• How has your research question/topic shifted over the past few weeks? What made it shift?

I changed my question at least four times. First time it was too general and I had to narrow my research. Second time I completely changed my topic, because while doing my research I found something else which I thought would be more creative to do. During writing everything down I had to tinker around the question to keep it as a question. The last time after I put annotations down it looked like the question wasn’t right anymore, so I had to switch the end with the front.

• What’s the most useful source you’ve found? Why is it so useful?

My useful source I found was my object. I think it helped me to focus more on something specific and helped me to narrow down my research. I hope that the choice of the topic and the lenses applied to it would make the essay interesting to read and will raise some questions for the reader.

• What work do you have left? What more research do you want to engage in? What do you need to tackle in your research process in order to address your question?

I have to work more on my annotations, because they were incomplete. I also need to go and properly learn about MLA format. Some of my bibliography entrances are seriously wrong. I ran out of time and wasn’t able to check all of my findings within my search, so I’ll have to do that as well. Overall reflection: I could’ve done a better job.

RESEARCH QUESTION: “What are different approaches to New York City’s resiliency regarding rising sea levels in the era of Anthropocene with consideration of Donald Trump’s tweet about  “sea wall” from January 18th, 2020?”

ANNOTATION OF NEW SOURCE:  I just found this source and didn’t have a chance to really dig inside. Hopefully it has some useful information. This would raise a bunch of perspectives. Hopefully. Raise the focus from New York city to global resiliency. I’m not sure if I should stay solely focused on NYC. Not in MLA format:

“Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for United States”.  NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. January, 2017.

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/techrpt83_Global_and_Regional_SLR_Scenarios_for_the_US_final.pdf

WORKING THESIS: Trumps tweet leave us all but wonder: on what level this influences us in real way? How is it possible that  the study of many years with $19 million dollars involved gets “indifinitely suspended”? Is there any connection? What plan do we have now? The different approaches to NYC resiliency are my lenses applied to the tweet. There are some points when they back him up and some others when his words seem questionable.

ANYTHING ELSE: In the end of an essay I’d shift a question from my focus being on New York City to the whole country perspective. The aforementioned source would help me with this. The problem is not only with NYC, the same problem applies to all of the coastal cities in America. In the light of this report how the words of President of our country sound? He is just talking about rare storms but what about inevitable problems coming in the future which apply to the whole country? It’s not only about “rare storms”, it’s about getting ready for long term changes. Is he going to act? How is he going to act? Do we need to wait for the tweet?

Donald J. Trump

At this point of my research I’m still mostly confused but I got better at being more selective. Once I found my object it showed me some form of a path to move on. Since then the essay and it’s pieces started forming in my head.  Like you’ve already taught me, Professor: trying to establish parts of the essay and their purpose.

1. It’d start with Donald Trumps tweet and the whole situation with Army Corps. This calls for resources: Army Corps study (6 alternatives, costs) – theoretical lens. It shows us Trumps lack of depth about the matter (not a sea wall, not $200).

Interim Report: https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Portals/37/docs/civilworks/projects/ny/coast/NYNJHAT/NYNJHAT%20Interim%20Report%20-%20Main%20Report%20Feb%202019.pdf?ver=2019-02-19-165223-023

I don’t know if I need the link for the Corps with all the other info or just the report:

https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-York/New-York-New-Jersey-Harbor-Tributaries-Focus-Area-Feasibility-Study/

Information about suspending the study:      https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/nyregion/sea-wall-nyc.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-trump-halts-study-to-protect-nyc-20200226-6iiagimgcrdbfjehxnvh64la6y-story.html

2. It’d move to the response from the Riverkeeper (an environmental organization) and their press statement:

https://waterfrontalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/NYNJHATS_memo_2_27_20_Final.pdf

Riverkeeper had a plan of alternating Army Corps’ proposals to find the better working solutions for the city. In their study Army Corps didn’t address the problems of flooding, rising sea levels and sunny-day flooding, caused by high tides.

Looking at Trumps tweet through all of this we do understand that he may have a point calling it “costly” ($62 billion), “foolish” (the plan had flaws), and “environmentally unfriendly” (got a big point there).

The question rising is: what’s going to happen now if no alternative is available?

3. Trump is only addressing “rare storms” as a problem for NYC. He omits problems already existing for many New Yorkers: rising sea levels, sunny-day flooding. There is a great photo report:

https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/12/16462790/queens-climate-change-jamaica-bay-flooding-photos

I’d use it as a critical lens to show that Trumps comment on using “mops and buckets” is really unfair and not offering much of a solution. What is going to happen to these people and their homes in the future? With sea levels rising what are their chances of staying at their current homes?

4. Pilkey, Orrin H., et al. Retreat from a Rising Sea: Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Change. Columbia University Press, 2016.

In this book the whole chapter: “New and Old Amsterdam: New York City and the Netherlands” is a source of all kid of information about NYC. I’d have to find the right lenses for the tweet.

They are offering the solution of moving away from the coasts, governmental buyouts, and turning the coasts into natural barriers.

5. At this point I don’t know if I have enough material or I still need to find something addressing “rare storms”. Do I need a resource about storms getting worse and coming more often?????

I walked away from the idea of oysters, because along the way I focused on the plan of building storm surge Pelham Gate and the other alternative plans of NYC protection from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After I’ve spent two days researching the matter from different angles i just discovered RIGHT NOW! that the resiliency study was “indefinitely suspended” on February 24th, 2020.

My research goes super slowly because it’s my first time doing it and I have to familiarize myself with everything from zero: the libraries, research engines. long readings, getting sidetracked… It’s frustrating. I picked first assignment, because I figured it was going to be easier for me. I ended up running in circles. The help came from our President (not the first time) 😉 and from you Professor telling me to get more creative…. You also always tell us to try to have fun with it… So, here it goes and please let me know if it’s acceptable. It pretty much goes along with everything I’ve done so far – just not the oysters ;-))))

Donald Trump tweeted on January 18, 2020:

“A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall built around New York to protect it from rare storms is a costly, foolish and environmentally unfriendly idea, that when needed probably won’t work anyway. It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready”.

That would change my assignment into developing argument about the tweet by researching and analyzing the variety of critical and theoretical lenses. We have Army Corps of Engineers’ plan put on hold, we have all of the environmental organizations rooting against their plan before and now claiming that any plan was better than no plan, there are citizens of NYC fuming over President’s approach. There is a lot of action going on. Positive and negative.  The truth is that something needs to be done in NYC. Not only about storm protection, but also sea levels rising and high tide flooding. Day by day it’s not getting any better. Building a costly barrier maybe would protect against a super storm but would it protect against sea level rising? Building surge gates would surely destroy environmental efforts to reconstruct the nature. We know President cares about the aesthetics, but now he cares about environment as well? This tweet raises a lot of questions…

A feasibility study according to Wikipedia is: “an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project or system. A feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats present in the natural environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success. Should I try “A Feasibility of restoring oyster reefs around City Island (specific area, like: Eastchester Bay etc?) based on the ongoing Billion Oyster Project and the historical dispositions”. 

There is a good article coverage of Billion Oyster Project, they have a website and a blog as well. They link to Living Breakwaters project. Is it important for my research? The fact that marine scientists, landscape architects and divers work together? There is as well an article describing City Island Oyster Project in Bronx Times, they have Facebook account and some video coverage. These could be supporting sources.

For proving biological possibility of such a project i need to look up the past of oyster reefs in New York Harbor and around City Island. Historical background. I don’t think that needs to be a very detailed source because its going to be my supporting one. Probably for the introduction part of my essay. I found today this book:

Waldman, John “2.Vita Marinae”, Hearbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor,Revised Edition, Fordham University Press, Empire State Editions, 2013, pp. 7-9.

Waldman gives a pretty tight and to the point description of historical background of oyster reefs in New York Harbor: from the colonists arrival, through the abundance for all, rich and poor, ending with decline in 1830, caused by over harvest and pollution. The book mentions City Island on p. 9 as the place where the first oyster beds were established by the oystermen. How do I need this? Is placing oyster beds where they use to grow naturally increasing the probability of success?

https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/01/16/oysters-breakwaters-new-york-mission-ahead.cnn-business/video/playlists/business-mission-ahead/

At this point I think I’m going to contact people involved in City Island Oyster project and see what I can find. 😉

Idea:

The last week I came across the Billion Oyster Project. Their goal is to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor. Here is the link: https://www.billionoysterproject.org/. The project is alive and running since 2014. I found out how little I knew about oysters 😉 and what they are capable of.  An adult oyster can clean up to 50 gallons of water per day. I checked the web page and investigated the whole operation and the concept. I was going to focus somehow on this initiative but…

…I came to the idea to check if there was anything going on with oysters on City Island where I actually live at the moment.  I discovered there was City Island Oyster project going on since 2019 to restore oyster beds around City Island. A group sponsoring the project is called City Island Drift. They collect oysters’ shells from local restaurants and  after curing them for a year return them in the waters.

Questions:

1.  Hypothesis: How biological systems can be used to clean polluted waterways. Can it work? How long does it take to restore an oyster reef? How does it work?
2. What’s feasibility of having it done around City Island? Based historically on formerly existing oyster reefs.
3. Mechanics of the operation: How is it done? Future plans? What is being done? Who is doing it? Where is it done?
4.  How is it going to benefit the waters around City Island in the future and people who are living there? How long is it going to take?
5. Should the Billion Oyster Project be connected to the City Island’s local one in my project? Why? Why not?
6. What could be in my bibliography? Newspaper articles? Book about City Island waters?