scrawny bald eagle, though others on campus know that the bald eagle’s call isn’t the classic screech you hear in the movies. That's the voice of a red-tailed hawk, and we think it may be a juvenile since people described it as a “scrawny or shaky” call. My 10th grade classmate Sam says that they heard a red-tailed hawk on campus “but it didn't sound like a juvenile.” So I sought the wisdom of one of Park's resident experts, Mr. Daniel from Earth Spirit, an environmental education program that teaches students from Pre-K to12th grade about the natural world. “The Park School campus possesses a patchwork of wooded and open areas, making it an ideal habitat for red-tailed hawks that like to hunt the open fields and edges. They are seen regularly and have even nested on campus,” says Mr. Daniel. Moving under water. For a school project, I decided to go fishing in the Park pond. I knew we had sunfish, pumpkinseed, and bluegill in there, so I thought it would be a good idea to go. But the following day, not only did I not catch anything, but I got this weird sludge on my line, which got me thinking, “What is that?” Why is it here all of a sudden, and why is there so much of it as opposed to last year? I decided to do some digging, but I didn’t find the answer on Google, Safari, or Wikipedia, I found it right here on campus. “What you saw are harmful algae blooms caused by an abundance of nitrates, which is essential for life - but if there’s too much of it, it can cause an overgrowth of plants causing overpopulation,” says Life Science teacher Ms. Sisyukin. She says that the algae blooms are deoxygenating the water, which causes big problems for the fish we have living in the Park pond, especially the species that live near the bottom of the pond. Since the Park pond is part of a watershed, all the water, and everything in the watershed—from the streets, underground, and even people's houses who live nearby—flows right into the Park pond. Ms. Sisyukin says that the increase of the blooms may be because somebody nearby used fertilizer on their plants, and when it rained, all the nitrates in the fertilizer were swept into the pond. A golden-crowned kinglet found last year on campus. As students, faculty, staff, and even those who just live in the area, it's important that we recognize that, like it or not, and although we may not mean to, our actions have a big impact on the environment around us. When we make mistakes that are harmful, it can be hard to fix them. Lucky for us, we have an amazing community here at Park, so there's no doubt in my mind that we can help. From our incredibly talented and capable student body to our hardworking and dedicated staff, we have to find a way to preserve and protect Park’s ecosystem. Nature and the natural world were here first, and they are sharing their home with us. You don't need to be a naturalist to help out the environment either. If you really want to help preserve not only the Park campus but the wonderful world we live in, there are some little things you can do to help. First, you can recycle as much as you can. This stops the growth of landfills, which are a big enough problem as is. Though this act won’t get rid of all the waste, it will stop the spread and allow us to focus on finding a safe and eco-friendly way to dispose of waste without needing to worry about the influx in the meantime. Second, you can also refrain from littering and pick up any trash you see. Most litter has likely been there for a while, so this helps stop it from piling up and harming our wildlife. Planting a tree or a garden is another great way to help out, too. If you do decide to plant a garden, make sure you use native plants. If they aren't native, keep them from spreading harm to the native plants. Most of all, spread the word; if we want to keep living on this planet, we need to take care of it. So share this with someone, and stay tuned for the next article. Next time you want to learn more about our Park ecosystem, look at things from a Bird’s Eye View. Editor's Note: This article appeared in the October 2024 issue of The Latest, Park's student-run newspaper, which was revived this year after a long hiatus. The author, Jacob, has attended Park since 2013. His brothers, Charlie '30 and Sammy '32, are also Park students. One of many hawks that frequently survey and hunt on campus. A view of the pond. 14
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