City of Forests, City of Farms: Sustainability Planning for New York City’s Nature by
a history of recent urban forestry and agriculture policy and programs in New York City. Centered on the 2007 initiative PlaNYC, this account tracks the development of policies that increased sustainability efforts in the city and dedicated more than $400 million dollars to trees via the MillionTreesNYC campaign. Lindsay K. Campbell uses PlaNYC to consider how and why nature is constructed in New York City. Campbell regards sustainability planning as a process that unfolds through the strategic interplay of actors, the deployment of different narrative frames, and the mobilizing and manipulation of the physical environment, which affects nonhuman animals and plants as well as the city's residents. Campbell zeroes in on a core omission in PlaNYC's original conception and funding: Despite NYC having a long tradition of community gardening, particularly since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the plan contained no mention of community gardens or urban farms. Campbell charts the change of course that resulted from burgeoning public interest in urban agriculture and local food systems. She shows how civic groups and elected officials crafted a series of visions and plans for local food systems that informed the 2011 update to PlaNYC. City of Forests, City of Farms is a valuable tool that allows us to understand and disentangle the political decisions, popular narratives, and physical practices that shape city greening in New York City and elsewhere.
Concrete Jungle by 
Environmental History of the Hudson River by
Biologists, historians, and social scientists explore the reciprocal relationships between humans and the Hudson River.
A Guide to Native Plants of the New York City Region by
It is no secret that with each new office park, strip mall, and housing development that slices through the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut landscape, more and more indigenous plant habitats are being destroyed. Concrete, after all, is not a friendly neighbor to vegetative life. Less common wisdom, however, holds that plants native to this region have been disappearing rapidly for a variety of reasons, and some of the causes can be avoided, even as construction projects continue to move in. One of the most serious threats to indigenous plants is the introduction of invasive non-native species by landscapers after new developments are built. In this unique guide, ecologist Margaret B. Gargiullo presents a detailed look at the full scope of flora that is native to this region and available for propagation. She offers practical advice on how to increase the amount of indigenous flora growing in the metropolitan area, and in some cases, to reintroduce plants that have completely disappeared. More than one hundred line drawings of plants and their specific habitats, ranging from forests to beaches, help readers visualize the full potential for landscaping in the area. A separate entry for each plant also provides detailed information on size, flower color, blooming time, and its possible uses in wetland mitigation, erosion control, and natural area restoration. Some plants are also highlighted for their ability to thrive in areas that are typically considered inhospitable to greenery. Geared specifically for landscape architects, designers, land managers, and restorationists, and easily searchable by plant type or habitat, this guide is an essential reference for everyone concerned with the regionas native plant life. Since most of the plants can also be grown well beyond the New York City metropolitan area, this book will also be useful for project managers doing restoration work in most of southern New England and the mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland."
The Highlands: Critical Resources, Treasured Landscapes by 
Hudson: America's river by
Frances F. Dunwell presents a rich portrait of the Hudson and of the visionary people whose deep relationship with the river inspires changes in American history and culture. Lavishly illustrated with color plates of Hudson River School paintings, period engravings, and glass plate photography, The Hudson captures the spirit of the river through the eyes of its many admirers. It shows the crucial role of the Hudson in the shaping of Manhattan, the rise of the Empire State, and the trajectory of world trade and global politics, as well as the river's influence on art and architecture, engineering, and conservation.
The Hudson: an illustrated guide to the living river by
Since 1996 The Hudson: An Illustrated Guide to the Living River has been an essential guide to the full sweep of this great river's natural history and human heritage. In this third edition, the authors - with over 70 years of combined experience teaching about the Hudson - have updated and improved their clearly written and engaging volume, covering the Hudson's diversity of plants and wildlife, the geological forces that created the river, the people who explored and settled its banks, the river's enduring place in American history and art, and the battles waged over its environmental preservation. Many of the book's abundant illustrations are now printed in color, bringing special vibrancy to the prints and paintings included in the history chapters. Accounts of such signature species as the American shad, Atlantic sturgeon, bald eagle, the herons of New York Harbor, and the invasive zebra mussel have been informed by recent research. The text reviews the latest developments in long-running controversies over power plants on the river and toxic PCB contamination, describes newly-recognized pollution issues, and adds a chapter on the impacts of climate change. The outlook is not all doom and gloom: The Hudson celebrates notable progress made in cleaning up the river, while outlining the challenges that must be met to complete the task. A notable addition to this edition are examples of actions and research projects in which individuals can participate to advance the river's rebirth and build understanding of its nature. By approaching its subject from both the scientific and historical perspectives, the book promotes broad-based understanding of why the Hudson and its valley possess such a unique and fascinating identity, and of how this special ecosystem and landscape have played a defining role in the evolution of the environmental movement. Royalties from the sale of this book will support the continue restoration of the river's ecological well-being through the programs of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a non-profit education and advocacy organization based in Beacon, New York.
The Hudson Primer by
This succinct book gives an intimate view of the day-to-day functioning of a remarkable river that has figured prominently in history and culture--the Hudson, a main artery connecting New York, America, and the world. Writing for a wide audience, David Strayer distills the large body of scientific information about the river into a non-technical overview of its ecology. Strayer describes the geography and geology of the Hudson and its basin, the properties of water and its movements in the river, water chemistry, and the river's plants and animals. He then takes a more detailed look at the Hudson's ecosystems and each of its major habitats. Strayer also discusses important management challenges facing the river today, including pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, invasive species, and ecological restoration.
Legacy: Conserving New York State's biodiversity. by
Foreword -- Introduction: What is biodiversity? Why should we care? -- Ch. One: Natural settings -- New York's physical environment -- Ch. Two: Inhabitants -- varieties of life -- Ch. 3: Ecological communities -- how we all live together -- Forests -- Grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands -- Freshwater wetlands -- Rivers and streams -- Lakes and ponds -- Beaches, bays, and ocean -- Cities, suburbs and farms -- Ch. Four: Goals and priorities -- the challenge ahead -- Appendix One: Sustaining biodiversity through everyday choices -- Appendix Two: Current laws and policies.
Noxious New York: the racial politics of urban health and environmental justice by
Print Format. 'Noxious New York' examines the culture, politics, and history of the movement for environmental justice in New York City, tracking activism in four neighborhoods on issues of public health, garbage, and energy systems in the context of privatisation, deregulation, and globalisation.
Power at the Roots: gentrification, community gardens, and the Puerto Ricans of the Lower East Side by
Through direct engagement with gardeners, activists, and residents, Miranda Martinez shows the breadth and diversity of the community gardening movement and how these groups inserted themselves into local politics and development to create change. She demonstrates how real people are effective as social forces amid large scale urban change and looks at the complexities and contradictions involved in transformations of urban neighborhoods. One of the most important contributions of this study is its focus on the Puerto Ricans of the Lower East Side and their struggle to sustain its Latinidad. It goes deeply into the ethnic and cultural significance at the neighborhood and personal level to show the contradictory meanings of gentrification to Puerto Ricans and others, and more importantly, the ways that the history and culture of Puerto Ricans are ignored, devalued, and erased. By going to the grassroots, this book vividly demonstrates how Puerto Ricans interact with the global and local trends involved in gentrification and how the struggles against displacement can alter the boundaries of the process.
Watershed Management for Potable Water Supply by
In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading.
