Happening Habitat

Man Overboard

    So there we are in the middle of the Bronx River and we were fighting against the currents. Who are these people rowing the boats? Are these boats even safe? A million questions were filling  our minds.

    Rocking the Boat is a non-profit organization based on the boat building and on-the-water skills. This organization is formed by high school students, making a difference off land.

    The North Brother Island project is what we are working on currently. North Brother Island is the largest nesting area in the east coast off of Hunts Point.

    How were we able to get to the island? We had to count on the experts of Rocking the Boat. But before our boat can set sail to North Brother Island, ACTION visited Rocking the Boat for a lesson in Water Safety.

    First Paul gave us the a brief lesson on the history of North Brother Island.    

Then we reviewed the maps on where we were located and where North Brother Island was located. Afterwards, we looked over a book about currents because we needed to know what kind of currnets were pulling in on the day we was going to sail to North Brother Island. Then we took a look at the firdt-aid kit, and the materials needed for the boat.

When we were done with that, we were taught how to get into the boats safely. We have to stay low, and make sure someone sits at the front of the boat to keep it balanced.

Last but not least, RTB taught us how to put on life jackets the correct way in case of emergencies.

We learned alot, and left confident enough to shove off to the island.

A.C.T.I.O.N. Under The Blazing Sun

    In the summer of 2008, A.C.T.I.O.N. had its first internship. This internship occurred in the month of July,for four Fridays. It included going to Hunter Island in Pelham Bay Park, finishing our Tobacco project with NYC Coalition For A Smoke Free City, and conducting an experiment with NYC Audubon Society. 
     The toughest task we had to endure was pulling out invasive species in Hunter Island.  First, we  learned how to identify the invasive plants. The reason we pulled out invasive plants like Porcelain Berry, Mutifloral Rose, and Agiastic Bittersweet was because they strangled our native plants and grew so rapidly that it disrupted the ecosystem.  To take on this task we were trained by Rich Love from the Natural Resource Group.  We learned how to handle the tools we used which were loppers and how to dispose of the plants efficiently. This was a difficult activity to commit to under the hot sun.  We had to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants to protect us from the thorns.  Nevertheless, we toughed it out and got more work done than expected.
    NYC Audubon Society wanted to see if the soil on North Brother Island, South Brother Island, and Swineburn Island were fertile enough to grow native plants in.  Something we found interesting was that some of the trays contained bird feces. We planted seeds from plants like Pokeberry, Virginia Creeper, Goldenrod, Aster, Elderberry, and Cherry. After planting them, all we had to do was water them regularly and record if they were growing or not.  
    We finished our Tobacco Project over the summer as well.  The main focus was getting policy signatures from store owners that promised that they would either remove, reduce, or rearrange the tobacco ads in their stores. This is important to us because these tobacco ads target kids and youth.  Therefore, we want to eliminate something that may persuade a child to begin smoking.  This is something a simple ad can cause.

"Infeelsive"

"Infeelsive" - a poem by Amanda Mercado @k@ Amy

Only three month till the big cold

I have not yet to be fold 

one cool and clammy day

sitting there as the time went away

The wind blew harder and faster as two big hands came toward me 

"Let me be" I cried 

"If only they can understand my feelings

I've been brought here from another land far off of 940 Garrision Ave

"Why are you pulling on my leaves?"

I fought the game of tug and war with all my pollen

but that wasn't enough

As I lay on the ground I spot another set of hands digging up a hole in my spot

and placing a new plant there

"Why had they replaced me? 

What did I do wrong?

Was i not pretty enough?"

As thoughts ran through my stem and leaves I spotted the same thing happening to other plants in the land

It finally stopped

I looked at the plants that have been pulled out and they looked just like me

"Why have we only been pulled out?" 

A new plant replied to me saying "Because you are invasive...

and we are native"

 

ACTION grows a green thumb!!!!

In late October, ACTION was introduced to Marielle Anzelone; a botanist from NYC who is the President of Drosera. Marielle gave us an introduction to native and invasive plant life and how to differentiate from the two. Her knowledge on wildlife gardens helped us to replenish our own garden here at The Point. First we identified the invasive species in our garden, and went to work on removing them. Once we rescued the garden from its enemies, we introduced it to five new friends. These new species were chosen because they varied in seasonal blooming, and the wildlife they attracted. First we planted the Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Wild Columbine is a wild flower that blooms in the spring and attracts hummingbirds for pollination. Second we planted the Mistflower (Eupatorium coelestinum), which is also a wild flower. Unlike the Wild Columbine, the Mistflower blooms in the fall. Next we planted Northern Sea Oats (Chasmathium latifolium), which is a type of grass. In the fall, Northern sea Oats change color, usually to red and is pollinated by the wind. Following this was the Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), which is a wildflower that blooms in the fall and is pollinated by butterflies. However, the seeds are dispersed by the wind. Finally we planted the Labrador Violet (Viola labradorica), which is also a wildflower. However, this flower blooms in the spring.
Next in our agenda is to watch our beautiful garden grow, and care for it with some good ol’ tender love and care.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Mistflower (Eupatorium coelestinum)

Northern Sea Oats (Chasmathium latifolium)

Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)

Labrador Violet (Viola labradorica)

To learn more about Marielle's work click here

The New York Tree Trust

The New York Tree Trust organization trained A.C.T.I.O.N to become volunteer tree stewards. We were taught the problems street trees face, like being urinated on by dogs, having cigarettes thrown on them, and being cramped.We learned about how to care for the street trees, for example how to remove weeds that grow around their roots and learning how much water they need. The trees need approximately 15 to 20 gallons a week. We also learned that we could call 311 and request to have a tree placed in our neighborhood. Overall it was a great learning experience and it helped us to be better connected to our community environment.