What ponds are being studied?

 

Since the summer of 2012, my research team has been working at a few different ponds around Staten Island. Sites were selected because of their differing histories and physical characteristics such as sediment type, water quality, surrounding vegetation, age and human influences. Since 2012, turtles have been captured as part of an on-going ecology and health study. Environmental DNA (eDNA) collection to assess what other organisms live in the study ponds commenced in fall 2014. Preliminary results from last summer confirm our selected study sites as valid research locations. Collaborators on this project include the American Museum of Natural History, Authentic Research Experience in Microbiology Brooklyn College – CUNY, Staten Island Zoo and the Staten Island Museum. More details on the park follow below.

Freshkills Park (former Fresh Kills landfill): Fresh Kills Landfill operated as the dumping grounds of New York City's waste from 1947 until its closure in 2001. Since that time, there has been little to no ecological restoration work which makes this landscape a prefect "time zero" site. This provides researchers with a unique opportunity to ask and answer questions about how wildlife recolonizes post-urban and post-industrial landscapes. Turtle population studies, a large part of the current project, have been conducted every June through August since 2012. Three rainwater basins (B1, B2 and C2) within the 2,200 acre site are the main research locations. These wetlands were constructed in the 1990's to manage rainwater runoff from the East Mound. In particular, numerous invasive species, both animals and plants, have been identified in these wetlands through our work.

Long Pond (Long Pond Park): This woodland pond and park is located on Staten Island's south shore. Roughly 100 years old, Long Pond is perhaps one of the most pristine wetlands in New York City. The pond is surrounded by native vegetation and hosts the greatest dragonfly diversity in the city. Seth has been studying the turtle populations in this pond since childhood and formal academic research begun in 2012.

Sharrotts Pond (Clay Pit Pond State Park Preserve): Contained within Staten Island's only state park preserve, Sharrotts Pond was constructed in the 1970's when the West Shore Expressway was built. The ponds was expanded in the mid-1990s. The pond edge consists of a mix of native buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and invasive phragmites (Phragmites australis). The surface of the pond is covered by spadderdock (Nuphar advena), also known as cow lily or yellow pond lily. eDNA collection and turtle research started in at this location in the summer of 2014.

Walker Pond (High Rock Park): Found in the hills of the middle of Staten Island, Walker Pond originated as a goldfish and ice skating pond for the children of the Walker family about 80 years ago. These days, the shallow, woodland pond is ringed by buttonbush around its edge, and the surface is covered by spadderdock in the summer. NYC Parks has identified this pond as being polluted by runoff from the surrounding hillsides and neighborhood. Our research will help to investigate the health of this wetland. Turtle and eDNA studies were initiated in the summer of 2014.

Pump House Pond (High Rock Park): Found at the border of High Rock Park and the Moravian Cemetery, Pump House Pond was built roughly 130 years ago to serve as a reservoir for the nearby Vanderbilt burial grounds. This woodland pond is no longer used for this purpose, but the foundation of the old pump house is now the base of an observation deck for hikers and school groups to enjoy the pond. eDNA collection and water quality measurements have been gathered since the early fall of 2014 and will continue through the duration of the project.