The Mannahatta Project

No, not the Manhattan Project, even though KV was home to the Rosenbergs, but The Mannahatta Project, from WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show of May 19th

Landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson takes us back to what the isle of Manhattan must have looked like back in 1609. Sanderson combed through historical and archaeological records, geographically matched an 18th-century map of Manhattan to the modern cityscape, and used modern principles of ecology and computer modeling to re-create the wilds of the island four centuries ago

.below the audio from that segment

below, an excerpt from the latest Mannahatta Project Newsletter of May 22, 2009 Edition

Dear Friends of the Mannahatta Project,
We hope this edition of the Mannahatta Project Newsletter finds you enjoying all the natural splendor that spring has to offer. This week is a truly exciting week for the Mannahatta Project! We have two major events to announce.
This week we release the new version of the Mannahatta website, themannahattaproject.org. Since the site’s beta version release in April, we have added a host of new functions and pages that make it more informative and interactive. Go to the map and click on a city block find out what type of plants and animals called it home, whether the Lenape people lived or worked there, and what kind of landscape features appeared on that block. For example, you can find out if mountain lions once roamed Fifth Avenue and if Times Square used to be a swamp, or you can discover what kind of trees grew where the Empire State Building now stands. Click on the block where you live, work or visit to find out all you never knew about it. You can also use the slider bar to fade from Mannahatta to modern day to see how the island has changed in the last 400 years!
This week also sees the opening of the new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, "Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City". Through this multimedia experience you will be able to "go back in time" to experience Mannahatta for yourself and consider what ecosystems and cities and share today. This major installation at MCNY is the culmination of a decade of research and a major cultural event for New York City residents and visitors alike.
Sincerely, The Mannahatta Project

Robert Sullivan reviews “Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City” in the New York Times book review. Read the review or listen to podcast.