavens. A pale blue light began to fill up the empty spaces. The whiskey and coffee in my gut kept me awake. Justin sat staring listlessly out the window, his eyes focused on the indistinct horizon.

“Where did you say we were headed?”

“Sachem’s head.”

“Where the hell is that?”

“Its just below Guilford, along the sound.”

“Ahhh, sounds good.”

We retained the silence until I began navigating the narrow coastal roads that provided the local neighborhoods with their “beach” access. We rolled our windows down, and the smell of low tide slipped into the truck cab. Private roads slid along the intertidal flats, and were walled off by ramshackle chain-link fences. No trespassing signs decorated the walls that divided the casual observer and the homeowner.

We came to a boat launch and I pulled the truck down to the tide line. In the east the sun had begun to pour gold onto everything. I shivered; it was colder than I had imagined it would be.

“Hey Justin, wanna swim?”

“Hell no dude, this water looks gross.”

I looked out across the water and took in the surround. What made this place gross? Was it our own preconceptions that the Sound was still a fetid pool of pollution? Or was it that it was an injured organism trying to survive, and we would be swimming in the wound?

Switchgrass danced along the shore in the morning wind, providing the steep, clay, banks that ran up to the road with some degree of stability. Erosion was occurring beneath the roots, but someone had brought gravel and stone blocks in to support the asphalt roads. This stunted the growth of the shore grasses and shrubs, and provided an unusual habitat where brackish wetlands would have once dominated the small estuaries that poked their fingers into the Sound.

Out on the flats, the water shimmered with mineral and petroleum waste, little man made rainbows. Small periwinkles filled the puddles. An invasive species, they feed exclusively on algae. The abundance of snails meant the algae level had to be high in the region.

“Is this still as polluted as it once was?”

“Not as much anymore…but it still struggles.”

I looked out into the water and imagined what it would have looked like in the summer of 1987, when oxygen levels dropped to record lows all over the western part of the sound. I pictured the algae bloom that covered they area from Rye, NY to Bridgeport, CT. It all decomposed at once and created the largest recorded area of hypoxia in United States history.

No oxygen in the water meant that everything died, almost instantly.

And here, on the Sound this morning I watched as gulls descended on the once dead water, and pulled out mussels and periwinkles. I looked over at Justin.

“The Sound is rebuilding itself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, we just have to give it time.”

**Most of the info from this piece was pulled from first hand observation and from reading; This Fine Piece of Water, by Tom Anderson. Tom Anderson is a journalist and environmental activist. His book has provided us with a historical and ecological look at what man has done to the Sound, and the steps we are now following to fix our errors. In 1987, Barbara Welsh was the lead scientist on a research vessel that was doing routine tests on saltiness, water clarity and oxygen levels. In July she discovered a band of algae that covered nearly the entire western third of the Sound. On July 28^th the algae died, and began to decompose rapidly. In the center of the band, oxygen levels dropped to 0.000 milligrams of oxygen per liter. This created a mass execution of almost all the living organisms within the band. Lobsters died in the pots, fish in the nets, and the smell was horrifying. Over the past 24 years, through policy making, and renewed confidence in the Sound, man has let the Sound rebuild itself. People have begun viewing it as a place where they can swim and fish again, but with this new mentality comes a new responsibility, we can never take for granted the very ecosystem we are a part of.

To The East

            The East River has a rich ecological history that is often overshadowed by the abuse, misuse and degradation that it has suffered throughout industrialization. Commonly known as a “river”, the East River is actually a tidal straight that separates Manhattan and Long Island. The retreat of the Washington glacier 11,000 years ago and the merging of the Atlantic Ocean first created the river. Swirling tides and the narrow channels of the river plagued sailors throughout history and a Dutch explorer, Adrian Block in 1614 gave name to a dangerous midway point in the River, known as “Helegat” (Hell’s Gate), or bright passage. Hell’s Gate was a point of dangerous rocks and subsequent whirlpools where countless ships lie in ruin at the bottom of the river. In 1885, the largest non-atomic explosion caused by man rid the river of the reefs of Hell Gate but the swift currents still made many problems for traveling. 

Many communities along the shores of the East River sprouted early due to its great location in relation to New York’s harbors and the rest of the world. The river sheltered and fostered industries that spread American commerce all over the world and became a major site for immigration into New York. But the river has throughout history been a site of abundant source of life and environmental interactions. Native Americans fished extensively in the river, as well as sustained cultures through a vast network of trading extending all the way to the Carribean. European settlers and cattle used the river ceremoniously and the tidal energy through the marshes turned mills on Dutch colonial farms. It is almost hard to imagine this idyllic place in relation to the state of the river today, from the heavy polluting of industrial waste to unrestricted dumping that continues to plague this tidal straight. 

There are many islands that line the East River, and these islands have been important sites of “out of sight, out of mind” mentalities that exist in the city. They have been used as such due to the rivers intrinsic tidal current that can “sweep” these unwanted conditions and people away from society. Riker’s Island, located between Bronx and Queens, was purchased in 1884 and was originally a landfill. Currently it is the Department of Corrections main base of operation. North Brother Island housed “Typhoid Mary Mallon”, who was instituted on the island until death to prevent the outbreak of her disease into society. Blackwell’s Island, known now as Roosevelt Island, held a smallpox hospital, a prison, and housed one of the biggest Insane Asylum’s in New York, which held double its carrying capacity in inmates. 

Hell Gate being blasted in October, 1885

Gowanus

The Gowanus neighborhood, originally a marshy tidal inlet, is extremely affected by the manmade canal that was once a creek. In 1849, the canal was built as a result of minimal dock space in Manhattan. In the late 1800’s gas and oil plants started popping up around the canal, which led to constant pollution and raw sewage in the soil and water (pretty much up until today). The BQE, built directly above the canal, also adds to the pollution what with its oil runoff. In the 1950’s Red Hook and Carroll Gradens was a heavily mob-run territory, and many bodies were dumped in the Gowanus canal.

Today Gowanus residents are growing more concerned about the state of the canal and the health risks it can cause. The mosquitoes are horrible around there, and “hurt more” (according to one Gowanus dweller). Bloomberg, developers, and the GCCDC refute the idea of the superfund, saying that cleaning the area would be a swifter process if private investors developed and swanked up the neighborhood. However, the EPA received a record number of signatures for a petition for the superfund (even though a petition isn’t necessarily needed to enact a superfund).

During the hurricane, our friends living close to the canal had to evacuate their apartment. We, too, were concerned and went to higher ground, seeking refuge on 22^nd st and 7^th ave in park slope. Although we don’t live directly on the canal, we recognize the issues and problems that face the residents of Gowanus, and we also feel the sense of community that has been built around it.

http://www.gowanuscanal.org/

http://www.gowanusyourfaceoff.com/?p=3603

http://gowanus.org/gccdc/

Nat/Hardy

East River at 110th street

Yesterday I followed the path of the creek that would have been right outside my door in 1609.  I eventually came upon the East River at 110th street.  This photo is the view from the bridge that crosses the FDR East River Dr.  at Jefferson park.

Once I got down from the bridge, I was overwhelmed by an unpleasant smell.  The water was a brownish color, I spotted several plastic bags, bottles and other pieces of trash floating around.  The water seemed to be the source of the smell I mentioned earlier.  The park along the river consisted of joggers, bikers, etc. 

After reading the article that I posted the link to yesterday, I thought a lot about the conditions of the water these days and how pollution limits the amount of water activities.  I was surprised to see a jet skier on the East River given the stench that was coming from it.

Minetta

Minetta Brook is seemingly one of the most celebrated buried waterways in Manhattan. Beginning above Washington Square Park, Minetta Brook exited into the Hudson River below W Houston St. Unlike many of the other creeks, remnants of Minetta are easy to find. At the intersection of 6th Ave and Bleeker St sits Father Demo Square. The water used for the fountain is not from Minetta Brook but it acts as a symbol of what used to be. Across the busy avenue is Minetta Green. Again, this site is simply a commemorative space. Just above this little garden is Minetta Lane which branches out into Minetta St, a block that seems to suggests the path Minetta Brook once followed.
I wonder what affects these buried waterways have on this modern city. Are they still around, showing themselves in the form of puddles formed by poor drainage? Where the city's waste water systems based off of the routes they once took?

Newtown Creek at the Grand Street Bridge

The bridge traverses part of the southernmost stretch of Newtown Creek on the eastern branch after it splits, and is located in an Industrial Business Zone. Busses, trucks, cargo vans, and other automobiles lumbered across the old swing bridge all the time; the 108 year-old bridge is an important thoroughfare for workers in the various warehouses and storage facilities of the area. Every 2-5 minutes a large passenger jet burgeoned overhead to its destination of LaGuardia airport, flying low enough to distinctly recognize the airline logos. The exhaust from all these vehicles, coupled with the various industrial smells of the surrounding businesses, made the air nauseating and acrid.                                                                                           I had walked along earlier stretches of the creek to get to this particular spot, and what immediately struck me about this body of water was the perpetual rising of bubbles to the surface. The whole creek looked as if it was being rained on, or it was carbonated like a soda because of the many thousands of ripples caused by popping bubbles. I learned from the Newtown Creek Alliance website that these bubbles were the result of a combination of an increase in hydrogen sulfide and a lack of oxygen in the water. the phenomenon primarily happens in the English Kills section of Newtown Creek, dissipating the further one travels away from Brooklyn. Hydrogen sulfide is released as a byproduct of industrial processes such as petroleum refining, paper product manufacturing, and leather processing, all of said industries at one time prevalent on the shores of Newtown Creek. It also has a distinctive smell of rotten eggs. Newtown Creek is a stagnant estuary with no current, so the stench of chemical reactions in the water compounded the malodorous mixture of scent caused by the automobile traffic. The water itself was extremely murky and blackish-brown in color, with various bits of waste suspended in the turbid creek. I must say, it was an unpleasant experience to just sit and observe this portion of the waterway.

 

Ian Garcia's super quest!!!!!

This is a view of the Bronx River from a bridge.  This walk through the park was super cool!  But I kept getting attacked by bugs so alot of my pictures are rushed because I'm fighting something off of me.  But I loved it despite the swarms of insects, it's a cool way to get from one end to the other.

This is sand that seemed to come out of nowhere.  I think it's from when the river overflowed after the hurricane and this was the new bottom of the river.  Plants were also covered in sand from the river so this was really deep.  The park is still healing from the hurricane and it shows.  I think most of the mosquitoes were probably born in deep still puddles that peppered the park.

    

This photo was taken from underneath a highway.  After reading the park's idea for restoration, I thought it would be hard to get this river clean with a highway right above.  The amount of garbage in this river is saddening but the Bronx is a really weird place.  For example, after I walked down here there was a fire pit and someone walked away from the lit fire, not even thinking to put it out.  That's a regular day here.  I got a video of it but the pictures took long enough to upload.  The speed of the current here was crazy too, watching the garbage zoom by like cars on a freeway felt very unnatural and alienating

Water Quality in the East River

The waterway closest to me is the East River. Due to high levels of Phosphorous and Nitrogen in the water, caused by agricultural runoff and wastewater flowing into the river, there has been a loss in sea grass, increased levels of sediment, fish kills, along with many other ecological problems. However, with the institution of the 1972 Clean Water Act, the water quality of the East River has increased. Prior to the act the dissolved oxygen level in the water was very low, leading to the death of many species unable to survive with such little oxygen. However, the level of oxygen in the water is increasing, providing a more sustainable habitat for species. Additionally, there has been a decrease in fecal coliform in the water since dumping raw sewage into the river has been stopped. Despite these changes the species living in the East River are not typical. The presence of anchovy, striped bass, and Atlantic herring is unusual for this area since they are more commonly found in open coastal waters, yet they are in abundance in the east river. Researchers from the Hudson River Park predict that these organisms are present because the shoreline has been altered, destroying the typical habitat that supports creatures which normally dwell in estuary shorelines. Currently, plans are underway to develop a tidal power plant using the strong currents in the east river. The 30 turbines that will be placed in the water are predicted to have very little impact on the aquatic life and provide a more predictable alternative to wind or solar power.

I came across this while trying to find some info on the Harlem Creek.

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles11/new-york-history-18.shtml

There are a few other interesting articles in the right hand panel!

response to first prompt

In 1609 Bushwick Brooklyn was a region with no more Western development than it having a name. Recognized by Dutch settler Peter Stuyvesant in 1661 as Boswijck, meaning heavy woods, my area probably lived up to the label as a densely forested region. I doubt New York natives had traversed the space apart from an occasional hunting foray, and my specific city block can be assumed to have taken shape two centuries after Stuyvesant's land annexation. 

My rudimentary knowledge of trees and climate tell me that perhaps oak grew here. It appears to be a populous tree on the island of Manhattan according to the Welikia Project, so I assume soil composition didn't vary enough between there and Bushwick to inhibit oak growth. Newtown Creek drained a section of Bushwick nearby where I live now, the tidal body of water serving as an ecosystem boundary and edge for some varieties of fauna. Heavy rains would swell Newtown Creek and provide a fertile place for all manner of plant species, negating the acidic soil caused by oak tree growth. 

Stuyvesant

In 1609, the area on 15^th street between 1^st and 2^nd avenues looked very different. While there are still creatures roaming around, they are rats and cockroaches as opposed to the white-footed mice, beavers, wood ducks and red tailed hawks that were previously in abundance. These animals lived in the tulip tree forest growing on the stratified drift ground surface.   Although the Lenape most likely did not reside in this area, they used it for gathering the Mayapple, summer grape, and the oneseed burr cucumber. The nearest Lenape encampment was around 1700 meters away from here. It is intriguing to see what this area has become considering that around 400 years ago it was not considered very suitable for living.

links

irene aftermath:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2011/h2011_Irene.html

hudson turns red:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/the-hudson-is-red-but-its-probably-not-a-sign-to-repent/

fracking hearings:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/new-york-state-outlines-fracking-rules/?ref=nyregion

hudson's third voyage:
http://www.clccharter.org/donna/ocean%20exploration/henry%20hudson/map_last2_voyages.jpg

Barrels of Oysters !

There's an empty lot next door where the figs grow. There's the abandoned house with square shutters and the stray cats that loft signals into night's starless dome. There's the old heads up on 16th who tell time by seasons and think life--well--that life's been fair enough. To think ! it might've been me growing tobacco on this land, or selling the oysters . . . the very oysters we shipped by the barrel back to Europe. By the barrel . . . O to dream.

hardy

so they left out the bronx

when i looked to see my neighborhood it was just a green shade over the existing map. maybe the Bronx hasn't changed in 400 years but i doubt it. i did some research on my neighborhood on this web site
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/X033/highlights/8778

 it says “Mosholu” is an Algonquin name meaning “smooth stones” or “small stones” for the nearby creek now known as Tibbett’s Brook. The southern end of the parkway was once home to another creek, running under what is now Middlebrook Road, which supplied water to a British fort located on old Van Cortlandt Avenue East during the Revolutionary War."

the Bronx river is near me and i never knew the existence of  any of these creeks also i haven't found many smooth stones but i will be on the look out now.

ian garcia

Back in the Day

East 5th St. is a beautiful block by todays standards. There are relatively young, mature Oaks and Maples about every 10 or so feet and the local east side community organizations do an excellent job keeping these trees in tact. Adding to a sense of a quiet, well kept environment, the block is primarily residential with a couple businesses located at the ground floor. But in 1609, this block would have been completely unsustainable to human habitat and its inhabitants would have belonged to very diverse communities. Virginia Creepers, Strawberry Bushes, Red Maples, Black Cherries,  Limber Honeysuckles, Oaks, and Tulip trees dominated the regions flora. Black Bears, White-tailed Deer, Brown Snakes, and Meadow Voles most likely roamed the streets in abundance. There were no trails near the area and the distance to the nearest Native encampment was about 1500 meters leading me to believe that this area was a region rich in biodiversity and accessible mainly to the life supporting the ecosystem. Although plants and animals were the primary occupants, with fruit bearing species like Blackgum, Chokeberry, Summer Grapes, and Honeysuckle populating the area, I believe this block would have been a great place for gathering and was probably used as such.

Lou

Gowanus/Park Slope area c. 1609

Before Dutch colonization of Brooklyn, the Lenape and Canarsee Native Americans inhabited the land, which was mostly a rolling green landscape with abundant wildlife. The neighborhood’s original name, Gowanes Creek – named after Chief Gowane of the local Canarsee tribe – was an inlet of small creeks in the saltwater marshland of south Brooklyn. In 1636 Gowanus was made into one of the first Brooklyn hamlets, extending back then to Sunset Park (which encompasses where I live now, 19^th st. and 5^th ave.). Dutch settlers would fish for large oysters and send them back to Europe, which became Brooklyn’s first export. Weird to think of this “creek” as anything other than the polluted canal it is today.

The sun cuts through the mist slowly. Its early autumn, and the marine layer is thin this morning. The tide pulls the water away from the shore, and leaves short stretches of tidal flats whose slick surfaces reflect the rising sun. Along the banks plovers skitter in search of food, their warbles cut through the mist. The fog dissipates, and the air warms. A slight breeze stirs the marsh grasses, a whisper from the river. The salt marsh follows a little inlet toward shore, where its low, coarse soil meets high grasses and marine border shrubs. The maples and oaks have just begun to lose their summer green in exchange for the tapestry of October. This is the block between 101^st and 102^nd street along 1^st avenue as it is presumed to have been 400 years ago. Today there are housing projects and fast food joints over the land that was once a salt marsh along the East River, and many, if not all the native plants and animals no longer grow in this concrete garden.

Ian

I currently live in the East Harlem area, 103rd and Lexington.  I really like the neighborhood and find it a fun place to live, I'm a few blocks away from Central Park, the Conservatory Gardens, and Museo del Barrio.  After exploring the Welikia map, I found that in 1609 my block consisted an oak forest.  Some of the animals that inhabited the area were flying squirrels, hawks, wild turkey and a small probability of black bears.  The area was 9-10 feet above sea level.  The block south of me consisted of a creek/salt water marsh.  There was also a creek at the block north of my street.  I'm curious about what happened to these bodies of water.  

Mattie