LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

     On the sixth day of the twelfth month of the two-thousandth and eight year of the Common Era (19 days until Christmas ’08!) I went to Brooklyn for an event titled “Winter Survival Lessons.” It was hosted at Prospect Park and the listing advertised: “Bring your love of nature as the Rangers reveal the astonishing winter adaptations that resident animals use to survive the frigid temperatures. You'll also learn how to identify animal tracks in snow and mud.” Naturally, on an adventure of this magnitude I had to bring my trusty colleague, Amanda Sakuma. We met at the “space ship” in Union Square to begin our journey:

     Amanda and I had some second thoughts about attending this event after we succesfully tracked two furry creatures within five minutes of meeting:

     Nevertheless we continued into the wilderness and within a few minutes of trekking had arrived in Brooklyn. Using advanced navigational techniques, Amanda was able to triangulate Wollman Skating Rink and guide us there. After we questioned the attendants of the rink, we began to think that this event may not be happening but alas, a helpful park ranger came to our service and informed us that the event was indeed happening and that the ranger in charge was outside.      Adrenaline pumping, Sakuma and I were introduced to our guide for the day, Marissa. Then Marissa introduced us to what we had been hoping for the whole train ride, a bunch of little kids! Horay!

(Covert Picture Taken Without Any Chaperones Knowing)
     So yeah, one could say this event’s “tone” may have been: education for the general public; and by general public I mean children.
     After all the kinder found pencils so they could pretend to write in their notebooks, we were off. Marissa explained our route for the day, which was: a walk up Breeze hill, down around the lake and then back. She prefaced the event with a few questions about how animals survived in the winter. The three methods were:
     1. Movement and Migration
     2. Hibernation
     3. “Toughing it out”
     With the heavenly tunes of James Blunt at our back, we walked past the outdoor skating rink and proceeded up Breeze Hill. Marissa spoke about what different animals did in the winter then we looked around to see what flora and fauna surrounded us. She asked us to draw a picture of something we saw around us; Amanda and I did this while the kids fought over a bag of Doritos. While looking for inspiration we saw:
     Some type of four-legged creature I believe the natives call a Squirrel:

     And I think this a Phoenix:

     After that we had a young MacArthur Fellowship candidate ask this question, “Why do bears hibernate even thought they have all that fur?” Pleasantly surprised by this question, Marissa explained how there are different degrees of hibernation and that some scientists question how bears really do hibernate. I followed up with a few questions, the first about what appeared to be trash on the lake:

     As it turns out, this is not trash but actually items placed there by park officials to keep plants from growing too far into the pond and essentially turning it into a field. Then I asked if there were any invasive species in the park and there was actually one right next to us. It was called Mugwort and was brought by the Dutch to bitter their beer. Marissa drinks wine:

     Then we went to the bird feeders and saw a few more birds but the entertaining part about this was the discussion. While looking at the birds Marissa thought one of the kids was asking if there were any city birds there and she started answering only to be corrected and told that he wanted to know if there were any silly birds at the feeders… she dropped the subject. After this, some of the little girls decided that they would race to an undisclosed location; one tripped and fell – not a survival skill.      Back to the topic of winter survival, Marissa spoke about how Killer Whales survived in the winter. She said that because of their fatness and roundness they could stay warm. I still don’t understand the round part… Then she explained that the body loses heat 25% faster in water.      After this we stood around and looked at the geese for a while. Amanda likes geese for reasons beyond me:

     We walked around for a bit more, stared at ice with the little kids, then made our way back to base camp.
     This type of event was definitely new to me. I learned some facts about New York State’s wildlife and more specifically, those that can live in a semi-urban environment. As far as interests, I think I became more appreciative of where I grew up because my field trips were substantially cooler in Massachusetts. This event was definitely valuable to the community. The kids had fun and learned a lot while Amanda and I had a good time watching them. This event absolutely had a positive impact on the environment; teaching kids the value of nature at an early age is, I think, one of the most important things someone can do, in light of modern environmentalism or not.
     Now, for the gripes. I did not really learn any methods of survival aside from getting really fat. And, tracks were not mentioned once. Therefore Amanda and I had to do our own reconnaissance to advance our edification.
     Here is Amanda foraging. Facebook!

     Then we went on our own mission trying to track some more creatures. We found some duck prints and some signs of humans (yep, that’s double entendre son.)

     After finding these signs we successfully tracked a few Homo Sapiens quite successfully.

     When we returned from our journey into the wilderness that is Brooklyn I ruminated on my experience and came to the conclusion that I did enjoy it. Amanda and I learned a bit about nature, laughed at little kids, and learned to track humans. Most importantly, we had fun, and that is the prime function of all parks. So yes, it was worthwhile but sadly, I would die in the wild.

-Craig Cannon