OIL..

OIL..A Stupid war for oil.
A husband deployed 3 times to chase someone else treasures.
OIL in the Ocean, tears my insides up.

This IS WHAT I AM AFRAID MOST,
For MOST OF MY LIFE I'VE HAD THIS WORRY.
I ENJOY MOMMA OCEAN IMMENSELY.
I WOULD DIE WITHOUT HER,
AS WELL AS
ALL of YOU.
PLEASE WATCH Video Link:

What Possibilities Does The Hudson River Hold?

 As I learn more about the natural environment surrounding me and the ways in which people contribute to this environment, be it good or bad, I am just beginning to understand the social, political and physical importance of water. Although it may not seem that important at first glance, waste water management has a huge, if not the biggest, impact on the environment. When we flush the toilet, turn on the faucet, do laundry or take a shower, all of that water ends up in the waste water facility. How is this water treated? What happens after the water is treated? Where does it go afterward? What effects does this water have on the environment? These are all questions with answers. But the question I would like answered is, what could the Hudson River look like? What kinds of ecologies might exist if millions of gallons of treated waste water didn't flow into it? Perhaps the bay would be full of oysters, like so many environmentalists dream of. Maybe the population of fish would triple and the Hudson's fishermen could once again make a living off of the river. There are any number of possibilities.

Further more, what alternate modes of waste water disposal could we use-- not only so that ecosystems are not compromised but, in ways that may also enrich our lives?

Water has the power to determine human abilities.Through feats of engineering humans have been able to harness the natural resources to their benefit. We have seen this in the construction of the Croton Aqueduct, who's water allowed Manhattan to expand. Now, it is becoming increasingly obvious that humans can limit the abilities of the natural environment.

What Worries Me

I had the privilege a couple of nights ago to hear Thomas Elmqvist speak. He talked about ecosystem services and cost-benefit analysis of restoring and maintaining greenspace specifically in Urban areas. One of the areas he touched upon was Wetland Restoration. I grew up exploring the rivers and swamps and marshes of Northwestern CT. Wetlands are something incredibly dear to me, and I guess my concern would be for the identification, protection and restoration of New York City's wetland areas. I was reading the PLANYC report on wetland areas in and around the metropolitan area, and it stated that wetlands under certain amount of acreage are not protected under federal protection iniatives. According to the report, PLANYC was about to start mapping those areas in 2008 when the iniative was started. My question would be, where is this iniative now? What steps have been made to protect existing wetland areas, of all sizes? Also, work is being done to restore areas like the Fresh Kills Landfill and areas of the Meadowlands, but those are major impact areas, what about smaller, equally important areas? I'm reminded of the swampy contaminated areas around the Staten Island Container Port, what about areas like that?

AHHH, its enough to make a fella go CRAZY!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2009/pr050-09.pdf

http://www.harborestuary.org/pdf/HabitatSiteList.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Kills_Landfill

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5120.html

http://soilandwater.bee.cornell.edu/publications/MontaltoW04.pdf

Native New York Plants

Hudson River Water-Nymph (Najas guadalupensis ssp. muenscheri), endemic endangered species  

I am interested in the conservation of native plants populations within the New York area that are essential to the preservation of these self-sustaining ecosystems. Native plants populations are where adaptations to soil, insects, climate, and disease occur, but with urbanization, they become spatially isolated and may not be able to disseminate pollen.  The Greenbelt Native Plant Center in Staten Island (part of the NYC Parks Dept.), has been developing initiatives in native plant restoration with locally appointed seed-banks, providing education and assistance in planning and planting, as well as offering services and resources such as workshops, to enable more public awareness and participation. I would like to find a specific native plant in my research (with the help of the Greenbelt Center and their Native Plant Conservation Initiative) that may be rare or endangered due to their low numbers of individuals and populations. I hope to find qualities in a certain plant that will lend way to restoration in local populations and remediate some of the effects of pollution on biodiversity and self-sustaining populations.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_divisions/gnpc/index.html

so what i'm worrid about

the NYC sewer system i did some research and i want to know the dangers of sewage and what happens to all the poop. where does it go and why? but looking i found alot of resources and people really concerned for there poop. here is a little thing i found
http://nyconvergence.com/2008/08/nycs-dep-digiti.html

but this is really interesting it shows what i'm assuming are the sewer sheds

http://swimmablenyc.info/?page_id=191

so 14 treatment centers in the city and i never knew, so this is what im worried about

The Water Chestnut

This ecosystem-altering plant is a prime example of a species which was brought to the Hudson estuary under innoccent circumstance. The water chestnut is a native of Eurasia, and was introduced in the United States as a decorative and ornamental plant, much like Japanese knotweed in terrestrial ecosystems. Its appearance in the US can be traced as far back as 1874 when a Harvard botany professor entered it in his catalogue. It is a rapidly reproducing and stifling plant, particularly abundant in freshwater sections of the Hudson. The water chestnut prefers slow moving water, which is abundant along the heavily jettied and developed Hudson shoreline. It experiences peak growth n the summer, from mid-July thru mid-September.
The primary cause for concern regarding the water chestnut is its penchant for significantly lowering the Dissolved Oxygen content of the waters in inhabits, which severely limits biodiversity and overall biological productivity. This is attributable to both its high reproductive rate and its actual structure. Large portions of the water chestnut's plant body is above the water surface, so the large populations end up forming canopies and blocking sunlight. The few submerged leaves aren't able to continue photosynthesis, which means oxygen production ceases and DO content of the particular water column declines. Water chestnut incursion on the tidal Hudson River is especially dangerous because during the ebb water underneath these enormous plant mats may become nearly anoxic, even more stressful to native species. It presents a hazard to recreational boaters due to the thickness of water chestnut beds and the potential for propellor jamming. Removal and prevention is time-consuming and difficulet, with work having to be done mostly by hand because of chemical ineffectiveness.

Queen Mary 2

As far as working ships on the Hudson go, I feel this is undoubtedly one of the largest ever. While technically not the biggest cruise ship in the world, it is the biggest ocean liner. It has a capacity of 2,620 passengers and 1, 254 crew members, and cost an approximate 900 million dollars to construct. It boasts the distinction of having the only planetarium at sea, and is complete with 14 decks, 5 pools, dining rooms, theatres, and other spaces befitting a luxury cruise liner. It runs regular passage between New York and Southampton, England. It is 1131 feet long, making it just 117 feet shorter that the height of the Empire State Building. The ship was designed to bear likeness with previous Cunard ships of the "Gilded Age" of sea travel, however the QM2's funnel had to stray from the older style's height due to the lack of clearance under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at high tide. It is the flagship of the Cunard line, which began transatlantic crossings in 1840 with its first ship Brittania. The concept of transatlantic travel became an arena for competition amongst shipbuilders from the US, UK, France, Italy, and other nations to make the journey to New York in the fastest time with the grandest passenger vessels.