Description:
The waters surrounding the islands and shores of New York City were once an ecological treasure house, full of oysters, striped bass, seals, porpoises, and other marine species. In the 19th and 20th centuries, seemingly illimitable streams of pollutants entered these arms of the Atlantic; raw sewage, industrial wastes, pesticides, exotic species, and garbage turned the once-thriving waters--rightly called "an urban wilderness"--into a graveyard. The damage has been so extensive, writes ichthyologist John Waldman, that New York Harbor can never return to its former biological glory. But, thanks to the work of far-seeing environmental groups and government agencies, the harbor is nonetheless regaining some of its health. Through their efforts, pollutants have been reduced, and, with cleaner waters, herons and oysters are slowly returning to their former haunts. Waldman writes of the harbor, "It is growing stronger and steadier, like the survivor of a ghastly medical accident." As our knowledge of ecosystems and watersheds grows, and with it the possibilities of environmentally sustainable agriculture and waste disposal, the waters around New York offer boundless opportunities for doing the right thing. Waldman's engaging survey of the harbor's natural and human history points the way. --Gregory McNamee
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