"Gary Francis had spent much of his life fishing, boating and diving in the vast blue waters of the Caribbean. When he came to New York City, he was mystified. The city is surrounded by water, but access to it was incredibly limited. Largely closed off and isolated, the city's water was unwelcoming, much of it bordered by barbed wire or "no trespassing" signs."
"Eventually, he found a home paddleboarding in the most unlikely of places: the Gowanus Canal. "Everybody loves to hate on the Gowanus Canal," said Francis, who is now captain of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club. "Even as abused as it is, it is still incredibly beautiful and full of life." One particularly important piece of life in the Canal: the Atlantic ribbed mussel, known for its ability to filter water."
"In the 19th century, it boomed as a commercial hub and supported large numbers of factories and chemical plants. This industrialization, coupled with an ongoing sewage overflow issue, led to its designation as a federal Superfund site in 2010. A Superfund site is an area that has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as especially contaminated and hazardous. The agency oversees the cleanup of these locations."
The Gowanus Canal, once a thriving salt marsh, became heavily industrialized and is now a federal Superfund site with deep toxic sludge and ongoing sewage overflow problems. Atlantic ribbed mussels naturally filter water but are losing habitat as cleanup and structural changes proceed. Community members are creating artificial habitats to encourage mussel growth and increase filtration potential. Local paddlers and volunteers view the Canal as a living place worth restoring and are actively intervening to support species that can improve water quality and ecological resilience.
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