Kristen Albanese

Prof. Alexandratos

MHC 200

September 24, 2015

BioBlitz Essay

I cannot honestly say that I was excited for the BioBlitz at Fresh Kills. As a native of Staten Island, I was probably even less excited than my classmates from elsewhere about traipsing through the former landfill. This was primarily because I was well aware of the deer that lived in the wooded (and not so wooded) areas of Staten Island, and I was therefore well aware of the high possibility I would come out of this experience with ticks. However, I had no choice in the matter, and I found myself on a Saturday night inside the massive landfill that I had lived near for my entire life.

My friends and I were in the lichen group. We were required to go deep into the landfill to a small wooded area where we were likely to find lichens. The scientist who led our group explained that lichens are actually two different organisms, fungi and algae, living in a symbiotic relationship. Lichens grow on flat surfaces, most usually trees. As our task for the evening, we calculated how much lichens were on each side of a tree. The south side of the tree tended to have the most lichens.

After we regrouped at the entrance of the landfill, we examined different lichen samples under a microscope. What initially appeared to be nothing more than discolored tree bark became an entire miniscule, but complex world. Out of curiosity, we asked our group leader how one comes to study lichenes for a living. She said that after becoming interested in conservation, she chose to specialize in the study of lichen because it is a small field with few contributors. She told us how lichenes are used in medications and other things that improve human lives. It was interesting to learn how someone chooses to work in such an unusual career and how this strange little organism could have such a large impact.

Overall, the BioBlitz was a unique experience. Fortunately, I did not leave the landfill with any ticks or other insects. I did, however, leave with a greater appreciation for the people who conduct biology research in the field, something I do not think I would ever be able to do regularly. What I enjoyed most had nothing to do with lichens or any of the other organisms that other groups studied that night. I loved that I got to explore more of something that was such a significant aspect of the place that I call home.