Wild NYC: The Shoreline

Brian Lehrer (0:10)

Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We end the show this morning with the September episode of Wild NYC, our year-long exploration once a month of our connection to the natural world. And on this last day of September, we focus on the shoreline and all the water surrounding us, even inundating low-lying areas at times, as many of us are acutely aware thanks to this past weekend's Nor'easter. And we'll talk about the creatures that live near or rely on that water. Urban botanist and ecologist Marielle Anzelone is here. She is each month in this series. And today she's joined by Rob Pirani, the Senior Director for Engagement and Director of the New York-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation. Welcome back, as always, Marielle and Rob. Welcome to WNYC.

Marielle Anzelone (1:01)

Thanks for having me.

Brian Lehrer (1:03)

Marielle, start us off maybe by talking about the significance of this area, the New York-NJ area, being so surrounded by water.

Marielle Anzelone (1:13)

Well, you know, New York City was founded as a city because of its location given the harbor. So, and I feel like we often forget that we are a city of islands. There's over 500 miles of shoreline around New York City.

And in fact, the only part of the city that's part of the mainland US is the Bronx. So, everywhere else, you know, the city has been shaped by this, you know, its iconic location within the New York Harbor and the Hudson River. And then, you know, there were lots of creeks and inlets and wetlands that were threaded throughout the city. And all of that has come to be part of New York City's, you know, the way the city sees itself.

Brian Lehrer (2:00)

So, Rob Pirani, you direct the Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation. I bet a lot of people don't actually know what an estuary is. So, why don't you give us a little micro definition and what's special about an estuary in wildlife terms?

Rob Pirani (2:18)

So, well, thanks and thanks again for this series. It's great to hear your focus on New York City wildlife and nature.

You know, the estuaries are defined as the places where freshwater meets the salty ocean and the Hudson River estuary is exactly that. It's an incredible ecosystem and this kind of unique connection between our waters. Every day, about 60 billion gallons of saltwater comes in from the ocean on the incoming tides and about 80 billion gallons of freshwater goes out or estuarine water goes out, you know, driven by those tides and that freshwater from the Hudson and that flux powers some of the most biologically productive habitat on the planet.

Brian Lehrer (3:10)

Oh, go ahead, you dropped out for a second there, but go ahead.

Rob Pirani (3:13)

Yeah, sorry, and so, you know, that watery world is really, we like to think of it as the largest public space in the nation's greatest city. You know, as Marielle indicated, you know, New York was founded on the water, and today there's still 250 square miles of water that surround us in over 1500 miles of shoreline, you know, hundreds of rivers and waterways from the Hudson River on down to, you know, the Bronx River, you know, New York's freshwater river and many, many others.

Brian Lehrer (3:43)

And I'm seeing a stat, hundreds of species of fish and birds, hundreds?

Rob Pirani (3:49)

Absolutely, yeah. We support more than 230 fish species and 350 birds that sort of make this estuary their home, you know, for all or part of the year.

Brian Lehrer (4:02)

Want to give some examples that people may know or not know?

Rob Pirani (4:06)

Yeah, sure. Well, so my favorite, and again, kind of, you know, thinking about that estuarine system and that tidal flux. So there's about six feet of twice daily tides that come in and out of our waterways. And so they're really the lifeblood for, you know, that what's called an intertidal area where water, you know, changes the depth or actually, you know, the mud flats or beaches are exposed to the air. And so that's really some of the most important habitat we have. And it's critical spawning, nursery, foraging habitat for, in particular, young fish and small fish. My particular favorite species of mine that lives in that kind of sloping intertidal shoreline are lion seahorses. You can find them in Hudson River Park on the west shore of Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge Park, many other areas where there's piers and pilings and algae that they like to attach to.

And they come here during the warmer months to spawn and feed. They're just a couple of inches long. But then, again, that connection with the ocean, they head out every winter to the deeper ocean before winter and the colder water temperatures here arrive.