Welcome to Nature Calendar!
My goal is to highlight both the natural resources and species of metro-area ecosystems, starting with New York City, and the work of the dedicated people, both professional and volunteer, who care for them.
I’m starting with an informative and entertaining blog about the flora, fauna, and phenomena you can witness right here in the city. I also list outdoor recreational and volunteer opportunities centered on New York City’s nature. These outings might move you to become a participant in urban ecological restoration by volunteering with the stewardship groups mentioned in each story, and linked to this site.
Other entries will be from passionate urbanites will share their personal stories of connections to untamed local species.
We’ll also host debates within the environmental movement, what we call “disaGREENments.”
One especially enjoyable feature you’ll see published here and collected on the permanent site is “Nature Walks with Sheila Buff.” You couldn’t find a more intelligent and companionable guide to walks through choice parks in New York City, the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey, western Connecticut, and Long Island. Please see her fine health and outdoors writing here: http://www.sheilabuff.com/
This site will evolve toward a movie listings-style searchable database will guide you to where to go and what to see in our urban wilderness. Also planned are rich media enhancements, mapping, podcasts, and GPS functions.
Adventure eco-tourism starts at home, with seals, rare American elms, turtles (our homepage diamondback terrapin was photographed during a Jamaica Bay outing by Klaus Schoenwiese — http://www.tribeofman.com), a beaver, falcons, horseshoe crabs, bioluminescent jellyfish and microorganisms, butterflies, community gardens, sharks, and so much more. All right in the city!
This is our invitation to come into the true heart of town, to discover the wild urban woods, marshes, waterways, and downs, “where the soul need not repress its music.”
About the author and editor:
Erik Baard has written for the New Yorker, New York Times, WNET, NPR, Village Voice, the Times of London, Dow Jones Newswires, Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, Seed, Time Out New York, Space.com, Wired.com, and other publications. He won the “Deadline Club” best reporting prize and was a finalist in other years. The Village Voice nominated him for the Pulitzer Prize in both features and explanatory journalism. He has also worked for Japanese news broadcasters, usually centering on the United Nations.
Some key environmental stories by Erik sounded an early alarm over the dust at the World Trade Center site, identified potential hazards to people and lobsters in the West Nile spraying effort, heralded the coming interest in biodiesel, revealed the return of a seal community to the harbor, and
Erik is also the founder of the LIC Community Boathouse (http://www.licboathouse.org), which provides free canoeing and kayaking on the East River and beyond and founded the Newtown Pippin Restoration and Celebration (http://www.newtownpippin.org) which plants hundreds of fruit trees throughout NYC. He serves the community as an active member of the Newtown Creek Alliance, Astoria-LIC Waterfront Parks Alliance, and a novice tree planter at Floyd Bennett Field with Friends of Gateway. He has donated writing for the East River book and website (http://www.eastrivernyc.org) produced by the Greater Astoria Historical Society and the Going Coastal guide to New York Harbor life (http://www.goingcoastal.org). He has also contributed to the Hudson River Watertrail Guide (http://www.hrwa.org) and is an enthusiastic but largely incapable amateur astronomer.
Contact:
Erik Baard
erikbaard@gmail.com
917-697-9221
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Neat blog. I just found you through treehugger. I’m gong to add you to my blogroll at Visualize Whirled Peas.
Do you take contributed submissions? I’m VP of the Rock Creek Watershed Alliance in Atlanta and occasionally have urban nature tales to post.
(please excuse my lack of capital letters… the keys don’t work)
This is terrific… I’m an ex NewYorker, and originally from Sullivan county, upstate. Presently I’m in Baltimore, MD.
Do you know about Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods ? And the movement “Hooked on Nature” . I’m concerned, as is Richard Louv, that this generation of kids does not go outside. And their parents really don’t know how to do stuff outside either. So, I’m thinking that a blog of really simple things wd be terrific!!!!!
Your Nature Calendar is a terrific idea. I’m a computer newbie and found you on TreeHugger. I’d like to do something like it down here…. Hope this is OK. Have not visited your site yet….. so I don’t know exactly what you are doing…
This note is premature, but I am very excited about the idea. Thanks again, Jackie
This is a great site. Please send future communications to my new email address. iislandhouse@yahoo.com
PS You should have a feature on turtles alone. A good place to start is the lake at Snug Harbor on Staten Island where uncounted, enormous snapping turtles emerge from the mud in the spring. Bill
-Eric-
Looks like you’ve had Nature Calendar up and running for awhile but I just discovered the site today through my google news “Newtown Creek” alerts. Congratulations. The new site looks great. Hope all is well.
Over and out.
-Michael-
Great work Eric. I’ve book marked this blog, and will be back on a regular basis.
This is a great site, but please consider disabling the very annoying Snap Shots” feature.
1. Log into WordPress and go to your Dashboard
2. Go to Presentation, then to Extras
3. Uncheck the item that says “Enable Snap Shots on this blog.”
4. Save the setting by clicking the “Update Extras” button on the right.
Very cool blog! Thanks for posting about the plight of the pigeons in NYC!
awesome!
I’m so glad I found this website, just what I’ve been
looking for. Please sign me up.
Hey! I’m looking for information on the kinds of trees that were planted in Ozone Park decades ago. Specifically the trees that grew along 103rd Avenue from 106th to 107th Street during the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. I remember they had a Maple king of bark to them. The roots would buckle up in the little patch of dirt accorded them. The trees occasionally broke through the slate and cement sidewalks.
Can anybody help? Or direct me where to find this info?
Many thanks, loved the site.
I would like to read a story about the raccoon rabies outbreak.
Please put me on your email list to receive updates! Thanks!