Manna-Hatta's Last Native Forest is a series of photos that show my deep appreciation for this oasis of wild nature in the heart of New York City. Inwood Hill Park is the last Native Forest in Manhattan. It's unique because of its small mountain, salt marsh lagoon and rock formations that resemble caves. For several years, the forest was the canvas for Young Jee a Korean immigrant who spent the last years of his life making ephemeral circles with sticks, mulch, leaves or snow. Recently, a new marsh area was added to the park. It was protected from birds with a network of threads and bright plastic. In my eyes it was like an art installation that integrated itself with the landscape.
In recent years the forest has suffered greatly under several bursts of extreme winds. There is a tree that was shattered during hurricane Sandy. It didn't break a branch or come down uprooted, it broke in half. The other half is still standing, like a monument that reminds me of the consequences of climate change.
