CUNY Academic Commons

I was surprised how important the waters of New York are to the overall ecosystem. Normally, the waters are thought of as polluted and uninhabitable, but a number of fish rely on these waters, including the Atlantic and short-nose sturgeon, Atlantic tomcod, and American shad. These fish contribute to the overall ecosystem of not only the New York area, but the northern Atlantic ocean. Seeing as the protection of these waters is so important, what initiatives can be taken to educate the public more about why we should care and preserve these habitats?

I agree that it is amazing how conservation efforts have helped improve the natural habitats within New York City’s waterways. The talks about what kind of wildlife has returned to the Hudson were some of the most surprising (positive) information that I have heard in a while. I was visibly and audibly shocked when they revealed that there are whales that come close enough for whale watching near the mouth of the Hudson. I had a similar reaction when it was revealed that there are seahorses in the Hudson too. I’m glad that enough progress has been made where wildlife have started to return to the waters near NYC. I hope that they are able to keep up the good fight and that the sources of pollution are reduced or eradicated.

I never thought of NYC and its immediate surroundings as much of a source of nature and wildlife. I heard and see people with fishing poles and wondered where the heck they were fishing. It was an absolute joy to learn that there is an abundance of life below the dark surface of the Hudson. It was quite fascinating learning about all the species. One of the videos that effected me the most was the one about changing waters, that climate change is slowly warming up the Hudson. This is a problem because the species that live and breed and raise young in the Hudson rely on cooler temperatures, thus the raising of water temperatures will no doubt effect these amazing animals. Another factor that will soon be effecting all of New York and the coast line is rising water levels. They talked about all the marshlands being pushed back or disappearing. This will also effect an entire ecosystem. This also made me wonder if the water levels rose in Jamaica Bay would the Diamond Back turtles nesting area be effected and would that in turn lower their population even more in the Bay.