In ongoing ecological restoration efforts, SCAPE joined Bart Chezar last week in planting Sargassum in Sunset Park, Brooklyn’s Pier 5. Sargassum, a type of brown algae historically found in New York Harbor, has the unique ability to grow on hard rocky substrate. The algae was harvested from the Long Island Sound and transported to the pier in Brooklyn, where SCAPE team members Gena and Hannah spent an afternoon wading in the waters to assist with planting. As the site is no longer an active pier, the edge condition of the infrastructure has evolved over time to consist of rocks and fractured concrete pads which have created new opportunities for ecological growth in both the subtidal and intertidal habitats.
The team went below the water line at low tide to place Sargassum specimens adjacent to previous plantings of eelgrass, where both species can contribute to establishing a more ecologically diverse urban edge.
Read about SCAPE’s other ecological restoration efforts here.