To celebrate my newly acquired position as an environmental monitor at Freshkills here in New York City, I thought I would inform myself and others about the place that used to be a human-made atrocity. Freshkills is located on the western edge of Staten Island. From 1947 to 2001, it served as New York City's municipal dumping ground. It infamously became the world's largest landfill and some argued it's piles of rubbish were getting so high they would be taller than most mountains along the eastern seaboard. Important wetlands gave way to stench and pollution.
All of that has changed now. Since its closure in 2001, a grand reclamation project has been underway to turn the area into a network of woodlands, wetlands, and other green spaces. The public park is now the largest in New York City, three times the size of Central Park. The entire reclamation project will not be completed until 2030, but it is already showing how we can undo a lot of the problems we have created. Reseeding native plants and planting flora in experimental ways is providing ecologists and land managers a glimpse into how urban ecological restoration takes place. During Superstorm Sandy, the wetlands in Freshkills absorbed a lot of surge, just as they would have in a "natural" setting, resulting in diminished storm damage on the western side of Staten Island.
The methane created by the decomposition of the waste has been harvested and put to use as an energy source. Native fauna are returning to the area, replacing the vast flocks of seagulls trying to eat our garbage. The water is less polluted now than it has been in years. While Freshkills has a way to go yet - and it will never be what is was before it became a landfill - it stands as a testament that society can right the environmental wrongs we inflict. It takes innovation, it takes leadership, it takes risk, but it can be done. I am excited to be a part of this project and to carry out environmental research in the park.
All of that has changed now. Since its closure in 2001, a grand reclamation project has been underway to turn the area into a network of woodlands, wetlands, and other green spaces. The public park is now the largest in New York City, three times the size of Central Park. The entire reclamation project will not be completed until 2030, but it is already showing how we can undo a lot of the problems we have created. Reseeding native plants and planting flora in experimental ways is providing ecologists and land managers a glimpse into how urban ecological restoration takes place. During Superstorm Sandy, the wetlands in Freshkills absorbed a lot of surge, just as they would have in a "natural" setting, resulting in diminished storm damage on the western side of Staten Island.
The methane created by the decomposition of the waste has been harvested and put to use as an energy source. Native fauna are returning to the area, replacing the vast flocks of seagulls trying to eat our garbage. The water is less polluted now than it has been in years. While Freshkills has a way to go yet - and it will never be what is was before it became a landfill - it stands as a testament that society can right the environmental wrongs we inflict. It takes innovation, it takes leadership, it takes risk, but it can be done. I am excited to be a part of this project and to carry out environmental research in the park.
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