Illustration by rich Hauck
As I kid, I lived right across the street from the fetid Passaic River, a meandering waterway outside New York turned into an industrial dumping ground.
From my house’s picture window, I could see the brown, murky water, complete with the remains of a barge that had caught fire decades before and was still slowly decomposing into the sticky mud. And, when the wind was blowing right, I sure could smell it.
A few old-timers told me how, when they were my age, they swam and caught fish in the river, but, by the late 1970s, those days were long gone. So too were the pheasants and hawks and waterfowl that they claimed had been abundant.
On my block, we had brown squirrels, brown sparrows and brown trees, and that was about it for wildlife.
Perhaps that’s why, in part, I appreciate this area so much. In this space, I’ve often written about the businesses, restaurants and people here, but, in my book, the wildlife also ranks highly—the stately great egret, the playful mallards, and the fluttery goldfinches, to name a few.
This year, we had a special treat on my block as a pair of yellow-crowned night herons moved into the neighborhood, a delight to everyone except, perhaps, those who unwisely parked beneath their nest.
To me, Harrisburg boasts a unique combination of urban density and natural wonder, giving the city a singular character for the humans who choose to settle here.
Recently, I came upon a book entitled, “Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City.” In it, author Ben Wilson discusses how some animals have adapted to urban life, often quite successfully. These include foxes, falcons and raccoons, in addition to hardened city dwellers like pigeons, squirrels and crows.
All of these can be found here, but what makes Harrisburg unique is the presence of the mile-wide Susquehanna River. The river, its wetlands and nearby parks and natural areas add an abundance of diverse wildlife unrivaled by any city or suburb I’ve lived in before. Also, the river is highly accessible to walkers, runners, bikers, anyone—unlike in many cities where residents are cut off from their waterfronts by highways, railroads, industry and blight.
But, sure, the situation in Harrisburg is hardly perfect, and in his book, Wilson details how cities can further enrich urban life by better integrating the natural world, with the added benefit of helping to fight climate change.
In that spirit, I’m going to steal a few of his ideas and add one or two of my own as options for Harrisburg.
Increase tree canopy. According to the city forester, trees are vital for stormwater mitigation, air pollution removal and energy cost savings. But they also make cities more beautiful and livable, while providing stopovers, refuges and homes for many different types of wildlife. Unfortunately, if you take a walk around Harrisburg, you’ll readily see places where street trees should be, but aren’t—empty squares of dirt and weeds along a sidewalk. If one is in front of your house, please consider planting a tree. On its website, the city has a long list of acceptable street trees, and, if you can’t afford one, you may be able to get it for free.
Add wild grasses and flowers. Lawns are dead zones for most critters. However, native grasses and flowers are more likely to attract wildlife, both in abundance and diversity. They can also be less work overall, while allowing a gardener’s creativity to shine. As an old, densely built city, Harrisburg has many tiny backyards that offer terrific potential for small clusters of low-maintenance, complementary grasses, flowers and plants. I intend to heed my own advice. Decades ago, a previous homeowner slapped a big wooden deck over the entirety of my backyard, replacing, according to my neighbor, a lovely English-style garden. I plan to remove the now-rotting deck, place pavers under an overhang and add several planting areas.
Rethink roads. I’ve been accused of being obsessed with infrastructure, and, to that, I plead guilty. Harrisburg simply has too much asphalt for its needs, especially on state-owned roads. Forster Street, from the bridge to the Capitol Complex, could easily lose two lanes, with bump-outs, green spaces and rain gardens built in their stead. This would beautify the harsh streetscape while improving pedestrian safety. It also would help reduce vehicle speed and noise, a benefit to residents—both human and animal. Likewise, Front Street needs to have its speeds and noise reduced, and I’d also advocate cutting the rest of Front and 2nd streets down to two lanes, making them softer, safer and greener. And since I’m dreaming—let’s reimagine our downtown alleys as more than forlorn, empty asphalt strips. Many cities have transformed well-located, underused spaces into linear greenways, pocket parks and pleasant gathering areas.
When I was kid, I simply accepted my surroundings as they were: brown, ugly and smelly. In Harrisburg, I discovered something better—with hopes that it can be better, and greener, still.
Lawrance Binda is publisher/editor of TheBurg.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
