Concept and photos by Anthony Taranto.
Tidewrack
With twelve miles of Hudson River shoreline, debris washes ashore in the park on a daily basis. Debris left on the shore as the tide recedes is called “tidewrack,” and it includes both natural debris, like branches and leaves, and trash.
After Winter Storm Jonas — which hit during the full-moon high tide at the end of January 2016 — our shoreline was inundated with tidewrack.
We picked through a 37-foot cluster at Bloomer’s Beach to see what we would find in it… It turned out that the human rubbish from this 37 feet of tidewrack included 57 plastic bottles, an aluminum can, 4 Mylar balloons, 3 tampon applicators, a boat fender, the armrest from a chair, 8 balls, a fishing bobber — and many pieces of styrofoam. What else can you find…? Picnic Litter
Sometimes it’s the little stuff that adds up. From one typical summer weekend at Ross Dock Picnic Area , five of our Operations staff members collected 116 bread bag clips, 40 bread bag ties, 66 flattened beer bottle caps, and 52 soda can tabs.
Other things that were collected that weekend included Snapple caps, plastic bottle caps, plastic cap ring seals, 688 plastic water bottle caps, your standard plastic bags, napkins, paper plates and plastic cups, plastic dinner ware, balloons, etc, … and 649 beer bottle caps (even though alcohol is prohibited in the park).
Park staff and volunteers spend hundreds of hours a year collecting litter! If litter were not an issue, those hours could be used for other beautification and maintenance projects.
Balloons
Balloons often end up miles away from the parties they were meant to enliven. When they land in our waterways and forests, they are not only unsightly — they can cause harm to wildlife. Most of these photos were taken during the off-season months in the park, when the forgotten balloons are more visible.
To learn more about this important topic, including ways to enliven your event without balloons, visit BalloonsBlow.org .
Animal Releases
The release of animals in the park is prohibited — and often cruel.
This white dove was probably part of a wedding celebration. Almost certainly, it will not survive in the park for long.
Pet Waste
The “You Almost Did The Right Thing” award goes to … these dog walkers. Please finish what you started and place the poop-filled baggies in the nearest trash receptacles!
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