Washington Square Park Ecology

Washington Square Park Ecology will create a map of the ecological assets of the park. Local Ecology and the Washington Square Park Blog have partnered on this project. The final goal is a mobile map of the trees (of a certain size) and the buried Minetta Brook/Creek. Users of the website will see a map of the trees and the route of the brook. Species and size information will be provided for the trees. Trees of note will be highlighted; for example, the historic elm in the NW corner of the park as well as the sites of the former Japanese sophora trees that were removed during the park's recent renovation. A narrative of the brook will be available as one walks its length through the park.

The following steps to completion have been identified:

1.  Locate a reliable base map of the park

2.  Determine the route of the buried brook via archival materials

3.  Survey all the trees: Measure diameter and identify species

4.  Secure a website and a coder

5.  Create and test the map

6.  Launch the project

At 9.75 acres, Washington Square Park is one of the largest green, open spaces in the Greenwich Village neighborhood.  While famous for the fountain and arch, the park has ecological assets that we feel should be highlighted more prominently.  Its trees are one asset.  The other is the buried creek and its associated marshland.  While we cannot restore the creek and the marsh, this project provides an opportunity to inform users and visitors not only about what they can see - the trees - but also about the park's historic ecology and its connection to a larger system of waterbodies in the neighborhood and the city.