LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

The Bronx zoo is one of the few places that I remember fondly since childhood. Any school that was remotely close to the New York Metropolitan area was probably given the opportunity to visit this spectacular natural preserve. So given the chance to do an event blog on this amazing zoo, I jumped at the prospect. On Saturday October 4th, I took the 5 train to East 180th Street and then walked 15 minutes to the zoo itself. The admission itself was inexpensive, priced at thirteen dollars; however I should’ve went on a Wednesday when admission is free. Upon entering the zoo, the scenery was simply breathtaking. The wooded walkways ranged from paths to large roads carrying hefty traffic.

The zoo is separated into multitude of main attractions including the African Plains, Congo Gorilla Forest, JungleWorld, Madagascar, and Tiger Mountain, Baboon Reserve, and the Himalayan Highlands.

The Congo is a 6.5 acre recreation of the heart of Africa rainforest. This area is home to hogs, monkeys, gorillas, and numerous other species ranging from amphibian life to different types of birds. However, in order to get in, fee is charged on entry. But the I was given the opportunity to select a conservation project to which that money will be donated to. In addition to attempting to conserve nature’s wildlife, educational videos are also shown to warn the visitors about the damage to the environment.

One of the most interesting features of the Bronx Zoo is the Wild Asia Monorail. This guide tour/ride let you easily spot animals. In addition, the monorail would slow down when a herd roaming animals come into view. Some of the animals spotted were deer, antelope, and different types of cattle.

One of my favorite exhibits is probably the African plains. This area is home to zebras lions, cheetahs, giraffes, and African dingo’s. However, some of the animals were disappointing to watch. Lions were inactive for long periods of time before even twitching in its sleeps. The visitor may feel like the animals are living in the same exhibit, but they are actually separated by rivers that they cannot cross in this African Plains exhibit. Along this trail, there are so many opportunities to capture pictures of many dangerous and harmless mammals appearing in a safe distance. African Plains is not open all year round; it is one of the seasonal exhibits in Bronx Zoo. I was lucky that they didn’t close it in October.

The three acre Tiger Mountain is a enclosed habitat with six Siberian tigers who are kept behind a thick glass cage. Inside is a large pool where the tiger can bath or play or even drink. Inside the cage is also a scratching post and balls on a chain for the tiger's enjoyment. One negative aspect regarding Tiger Mountain is the fact that there is a smell coming from the mountain. This may be artificial stench that is sprayed to make the tigers not feel alienated. Tiger Mountain is created to be exactly like the environment of Asia where the tigers can feel at home. If I didn't know that the tigers were captive, I would've believed that I'm actually in Asia!

Overall the trip to the Bronx Zoo was a very interest and exciting one. It was well worth the $15 admission and my four hours spent there. This trip taught me much about nature and how it’s important to conserve nature’s treasures while we still have it. In addition, it offered me the opportunity to upload photos onto facebook.

On Friday, November 21st, 2008, I went to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. I visited a few different exhibits, including an exhibit called Our Hudson Home. This exhibit is sponsored by a couple of organizations, including NASA, Port Authority, the Victoria Foundation, the New York Shipping Association, and the Charles Hayden Foundation. Our Hudson Home is an educational exhibit for the public on the wildlife and biomes of the Hudson River Estuary, and how they have developed over time. The exhibit also addresses how this environment must be maintained for the Hudson River to continue to remain a suitable environment for everyone.
The New York-New Jersey Harbor, where the Hudson River Estuary begins, includes the Upper New York Bay, Lower New York Bay, Newark Bay, and the mouth of the Hudson River. The harbor is surrounded by Jersey City, Bayonne, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. It is shared by wildlife and humans alike. The Hudson River supports several different species of fish and birds, as well as sailing vessels and port activities. It has created different types of wetlands in the area, including marshes, swamps, tidal flats and shoals. Most importantly, though, the Hudson River is a perfect example of how one body of water creates several different types of habitats and niches for many diverse species to live in, and why it is crucial to preserve these places.
One aspect of the exhibit that I found very interesting was the oyster restoration that is happening in the Hudson River Estuary. This restoration is being conducted by the River Project. There used to be oyster reeds in the Hudson River, but since the early 1900s they’ve declined, and now the city is working again to see if oyster reefs could be restored. Oysters are very beneficial to the bodies of water they live in. They naturally purify the water, removing sediments, improving the clarity and making it easier for deeper plants to receive sunlight through the water, which benefits the fish as the plants are producing dissolved oxygen. Oyster reefs also create habitats as well as food for other species. The oysters have already begun to clear the waters of the Hudson River, and it is believed that if the oyster reefs return to the numbers they used to be at, the water quality of the Hudson River could rise very fast. However, it is still questionable whether such a large number of oysters will be able to adjust to the Hudson River habitat after almost one hundred years and recreate the reefs that previously existed. The River Project can only encourage the growth of the wild oyster population so much; at a certain point, there is nothing more we can do to encourage their growth. I thought this portion of the exhibit was very important. This is a natural way to improve water quality that doesn’t pollute our environment even more. It could also benefit the other wildlife in several different ways. I think it is important that we search for natural solutions to resolve environmental issues. Sometimes it is better that we don’t create something that can solve the problem, but search for something that might already be a part of nature.
The part of the exhibit that addressed the wetlands was also very educational for me. Wetlands have a pretty significant effect on the environment that I was not previously aware of. Many people believe that wetlands are one of the less useful biomes, and so they are often built over or filled in. I live in a town that is full of marshes and swamplands, and before I visited this exhibit I don’t think I realized how important they are to the environment. Wetlands support a diverse wildlife, remove pollutants from water, protect cities and farms, and shelter and feed migrating species. Wetlands house many unique plants that cannot grow in other environments. They often provide shelter for the young of fish species from the birds that hunt in wetlands. Unfortunately, because it took us so long to understand the benefits of wetlands, many of them have been drained so they can be used for urban purposes, while others have been flooded to create rivers or lakes. Now, there are organizations in place to preserve those wetlands that are still left. It’s important to remember that everything has a purpose. We didn’t understand the purpose of wetlands until we had begun to wipe them out, and we should try to learn from this mistake.
I found this exhibit very educational. It is relevant to the people of New York and New Jersey, which certainly makes it more interesting. The Hudson River is an important part of our lives, even if we don’t see that on a day to day basis. It is also one of the few natural habitats in a very urban location. The oyster restoration project is fascinating because we get to see how nature takes care of itself, when in today’s world we usually just create something new to get the effects we desire. I didn’t know about all of the oyster’s beneficial qualities before I went to the Liberty Science Center. It is amazing that oysters could restore the water quality of the Hudson River in just a few days if there were enough of them. This exhibit was also interesting to me because we have been doing a lab about this very topic. Lab 2.2 addresses the water quality of the Hudson River, and this exhibit gave me a whole new view on how to improve water quality. It gave me a better understanding of what we have been studying in class as well as a more hands on look at what is happening just a few miles from here. I liked visiting the Liberty Science Center in general; museums often offer a fresh take on material we’ve already learned. There are lots of different exhibits to visit in one place, and there’s something for everyone.

Oysters

The Hudson River Estuary

On December 3 the Wagner Environmental Policy and Action (WEPA) group sponsored an intimate roundtable event at the Wagner School in the Puck building. The event entitled “Careers in the Environment” was a discussion moderated by Jeremy Friedman who is the head of the NYU Sustainability task-force program. Friedman, a recent graduate himself, interviewed four alums all of whom have different careers but are united by an NYU diploma and an interest in the environment. About 25 students ranging from undergraduate to graduate attended the event. The tone was very didactic with all of the students eager to learn more about the transition from the classroom to the work place and to think of clever options for a relatively new field.
The four speakers ranged in age and occupation. Meredith Bergmann, who is a partner at a media solutions company, advises film and television companies on how to operate more sustainability. Les Judd, the founder of Green Boroughs, spoke at length about his various jobs and his most recent work for Green Boroughs which he hopes will develop into a database that ranks the “green-ness” of NYC based companies. Joshua Klainberg, the youngest of the panel, discussed his work for the New York League of Conservation Voters and his endeavors to “educate, evaluate and endorse” candidates in state-elections and to lobby for environmental reform. Finally, Samantha Macbride addressed the students about her work as the Deputy Director for Recycling at the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling for the NYC Department of Sanitation. Indeed, Wagner went all out for this event by having such notable alums speak to the students in such a comfortable setting as a large conference room.
(The Moderator, Jeremy Friedman)
The job that interested me most was Ms. Bergmann’s who gave examples about the struggles to produce movies and television shows sustainably within a hectic city and with important bottom-lines. For Ms. Bergmann, there are short-term and long-term projects that she has worked on, most recently for NBC/Universal. While advising Saturday Night Live she proposed a switch to biodegradable paints, LED lighting and foods to be served that were made locally as to reduce the transportation emissions. For the long-term, she explained to us that SNL builds its stages in New Jersey and then brings them into the city. She is working on ways to recycle SNL’s sets and to find a place closer to the studios in order to make SNL greener. She urged us to follow our passions and to remember that there is absolutely anything that can be related to the environment as long as you use a bit of imagination and think about what you learned while studying at NYU.
The panelists asked each other questions about their jobs and then the students were permitted to ask the panelists anything. This interaction was helpful so that we could direct the panelists towards the areas that we had particular questions about. When asked about the longevity and safety of environmental work within a corporate or public world, the panelists all agreed that environmental jobs are quite safe, especially compared to jobs on Wall Street. Given that environmentalism as a career path is quite new, all of the panelists concurred that the industry is only beginning to grow and is nowhere near maturity. This optimism was very encouraging. In addition, the panelists also agreed that because environmental jobs are so often uncharted, one has the option to be an entrepreneur and to create his or her own profession with the environment in mind. Indeed the moderator, who helped to create the task force for NYU’s sustainability while he was still a student, was able to create a project for academic credit into an occupation that in his words has already “reduced electricity consumption by 10,000 times my life’s consumption.”
New York City was certainly suggested as an ideal starting point for urban environmentalism, but Ms. Macbride proposed that students also consider jobs in Washington. According to Macbride, years of environmental reforms have recently been revoked by the present administration. She urged us all to lobby for increased federal laws and mandates for the environment in order to keep the ball rolling towards sustainability at home and eventually abroad by example.
While I was not surprised to hear of such success from fellow Violets, I was reassured to know that there are still opportunities to improve the environment and to run a profitable and healthy business. This was my second Wagner sponsored event. The first, a screening and discussion of “Garbage Warriors” was enjoyable but this event was practical. Apparently this event happens every year (this years had the highest attendance yet) and helped to demystify the confounding job world while also giving something for students to aim for. While I may not be able to fit environmental studies into my schedule next year, some of the panelists studied business at NYU and were able to parlay their knowledge into sustainable development. I really have no criticisms of the event. With the exception of booking a larger room, everything about it was great. They even provided some snacks!
This event offered a light at the end of the tunnel and introduced me to the environmental job world of the 21st century. I was very impressed that each panelist offered their business card and suggested that we call them anytime for basic questions and to apply for interviews to numerous different organizations. It would be interesting to have an event like this for students who studied Environmental Studies or other science courses at LSP/GSP who have since graduated and to have them come back and speak to us in a similar format. It is so important, especially in the midst of exams, to have encouragement that there is opportunity to be had and that with an NYU sciences focus there are particularly compelling and beneficial options in the years ahead.

(Samantha MacBride (MPA '96)