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  Grand Central - 42nd St U Thant Island Lesley Merz, Alison Von Glinow Off the grid and hidden in plain sight, U Thant Island is made from the leftovers from the 7 line’s Steinway tunnel and is home to NYC’s cormorant population. Interviews with John Mattera, Parklands Commissioner, NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation and Dr. Susan Elbin, Director of Conservation, New York City Audubon Society.     Hunters Point Dope Fish Alex Vial The East River’s high level of estrogen has the local fish swimming sideways.   Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av Oysters Aaron Hsieh, Evelyn Ting Back in the day Queens Bay was NYC’s raw bar, home of the largest oyster population on the East Coast. Interviews with Katie Mosher-Smith, NY-NJ Baykeeper.   Queensboro Plaza Squirrels Meg Kelly, Grace Robinson-Leo The expansion of Manhattan’s East River parks mean a real estate boom for the indigenous eastside squirrels.   40 St - Lowery St Dogs in NYC Sayli Korgaonkar From 5th Avenue to Times Square, the price of real estate is directly related to what size dog you keep. Canine demographics across two boroughs.   52nd Street Ecology of Death Alex Cook, Ryan Johns Cavelry Cemetery, one the largest urban necropolises in the nation, has an ecology and chemistry all its own. A look at what goes in, what comes out, and what we should know about the dead in NYC.   74 St Broadway Germs Alex Cook, Ryan Johns From Flushing Station to 42nd Street, more germs ride the #7 line each day than people do in a year. A closer look at the microecology of NYC’s microscopic commuters.
  82 St - Jackson Hts Coop Courtyards Aaron Hsieh, Evelyn Ting Away from the street and behind walls of brick are well-tended garden oases. Are these historic landscapes, public playgrounds, or private gated communities? Residents, preservationists, and neighbors weigh in. Interviews with Donald Karatzas, author of Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City, Ed Westley and other anonymous residents conducted in Jackson Heights.   90 St - Elmhurst Av Reef Condos Lesley Merz, Alison Von Glinow Homo sapiens aren’t the only New Yorkers riding NYC’s subway cars. Aquatic New Yorkers strap-hang in decomissioned cars which have been used to build reefs around Manhattan Island.   Junction Blvd Pigeons Alex Vial New Yorkers have tried dozens of techniques, all unsuccessful, to control the population of the urban freeloaders otherwise known as Rock Doves.   103 St-Corona Plaza Chickens Meg Kelly, Grace Robinson-Leo The urban chicken occupies two spots in Queen’s Corona Park, the egg-maker for suburban farmers and the heavy in backroom cock-fights. Audio footage of Owen Taylor is from Leonard Lopate, December 21, 2006, and of Martin Edmond and Charlie Johnson from Cockfighters: The Interviews by Stephanie J. Castillo.   Willets Point-Shea Stadium Flushing Meadows Corona Park Emily Glass, Stephanie Odenheimer This former ash dumping ground became the site of the 1964 World’s Fair, and is also the site of some fishy and fowl activities. Audio footage from NPR's All Things Considered.

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  42nd St - Times Square The Future of Water Sayli Korgaonkar Before NYC had tap water, fresh sources of water like streams and pumps were a luxury. A look at NYC's water infrastructure from collection points to the cisterns at the new base of America tower.     42nd St - Times Square Rats Alex Vial In the tunnels between 5th Avenue and Grand Central you can see rats snacking and scurrying around. They are not intruders - rats are omnipresent throughout the entire city. We just never notice them. A closer look at NYC's official mascot, the rat.   5 Av - Bryant Park 100,000 Years Meg Kelly, Grace Robinson-Leo Bryant Park has been home to glaciers, Lenape tribes, and the New York Public Library, and could someday be buried by a mountain of copper. 200,000 years of Manhattan's history and future are compressed into three and a half minutes.   Grand Central - 42nd St Falcons Sayli Korgaonkar High above us, the skyscrapers of Manhattan's 8th Avenue form a near-perfect hunting ground for New York City's falcons, who dive from dizzying heights to grab up their disoriented avian prey.   Vernon Blvd - Jackson Av Acoustic Ecology Aaron Hsieh, Evelyn Ting As the 7 train travels between Queens and Manhattan it actually passes under NYC's least heard acoustic ecology. Blub Blub! A closer listen to the audio environment of fish in the East River.   69 St Beetle Immigrants Lesley Merz, Alison Von Glinow Asian longhorn beetles hitch rides on wooden shipping crates sent to New York from across the globe. A closer look at the ecosystems that result from trade and transportation around the world.   82 St - Jackson Hts Food Ecology Alex Cook, Ryan Johns Restaurant manager Ramat Ali explains why he never gets homesick in Jackson Heights. Mangoes, chilies, and the occasional weevil are travelers in a two-way exchange between New York and India.   Willets Points - Shea 1939 World's Fair Emily Glass, Stephanie Odenheimer The transition from empty lot to utopian showspace still captures the imagination of New York residents.