On Feb. 6, J. Stephen Gosnell, assistant professor in Baruch’s Department of Natural Sciences, led 18 Baruch students on a frigid field trip to Hunters Point South Park, a waterfront park that was, until recently, an abandoned post-industrial area in Long Island City. The hands-on experience—or in this case, with 12-degree temperatures, mittens-on experience—was part of the students’ current undergraduate Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development class.
Gosnell partnered with the Long Island City, Queens, group HarborLAB, which focuses on environmental stewardship, restoration, and education and aims to foster a love of environmental science among urban youth and first-generation college students.
The students’ task for the day: gathering seeds from the park’s salt-resistant plants. Mark A. Christie, vice president of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, was on hand to assist the undergrads in locating specific plant species and in harvesting and bagging the plants’ seed-bearing parts. Among the harvested salt-tolerant species were aster, beach rose, goldenrod, pine, and pokeberry. The students’ midwinter endeavors ensure that the seeds don’t go to waste.
On the following Sunday, seed balls (or bombs) were formed at CUNY sister institution LaGuardia Community College by encasing the seeds in muddy compost. The techniques are based on ancient Japanese and North American no-till methods that mimic nature’s dissemination.
Come spring and warmer temperatures, the seed balls are scattered by boat across the shoreline.
Of the experience, Professor Gosnell says, “It’s important to match academic discussions with the reality of how conservation projects actually look. This was a great chance to let students see how conservation happens and is happening in the city around them.” He adds, “Despite the cold, I think everyone enjoyed getting out.”
—Diane Harrigan