Anniesa Baldeo
Science and Technology in NYC
Professor Alexandratos
23 September 2015
Bio Blitz Essay
When I got the email, “Reserve Your Bio Blitz Participation Time Slot Now,” I was excited and intrigued. Immediately, I went onto the Macaulay website reading the FAQs and information about the event. I learned that a bio blitz is a “period of intensive and collaborative cataloguing of the plant and animal life in a specific area.” I thought this was going to be so cool. We would be just like the scientists that work for National Geographic, spending time exploring and admiring nature.
My excitement was dimmed, however, when I saw the time slots allotted for our bio blitz adventures. Luckily, I was able to reserve a spot during the daytime. I immediately felt bad for those who had the midnight and early morning shifts. I was actually surprised that this was not considered a liability being that students were asked to travel at these hours. Nevertheless, I was eager to be one with nature and explore Staten Island for the first time.
When we finally arrived at the sight, I was surprised at how barren the place looked. I expected to see a park filled with lots of trees and lush grounds of grass. I clearly had not known the history of Fresh Kills. We were introduced to our group leaders and assigned the species we were going to explore. My group got to study lichens and was lead by lichenologists.
Lichens are symbiotic organisms. Its partner is normally a fungus, algae, or cyanobacteria. Lichens are particularly interesting species in that they grow in the “leftover” spots in nature that most other organisms cannot survive in. This includes bare rock, dead wood, and living bark. The latter attribute makes sense being that Fresh Kills was a landfill at one point. This means that the landfill has significant effects on the livelihood of Fresh Kills Park.
Now that we have learned about intrinsic and instrumental value, I can now see that this trip was a mix of both. In term of intrinsic value, we were exploring the park to admire and discover the nature of different species in their natural habitat. We were appreciating their being and the fact that they exist. In terms of instrumental value, we were using the park as our classroom. We were interrupting the natural processes of life so that we could explore and learn about species for our own personal reasons.
Overall, the trip to Fresh Kills was fun and educational. The only major problem I had was that there were minimal places of adequate shade from the sun. It was probably one of the most humid and hot days of the summer. This was a major hazard. Many of us could have gotten dehydrated or sick. I liked that Macaulay did an event specifically for science. I think the event would be greatly improved if Macaulay provides rest spots that provide shade and cool water. Nevertheless, this event was fun and educational.
