“A young lady is set adrift in a balloon high above Manhattan:” A real Cliffhanger Atop the Palisades
By Marcia Anderson
Hot Air Balloon
(Part three of a series on the Palisades)
Slightly old news, but still a lot of fun… By 1910, the majestic Palisades cliffs had become a center of film production for the nation’s film industry, long before Hollywood was even a dream. During warm months, Fort Lee and the Palisades bustled with activity. Dozens of silent films were shot on location, complete with Wild West shootouts and railroad rescues. The cliffs were frequently used as a location for silent adventure films and were the source of the term “cliffhanger,” most notably coined from the 20 part serial: “The Perils of Pauline.”
‘Once upon a time,’ an adventurer, author and heiress, Miss Pauline Marvin, paid to accompany a balloon pilot on a journey across the Hudson River and to fly over New York City. While Pauline was having her photo taken in the balloon prior to the flight, a nearby horse bolted, causing the balloon crew members to drop the guy ropes and run in panic. Pauline was set adrift for several hours in the balloon, flying over Manhattan, where she landed safely, only to find herself in another predicament. She was the ultimate damsel in distress, as her guardian repeatedly plotted to kill the heiress so he could keep Pauline’s inheritance for himself. Such went the opening chapter of the 1914 serial motion picture “The Perils of Pauline” followed by over 20 chapters of adventure all starring Pearl White, as Pauline.
As time went on, the warm climate of California drew many of the film stars and much of the movie industry away from the Palisades, however, a number of recent Hollywood hits have come back to be filmed in the Palisades. Notably, in 1988, Tom Hanks became Big at a wishing machine in a carnival at Ross Dock in the Palisades. Then in 1990, Martin Scorsese had three GoodFellas - Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta – bury a body, and then dig it back up in the woods of the Palisades. Later in 1996, Alec Baldwin with Demi Moore, went to Ross Dock in The Juror. He wrestled with, and later blew up a car full of, bad guys in the Palisades. Also in 1996, Mel Gibson appeared in Ron Howard’s film, Ransom, also shot on the Palisades.
How were the Palisades Cliffs formed? The sandstone layers of rock were deposited in the early Triassic Period by the weathering of mountains and erosion of material which was deposited by rivers in the area. Toward the end of the Triassic, about 200 million years ago, the earth’s crust diverged in many places forming rift zones enabling large quantities of molten rock, or magma, to be released from deep within the Earth. Much of this magma did not breach the surface of the Earth. Instead, it flowed horizontally between the layers of sandstone and shale – like meat in the middle of a sandwich. This intrusive river of hot magma is now known as the Palisades Sill. (A sill is a body of igneous rock that is parallel to the layers of rock they intrude.) The overlying sandstone rocks were uplifted, weathered and eroded by repeated periods of glaciation, exposing the columnar rocks of the Palisades Sill.
Since 1930, when the George Washington Bridge was completed, New Yorkers can walk, bike, drive or take a bus ride from Manhattan to picnic or hike on the Palisades. Numerous trails and historic sites are located within the Palisades and in 1983 the Palisades was designated as a National Natural Landmark. (http://www.njpalisades.org )
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
By Marcia Anderson
(Part two of a three-part series on the Palisades.)
The Palisades
Gazing to the west from Manhattan across the Hudson River we are greeted by the majestic Palisades. These cliffs are a 40 mile long geologic sill from Jersey City to Nyack, NY and, at points, several miles wide. The Palisades are 300 feet high at Weehawken, NJ and 540 feet high near Nyack. This mountain has both a significant role in the course of American history and a dynamic geologic history.
The Palisades were first described by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1541 as ‘looking like fence stakes’ along the river.
Why do the Palisades rock columns look like fence stakes? And how did they form? Natural cooling and contraction of basaltic magma creates the cracks and fissures found in diabase basalt. Basalt is one type of magma that has been extruded onto the surface as lava. Diabase is an intrusive rock formed by an identical magma to basalt; however, it cools at some depth in the Earth’s crust. When water collects in the rocks and freezes, it expands, exerting tremendous pressure on the rock (2000lbs/in2). Yearly cycles of freezing and thawing, weather and weaken the rock, creating enlarged cracks and sometimes late spring landslides.
On a rainy November night, in 1776, the invasion of the Red Coats into New Jersey began. Dozens of boats, covered by British warships, landed on a stone jetty in the Hudson River, just below the Palisades. British regulars, officers and German mercenaries disembarked and climbed the road up the Palisades sill. By 10 a.m., on Nov. 21, 1776, drums sounded and 5,000 men, led by Lt. General Lord Charles, Earl of Cornwallis, began to march south to take Fort Lee, the American rebel stronghold. The Cornwallis assault sent George Washington’s Continental Army into panic and they desperately retreated across NJ, all the way to Delaware. General Washington and his troops re-grouped over the harsh winter to later defeat Cornwallis …and the rest is history.
During the 1800s, millions of cubic yards of Palisades basalt and diabase were extracted at the Englewood Cliffs quarry for railroad ballast and aggregate that helped to build New York City. A sandstone layer was also mined and used to construct many of the famous New York brownstone buildings.
We can thank the NJ State Federation of Women’s Clubs for helping to protect the Palisades from total destruction by mining interests. Land was donated by the widow of E.H. Harriman (President of Union Pacific Railroad) followed by donations from George Perkins, John D. Rockefeller and J. Pierpont Morgan. This, along with state and federal monies was used to build Henry Hudson Drive and the Palisades Interstate Parkway (1947).
By 1930, the George Washington Bridge was built, enabling New Yorkers to walk, bike, drive, or take a bus ride from Manhattan to the Palisades. Enjoy a hike on any one of the numerous trails and historic sites located within the Palisades. The Fort Lee Historic Park Visitor Center, an 18th century soldier hut and campsite, is a great place to start. (http://www.njpalisades.org )
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Furry Friends on Barnegat Bay!
By Sarah Peterson
Seals on Barnegat Bay
EPA Region 2 is one of several partners assisting the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the past two years with a water quality survey of Barnegat Bay. We have been sampling weekly from March-October each year and bi-weekly during the winter months. One of the overall goals of this project is to monitor the water quality of the bay because previous data shows that dissolved oxygen and pathogen indicators have exceeded water quality standards in certain areas within Barnegat Bay. Nutrient loading in Barnegat Bay is also a prevalent issue and collaborators on this project hope to identify numeric criteria or nutrient loading targets and revise existing surface water quality standards to set restoration endpoints for the bay.
The EPA has been responsible for sampling at three locations located throughout Barnegat Bay and one located near Barnegat Light. When we are out in the field we take readings for water temperature, pH, specific conductance, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Surface samples that are collected are analyzed for many different parameters, some of which include: Chlorophyll a, Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Total Organic Carbon, Alkalinity, Turbidity, and Total Silica. Bottom samples are also collected at each sampling location and are analyzed for similar parameters.
Seals on Barnegat Bay
In late February 2013, we were near Barnegat Light when we saw what looked like driftwood washed up on a mudflat. As we got closer, we realized it wasn’t driftwood at all. It was a pod of harbor seals sunning themselves. We continued to see this pod of harbor seals for the next five sampling events. As the temperatures have started to increase, recently, the seals have been in the water rather than on the mudflat, but can still be seen near Barnegat Light. Harbor seals are native to the coast of New Jersey but are not commonly seen, approximately 100 harbor seals call NJ home during the winter months. The harbor seals usually migrate further north by the middle of April. The seals we saw on Barnegat Bay were between five and six feet in length and about 200-250 pounds.
About the Author: Sarah Peterson is an ORISE fellow with the Air and Water Quality Assurance Team within the Division of Environmental Science and Assessment in Edison. She has a BS in Environmental Science and Zoology and a Masters in Environmental Science from Miami University.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
When Dinosaurs Roamed the Streets of New York City: Part One of a Three-Part Series on the Palisades
By Marcia Anderson
Rutiodon Manhattanensis
A little over 100 years ago, “Dinosaur Fever” hit New York City. On December 21, 1910, the front page of the New York Times announced the discovery of a crocodile-like dinosaur that once basked in the sun on the beaches of NYC and the Palisades. This was followed by a Christmas Day full-page article entitled, “When the Giant Dinosaur walked down Broadway.”
The well preserved skeleton of a 30-40 foot long dinosaur, standing 15-18 feet tall was discovered in the Palisades by a group of Columbia University students. The bones were found just south of the Palisades Interstate Park’s boundary in Edgewater, N.J., about a half mile from where the new George Washington Bridge was to be built. The bones were in a layer of soft shale at the edge of the Hudson River, embedded in a 5,000 pound block of stone that was eventually cut from surrounding rock and transported to its new home in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
He was of the genus Phytosaurus, an aquatic crocodile-like reptile with a long-toothed snout, a long flat tail and eyes and nostrils that were set on top of his head. The reptile was from the late Triassic Age, about 210 million years ago and was aptly named “Clepsysaurus manhattanesis.” Other Triassic brethren found along the Palisades were Coelacanth fish and Icarosaurus, one of the earliest winged reptiles. The NYC/NJ region was a veritable “Triassic Park” at that time.
The curator from the AMNH described the creature as “a cross between a crocodile and ostrich,” on mega steroids. A relative of an Iguanodon, he was originally thought to be an herbivorous dinosaur (a plant-eater), but is now believed to be carnivorous. The beasts roamed at will all along the banks of the Hudson, when most of North America lay near the Equator and enjoyed a sub-tropical climate.
Geology of the Palisades: The sandstone and shale layers of rock in which he and other creatures of the same period were found, were deposited in the early Triassic Period by the weathering of mountains and erosion of material deposited by rivers in the area. Toward the end of the Triassic, about 200 million years ago, the supercontinent, Pangaea, began to break apart. That was when eastern North America began to separate from northwestern Africa, creating the Atlantic Ocean. The earth’s crust diverged in many places forming rift zones enabling large quantities of molten rock, or magma, to be released from deep within the Earth. Much of this magma did not breach the surface of the Earth. Instead, it flowed horizontally between the layers of sandstone and shale – like meat in the middle of a sandwich. The intense heat and pressure of the magma intrusion metamorphosed the surrounding sedimentary layers and thus preserved creatures trapped in them for us to find millions of years later. This particular intrusive river of hot magma cooled and is now known as the Palisades Sill.
Feel free to re-discover this early New Yorker for yourself and give the kids a thrill at the same time. He now resides in the AMNH Hall of Vertebrate Origins, as AMNH 4991,or Rutiodon manhattanensis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rutiodon_manhattanensis_AMNH_4991.jpg His bones are still embedded in the black stone in which he was found, flanked by skeletons and skulls from similar animals. The American Museum of Natural History (http://www.amnh.org/) is located at 79th Street and Central Park West, New York City.
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
New York City Re-blooms
By Bonnie Bellow
With New York City street trees in full bloom, I can’t help thinking about my street tree, the one that went down with an unceremonious thud on the night of Hurricane Sandy. For more than 15 years, I have looked out the third floor windows of my Upper West Side apartment and marked the change of seasons by the leaves on that tree. I was awakened many a morning by the chirping of the motley crew of urban birds that sheltered in its branches. Now all that’s left is a monument to that scruffy tree – a stump in a small square of dirt cut out of the sidewalk, framed by a rod iron fence the height of a small dog.
The loss of one tree is really nothing compared to the people who died that terrible night and the vast destruction across the region. But it is something when you realize it was one of an estimated 10,000 New York City street trees toppled by the storm and thousands more in city parks, woodlands and backyards across the city. Trees are critical to making New York City livable. The shade they provide keeps city streets and buildings cooler, making us more comfortable outdoors and reducing the need to use as much energy for air conditioning. Reduced energy use translates directly into improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Trees also remove pollutants from the air, absorb and filter stormwater, reduce noise and just make the city more beautiful.
Now that my tree is gone, I look out on the brick façade of the school across the street. The sun is already streaming unfiltered through the windows, turning my apartment into a hothouse and forcing me to pull down my shades even during the spring. I can only imagine my electric bill this summer when I need to use my air conditioner. I will probably even miss the noisy insects that took up residence in that tree every July.
With the coming of spring, people in our area are starting to rebuild after losses to Hurricane Sandy much more serious than a tree. But sometimes in a disaster, it’s the small things that touch our hearts. I look down my street and see all the trees that survived the storm, some with broken limbs, but still popping with blooms. It gives me hope that sooner or later, a new tree will be growing in that empty patch of dirt and New York City will recover as it always does.
About the Author: Bonnie Bellow has been the Region 2 Director of Public Affairs since 1995, responsible for intergovernmental, media and international relations; community engagement; environmental education; Freedom of Information Act requests; social media and public information. She previously served as Public Affairs Director at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, ran her own media production business and worked as a radio reporter. Bonnie received her Bachelor of Science degree at Northwestern University in Chicago, but is a born and bred New Yorker who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Alert Child Care Center Staff Save a Young Child and his Family from the Ravages of Bed Bugs
By Marcia Anderson
We visited a local child care center and came back with a heartwarming story. This facility would occasionally find instances of head lice or bed bugs, but by keeping all personal items in individual cubbies, all bedding in separate plastic boxes with lids, and daily cleaning of the nap-time areas along with regular cot sanitization, there is little chance for bed bugs to find a home in this child care facility. The facility is a model for Integrated Pest Management (IPM): pest prevention through eliminating food, water and shelter that bed bugs and other pests thrive on and solid sanitation and maintenance practices.
So what was the problem?
The director told us about a three-year-old child who recently came to school every day with bite marks. The staff brought this to the attention of the director who recognized that they may be bedbug bites, based on a distinctive, linear bite pattern left on the child’s body. When she questioned the parents, they were reluctant to speak about where they lived and their living conditions, for fear of reprisals from their landlord or the authorities. The director monitored the child’s condition and noticed that the bites got progressively worse. She felt compelled to confront the parents again. When she did they told her of the horrific conditions in which they lived. The director soon observed, first hand, the dirt floors of the basement “apartment” that the family called home. The floor was covered in mouse and rat feces, and cockroaches were on the floors, all over the kitchenette. Cockroach feces were on the walls, in dishes and in food containers. Bedbugs were flourishing in the beds, clothing and upholstery, and in cracks and crevices throughout the “living” space. The family was being exploited by an unscrupulous landlord.
The director, co-workers and some caring people at City Hall helped the family relocate to a better living space. As all of the family’s belongings were contaminated with pests, feces and mold, they were discarded and replaced by the kind donations of families within the child care community.
Sometimes the young children of the poorest families in our society are the most vulnerable to the dangers of living in squalid conditions. Stories like this are unfortunately all too common, especially in our urban areas. Sometimes the best way to help these children is through their child care providers.
As sad as this story is, bedbugs do not distinguish between classes. Both poor and well-to do families can be equal victims when struck by bed bug infestations. People may not even realize that they have an infestation until bites become obvious and questioned, and quite often this may be by alert child care providers.
The child care providers at this center were prepared with quality literature on how to recognize bedbugs and potential bites in advance of this case, and they provided bi-lingual materials to all parents. Rutgers University, Cornell University, the New York City Department of Health, and the EPA all have quality materials on their bed bug websites. For more information on bed bugs visit http://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Roman Aqueduct
By Marcia Anderson
A: Aqueducts and Great Water Transport Systems.
The New York City water system is not only a modern engineering feat; it is also a return to the technology of the ancient Romans.
As ancient Rome grew, early Romans drew greater quantities of water from the Tiber and from wells sunk in the city. Similarly, early New Yorkers drew their water from the surrounding rivers and from wells tapping ground water aquifers. The hidden half of Rome’s water system, the sewers, took water overflow and flushed refuse into the river, which damaged the river, but kept Rome clean. The water over time became polluted and insufficient for the population. Inadequate water supply and contaminated wells also plagued New Yorkers in the 1700s and 1800s. The Croton aqueduct system was built in response to the fires and epidemics that repeatedly devastated NYC.
In the Roman Empire, aqueducts were invented to bring pure water from the hills which surround Campania. Neither the Romans, nor New Yorkers could have built their big cities without aqueducts. Both of our societies would have been very different without fresh imported running water that this system provided.
By 200 BC, Romans developed a highly effective system of bringing water in conduits to their cities from sources many miles away. The conduits were either open channels, or pipes made of clay, bronze or lead laid underground. Because the system relied on gravity, the water source had to be higher than the city served. Roughly 4/5ths of Rome’s aqueducts run underground, in covered trenches which were quick and easy to build as they did not require the construction of arches or the burrowing of tunnels. Romans built underground to hide their water from enemies and to protect the pipes from the stresses of wind and erosion. Covered trenches and tunnels were also less disruptive to life on the surface than walls or arcades.
The channel itself was a trough of brick or stone, lined with cement, and covered with a coping, which was almost always arched. The water either ran directly through this trough, or it was carried through pipes laid along the trough. The pipes were 10 feet or more and were cemented together at the joints. When a channel came to a dip in the landscape, such as a valley, the Romans built an arcade to take the water over it. The water had to be kept at a certain level because if they lost that level, it was hard to get pressure back up again.
In New York, from 1837 to 1842, the Croton River was conveyed through an artificial channel, built with square stones, supported on solid masonry, and carried over valleys, through rivers, under hills, on arches, through tunnels and bridges, for 40 miles, to supply NYC with fresh water. It was arched over to keep it pure and safe and flowed at the rate of 1.5 miles per hour towards NYC.
The Croton Aqueduct brought NYC its first supply of clean, plentiful water and thus contributed to its development as a great metropolis. The first Croton water entered the aqueduct on June 22, 1842 and carried water from the Old Croton Dam in Westchester County to two reservoirs in Manhattan. One was on the present site of the Great Lawn in Central Park, and the other site was where the New York Public Library is on Fifth Avenue from where it was distributed. The New Croton Aqueduct went into service in 1890, with its tunnels running deep underground and currently supplies about 10 percent of NYC’s water.
The Croton Aqueduct is a National Historic Landmark and is considered one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th century. The tunnel was designed on principles dating from Roman times, is gravity fed, and on a steady gradient dropping gently 13 inches per mile. Its builders had to cut the conduit into hillsides of varied terrain, set it level on the ground, tunneled through rock, and carried it on massive stone and earth embankments and across arched bridges.
The next time you drink fresh, clean, NYC water thank the NYC Water authority and adapted Roman ingenuity.
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Sustainable Things to Do in NYC: Earth Day Special
In honor of Earth Day, we’re offering an extended list of events continuing through April 23 to help you celebrate the environment in our great city!
Earth Day Celebration at Grand Central: The annual event includes three days of interactive exhibits, sustainability talks, live music, and kids’ activities. Saturday, April 20-Monday April 22, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Earth Week at Queens Libraries: From a week-long green film festival to a wide range of eco-friendly crafts, Queens Libraries are getting into the spirit. Various locations and times.
Electronic Waste Recycling Day: The Lower East Side Ecology Center extends there collection of unwanted electronics to the Upper West Side. Drop off your old tech gear on Amsterdam Ave. between West 74-75th Streets. Sunday, April 21, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Family Volunteer Day: What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by helping to beautify Central Park? Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. – noon.
Federal Agency Earth Day: Head across the street from EPA’s downtown offices for an afternoon of informational talks and displays from the EPA, FEMA, and Baruch College on topics of sustainability and emergency response. Tuesday, April 23, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
New York City Green Festival: The second annual green festival celebrates a wide variety of solutions to lead people to healthier lives and greener communities. Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
SAFE Disposal Event: The NYC Department of Sanitation is holding five SAFE Disposal Events this spring to provide a one-stop method to get rid of potentially harmful household products. Bring your hazardous household materials to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
St. George Day: An Earth Day festival that includes a celebration of dragons?! Head to Staten Island to find out what it’s all about. Saturday, April 20, noon-7 p.m.
Waking Up the Farm: Learn more about urban farming, enjoy a mid-afternoon healthy snack, and help with general farm work at Hattie Carthan Herban Farm in Brooklyn. Monday, April 22, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Worm Festival: South Brooklyn Children’s Garden is holding a worm festival for kids to learn about compost and why worms are beneficial for gardens. Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
20th Annual EarthFest Celebration: Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx hosts environmental exhibits, educational programming and children’s activities for this annual event. Sunday, April 21, noon – 3 p.m.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
By Marcia Anderson
On the third day of the 2013 Rodent Academy, participants visited numerous sites around lower Manhattan to improve their ability to identify rat burrows, runways, harborages and food sources.
The Rodent Academy participants visited Collect Pond Park which lies atop one of New York City’s foremost sources of fresh water prior to the American Revolution. Collect Pond was a large, 60-foot deep pool fed by an underground spring and was a favorite spot for picnics and ice-skating. In the 17th century the Dutch settlers called it “kolch” meaning “small body of water.” By the early 19th century, the pond had become a communal open sewer. In 1805, in order to drain the garbage-infested waters, a 40-foot wide canal was opened that today is known as Canal Street. Even after the pond was drained, due to the area’s high water table and the improper filling of the pond with garbage over an active spring, the site remained swampy and mosquito-ridden. Throughout the 19th century, nearly all of the city’s cholera outbreaks originated in the former Collect Pond neighborhood. By 1811, the City completed the filling of Collect Pond and had become known as “Five Points.” Today, this area is known as the Civic Center, due to the presence of many governmental offices.
What does all of this history have to do with rats? Think about it. This is a legacy dump site with buried garbage. There are lots of legacy rodent tunnels, developed over 100 years ago, 20’-60’ deep underground, complete with cosmopolitan rodent freeways and rodent apartments. And better yet, they connect to the human subway system providing a regular source of food.
Eyewitness accounts from security guards in surrounding buildings speak of large rats running back and forth from burrows in the park to the subway and storm drains and back again. We also noticed a lot of pigeon activity. The birds were feasting on worms and other bugs from the rich soil dug up from centurys old buried garbage.
This site is similar to much of NYC and other cities around the world, such as Rome. The new neighborhoods and cities are built on the remains of the old cities containing legacy garbage, legacy rats, ancient tunnels and rat infrastructure deep below current city streets.
Despite the cards being stacked against the New York City Department of Health and other rodent control professionals, progress is being made. There are new technologies in monitoring, backed up by expanding knowledge about rodent behavior that is being used against them. In addition, neighborhoods are actively helping the City to identify and exclude rodent access and working to eliminate food sources. The City is also deploying new types of rodent proof garbage can/compactors.
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
By Marcia Anderson
Rat Management
The New York City 2013 Rodent Academy was sponsored jointly by the NYC Department of Health (NYCDOH) and the EPA Region2. The academy also drew people involved in rodent control from the National Parks Service and pest management professionals from Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Alaska.
The responsibility of dealing with rats in the city is shared among NYCDOH, city building owners, and the City Departments of buildings, transportation, sanitation and parks. Unlike the other city departments, however, the NYCDOH has an ‘Emergency Response Team’- a group of exterminators to help out other city agencies with severe rodent challenges. A call to NYC’s 3-1-1 number about a rodent issue brings a prompt response.
We learned that NYC is taking an aggressive and proactive approach to pest management including inspections and compliance assistance. Inspectors go out into the community, block by block, and inspect for evidence of rodent activity, rodent entry points, runways, harborages, and more. They educate building managers, home owners and the general public on how to prevent rodents and conduct up to 140,000 of these inspections per year. After they educate those responsible for properties in violation, they follow-up at sites where people have remediated rat infestation problems. These proactive inspections were first conducted in the Bronx and Manhattan, and now include Brooklyn and Queens.
This pest inspection program uses hand held devices to reduce paperwork enabling more people to remain on the streets and in the communities to deal with rodent problems. The results of this work are available on the NYC Rat portal website.
The NYC DOH does not just bait and trap. They use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which is a science-based decision-making process that identifies and reduces risks from pests and pest management related strategies. IPM employs horticultural, mechanical, physical and biological controls with selective use of pesticides when needed. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pests by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM is not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls.
Rats are monitored to determine the extent of the rodent problem at any site. Participants learned that NYC is not only monitoring with tracking powders, but is utilizing some new biomarkers. After consumption of new baits, a bio-florescent marker is left in the rodent droppings making the droppings visible by black light. This helps to identify how rodents are traveling from nest to food sources and back. It can also help measure a rat colony range, and determine if rodents are entering from the outside and invading buildings along a particular wall or through a specific opening that needs to be sealed.
In NYC, rats have had at least 200 years to become established, multiply and learn areas and harborages in which to feed, hide and thrive. City infrastructure like sewers, stream and water tunnels, subways, parks, refuse collection, highways, streets and seaports provides innumerable harborage sites throughout our metropolis. Some hidden harborages may include: ground earthen burrows, beneath sidewalks and curbs, within interior and exterior structure voids, old sewer system tunnels, subway platforms and track tunnels, and within construction materials.
On the third day, the Rodent Academy participants visited numerous sites around lower Manhattan to improve their ability to identify rat burrows, runways, harborages and food sources. Look for a discussion of some of these sites in upcoming ‘Rodent Academy Part 2’ blog.
About the Author: Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the Pesticides Program in Edison. She has a BS in Biology from Monmouth, second degree in Environmental Design-Landscape Architecture from Rutgers, Masters in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean, and is a PhD in Environmental Management candidate from Montclair – specializing in Integrated Pest Management and Environmental Communications. Prior to EPA, and concurrently, she has been a professor of Earth and Environmental Studies, Geology and Oceanography at Kean University for 14 years.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
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