The Central Park Squirrel Census
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Scott Lowden Photography
The sun shone through October treetops. The air glistened. Mosquitoes squeeed by ears. Central Park low, rich with activity and greenery and soil and the wait, wait, wait for Autumn to finally show to Throughout, the Eastern Grays worked the acorn mines. And our legion of Squirrel Sighters, equipped clipboards and pencils and buttons and curiosity, observed and appreciated and recorded the ways of carolinensis. The Central Park Squirrel Census was on.
Searching for something in the ground but couldn’t find it
hummed the party. with Sciurus
The Central Park Squirrel Census X
Scott Lowden Photography
Some days, the cloud cover came, and with it the drizzle and occasional sprinkle that dampened eyelashes and shoes. Other days, the flinty breeze brought sharp snaps of chill (finally), ushering we-all bundled in layers and beanies to seek huddled shelter in the slanted light to prep for another morning or afternoon of wandering hectares in that Mother of Parks, searching for our gray and cinnamon and black and white quarry. 350 hectares of park space. Over 300 volunteers, each roamed and tallied at least twice. Over 3,000 sheets of records.
The Central Park Squirrel Census X
Scott Lowden Photography
The city was abuzz with the very idea of a “squirrel census.”
The Central Park Squirrel Census X
Scott Lowden Photography
VERY SHORT ACCIDENTAL POEMS ABOUT CENTRAL PARK FOUND IN THE SQUIRREL SIGHTER NOTES
While pouring over the notes written by Squirrel Sighters during the Central Park Squirrel Census, the Census Team noticed some of the observations read like — and held the structure of — short poems. They are listed here by the park hectare in which they were written.
Two cute tiny chipmunks played around. There was a hummingbird like tiny bird
Two people / lots of sparrows and bluejays near ground plane. Quiet! Cold and damp. Light rain.
3F
Walking when the sun started to come through the trees, so I looked to my right to see two big grassy hills, and the sun shining rays through them, highlighting the leaves and pollen falling through the air, as if it was raining in slow motion.
Hectare was peacefully bustling. It was a peaceful bustle. A monk came to bless the squirrels.
17I
37D
15E
31D Hear wind blowing through the tree as the sun peeks out of the sky. There are tennis players. Bike riders. Red Breast Robins hopping around. There is a water fountain where runners stop to drink water. That is something I have not seen in a very long time
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The Central Park Squirrel Census X
Scott Lowden Photography
S A N
SQUIRREL ABUNDANCE NUMBER 2,373
Squirrel being photographed by three people while eating and watching calmly
We made cab drivers laugh. We wore our navy and yellow buttons on trains and in restaurants and were asked if we were the ones counting all the squirrels. As a matter of fact...The mayor’s office tweeted us. The media cut in, demanding clarification. Has the world gone so rotten that the idea of a census of squirrels so stretches our collective credulity? Did we help people, in our own small way, believe in something again? Maybe?‌
see more images at: scottlowden.com/PROJECTS/squirrel-census Get your very own squirrel swag and the CPSC 2019 report at: thesquirrelcensus.com
The Squirrel Census Team: Josh O’Connor Stewart Haddock Nat Slaughter Sally Parham Jamie Allen
All words © Squirrel Census 2019
ABOUT THE SQUIRREL CENSUS: The Squirrel Census is a multimedia science, design, and storytelling project focusing on the Eastern Gray (Sciurus carolinensis). In October 2018, with the help of over 300 voluteers, as well as The Explorers Club, NYU Department of Environmental Studies, Macaulay Honors College, the Central Park Conservancy, and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation — they tallied the squirrels in Central Park, then released The Central Park Squirrel Census 2019 Report in June. Their work has been featured in The New York Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post, NPR, NatGeo, Popular Science, Now This News, Atlas Obscura, and other outlets. thesquirrelcensus.com RANDYCOLE.COM | 212.760.1212