#eric sanderson

My Goodness | Review

Photos by Leah Edwards (@leahhedwards) and Vincent Rivera (@realvincerivera)

The process of converting plankton to oil takes around 100 million years and involves six unlikely events. Plankton from the age of dinosaurs die in ancient seas and are then covered by sediments from ancient rivers. The planktonenriched sediments slowly become buried in the crust of the earth, subducted to depths of 7,500–10,000 feet, where temperature and pressure cook them into crude oil. That oil, less dense than the surrounding rocks, migrates upward toward the surface, where some is captured in reservoir rock surmounted by an impermeable cap, held in place for some lucky human to find. [Drawn from descriptions in Deff eyes (2006) and Head et al. (2003).]

(Left) The geomorphology of the eastern shore of Mannahatta was shaped by a combination of geological forces, the actions of the glaciers, and rising sea level. Historically these factors contributed to turbulent waters. (Right) The Upper East Side landscape is shaped today by townhouses and business. The mayor’s official residence sits in a park above the FDR Drive on the East River.

Image from the paperback version of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City by Eric W. Sanderson, illustrations by Markley Boyer. Eric W. Sanderson’s new book Terra Nova: The New World After Oil, Cars, and Suburbs debuts next week. 

On September 12, 1609, Henry Hudson first set foot on the land that would become Manhattan. Today, it’s difficult to imagine what he saw, but for more than a decade, landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson has been working to do just that. Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City is the astounding result of those efforts, reconstructing in words and images the wild island that millions now call home. By geographically matching an 18th-century map with one of the modern city, examining volumes of historic documents, and collecting and analyzing scientific data, Sanderson re-creates the forests of Times Square, the meadows of Harlem, and the wetlands of downtown. His lively text guides readers through this abundant landscape, while breathtaking illustrations transport them back in time. Mannahatta is a groundbreaking work that provides not only a window into the past, but also inspiration for the future.

Mannahatta seen from above Brooklyn, looking to the north. Note the subtle variations in forest type, the networks of ponds and streams, and the extensive salt marshes on the eastern side of the island. Together these different ecological communities formed Mannahatta’s ecological landscape.

Image from the paperback version of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City by Eric W. Sanderson, illustrations by Markley Boyer. Eric W. Sanderson's new book Terra Nova: The New World After Oil, Cars, and Suburbs debuts next week. 

On September 12, 1609, Henry Hudson first set foot on the land that would become Manhattan. Today, it’s difficult to imagine what he saw, but for more than a decade, landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson has been working to do just that. Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City is the astounding result of those efforts, reconstructing in words and images the wild island that millions now call home. By geographically matching an 18th-century map with one of the modern city, examining volumes of historic documents, and collecting and analyzing scientific data, Sanderson re-creates the forests of Times Square, the meadows of Harlem, and the wetlands of downtown. His lively text guides readers through this abundant landscape, while breathtaking illustrations transport them back in time. Mannahatta is a groundbreaking work that provides not only a window into the past, but also inspiration for the future.

We are excited to hear the preliminary investigations of Welikia Brooklyn from Eric Sanderson tonight. 

Social Hour: 6:30-7:30pm.  Lecture: 7:30 - 8:30pm, followed by Q&A session.  $5 requested donation.

i don't make very much money and this makes me feel as though i'm not productive, i don't want to do the things that could make me money. i want people to give me money for writing things like this. i want to feel a sense of obligation to these people. i want them to influence my work. i want my work to become static and cliche as i try to reproduce what got me money in the first place. i want to sabotage myself by doing this until my benefactors abandon me in favor of someone/something more relevant. i will wither away without them and burst into flames to be reborn as a phoenix. everyday i am reborn as the same person.

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