While being in Richmond, the eco-corridor has always been a big part of campus. Besides Central Park, the eco-corridor was one of the largest “natural” areas I have seen and walked through. On April 11, we did a local event with high schoolers to learn more about the ecology of the wetlands in the eco-corridor. While we went to the first station that described the different kinds of soil to differentiate between wetlands and plains, I tried to compare it to what I have seen in the city. However, I couldn’t come up with anything there because most of the areas are filled with concrete. When I came to Richmond, it was the first time that I had gone outside a city environment, and it was a very new experience for me. Adjusting to the new environment, I decided, I learnt and adjusted to how you can’t really walk anywhere, as sidewalks aren’t as common. Although we were in the rain, it was easier to observe the environment around me and acknowledge how much this area has changed throughout the years.
Afterwards we went to a macroinvertebrate organism station and learnt about the different organisms that live in the area. Before we went to this station, a hawk flew in and perched along the station. This was the closest and one of the first hawks I have seen, and I reflected on how natural Richmond is, even though it is still considered a city. As the NYC has some artificial “natural” areas, the wildlife has yet to accustomed to the city environment. In Richmond, the wildlife have adjusted to the area around them, and they have seemed to prosper within it. In the future, I hope that NYC can incorporate more wildlife within the urban atmosphere. They can do this with more integration of wildlife that are able to adapt to the urban infrastructure.