Distillations magazine

Unexpected Stories from Science’s Past
June 23, 2016 Environment

CSI: Gowanus—Cleaning up the Canal

Take a trip down Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal with cartographer and citizen scientist Eymund Diegel.

Gowanus Canal
About SUPPORT OUR WORK

Cartographer and citizen scientist Eymund Diegel is tracing the natural history and hidden environments of his Brooklyn neighborhood.

“What looks like a hellhole actually has scenic potential,” says Diegel. “So you think this could be Venice. You laugh, you say, ‘This guy is out of his mind.’ But technically there is no reason why this could not be one of the prettiest spots in New York City.”

More from our magazine

Renaissance oil painting woman holding a mirror while another looks on
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

Controversy, Control, and Cosmetics in Early Modern Italy

In a society that damned women for both plainness and adornment, wearing makeup became a defiant act of survival.

black and white photo of a seated man in a lab coat
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

Joe Hin Tjio Counts Chromosomes

A basic scientific error hid in plain sight for decades until an Indonesian geneticist spent Christmas break on a lab bender.

Color illustration of a desert scene with a car in the foreground and storm clouds on the horizon
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

Everyday Monsoons

Washes and other gaps in the Sonoran Desert.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.