Site-specific footage, microscopy imaging, and soundscapes of underwater and underground recordings from locations around Jamaica Bay, centrally feature microscopic green algae, nematodes, amphipods, and mussels, saltmarsh hay, saltmarsh cordgrass, phragmites– a combination of native and invasive species. Field recording sites include: Marine Park, Bayswater Park, Sunset Cove Park, Hook Creek Park, and Fresh Creek Nature Preserve.
An investigation of the histories of stewardship in the marshlands around Jamaica Bay requires an acknowledgement of the original and rightful stewards of this land. The Rockaway and Canarsie Lenape called the estuary and surrounding land Yameco, meaning beaver, from which Jamaica Bay gets its name. The marshes remember; they hold history, hold forced displacement, hold violence.