Just In Case: The Ecological Survival Guide

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Mae Decena 2013


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TABLE OF JUST IN CASE: You need to quickly search within Just In Case for a particular skill or reference, the Table of Contents serve as a color coordinated directory for maximum efficiency in a survival situation. The tabs on the right correspond to the five sections listed, along with page numbers.


F CONtents INTRO TOOLS SKILLS

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Introduces the Survival Guide. A list of useful tools for a survival sitation. A series of skills that are essential to survival, including first aid, water purification, and hunting/trapping.

PLANTS, FUNGI & ANIMALS

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A basic guide to the natural ecosystem of the island of Manhattan.

MAP

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A map to assist in exploration and foraging.


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Intro

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JUST IN CASE: You find yourself fighting for survival after the fall of civilization, this guide will teach skills to help you rediscover Manhattan as it is reclaimed by the land’s natural ecology.

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Humans have built a system of operating and maintaining their civilizations that depends heavily on the suppression or manipulation of the natural environment for human use. Habitat destruction is common for harvesting natural resources or urbanization but damages our ecosystem by displacing or destroying the organisms that lived there before. If we are unable to prevent the collapse of the society that has for centuries maintained this system, how can the new modern New Yorker survive the new feral landscape of the city? JUST IN CASE is the ecological survival guide for the Post-Civilized Manhattanite, aimed to prepare the jaded urbanite for living without society’s conveniences by giving them the tools and skills to live off the land, through the narrative of the ecological landscape and increasingly complex biodiversity of a city without people.

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TOOLS

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JUST IN CASE: You need some tools to perform certain skills or actions in your survival. They are remnants of the lost civilization but if taken care of, they can last long enough to help you transition into more natural alternatives.

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For your Campsite: Bandages, matches, multitool, space blanket, rope, tent, containers for water For your Exploration: Rucksack, compass, water canteen, map


toolkit

exploration

Campsite

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SURVIVAL SKILLS

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JUST IN CASE: Something goes wrong, and aid must be quickly administered to either yourself or another person with minimal equipment.

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survival aid First aid or nursing in a survival context seldom receives as much interest or attention as it should, but learning these skills can save a significant number of lives. The well-meaning but uninformed practioner may make fatal mistakes when working under less than ideal conditions, so educating oneself about correct methods is essential. Supplies, such as bandages, gauze and disinfectant will be limited and finite so should be used sparingly and only in case of extreme emergency. Without antibiotics, sterilization, and other comforts of modern civilizations, the human body is more vulnerable to illness, disease and infection.

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You’re going to need: Just your hands, upper body strength and the air in your lungs. Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes

Additional Notes: Rescue breaths, may be helpful, but are considered secondary to chest compressions.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure, performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest, those who are unresponsive with no breathing or abnormal breathing. 1) Once positive that victim is not breathing properly, place them on their back, lying them as flat as possible to prevent injury. 2) Place the heel of your hand over the victim’s breastbone, between the nipples. Place your second hand perpendicular to the first, palm-down. 3) Place your body directly over your hands, so that your arms are straight and somewhat rigid. 4) Press down with both hands directly over the breastbone to perform a compression, which helps the heart beat. Repeat 30 times in a fast rhythm. 5) Place your hand on the victim’s forehead and two fingers on their chin and tilt the head back to open the airway. 6) If still unresponsive, perform rescue breaths. Keeping the airway open, pinch the victim’s nose closed. Make a seal with your mouth over the victim’s mouth and breathe out for about 1 second. Breathe slowly. Repeat. 7) Perform another 30 chest compressions and then, 2 more rescue breaths. Perform 5 cycles of CPR (compressions to rescue breaths) before checking again for life. 9


PERFORMING CPR If unconscious, remember to check for ABC’s before performing CPR: A) Airway - make sure the air way is unobstructed,

Cartoid

Groin

B) Breathing - make sure breathing is even.

C) Circulation - check all the major pulse points: wrist, carotid, and groin.

Breastbone

Wrist


Concussion You’re going to need: Wash cloth and ice (optional).

Estimated Time: 1-6 hours, varies.

Additional Notes: Keeping the person awake is essential to treating their concussion.

Concussion occurs when a blow to the head shakes the brain within the space between the brain and the skull 1) Determine if person has concussion. Symptoms include: severe headache, light sensitivity, blurred vision, seeing spots or “stars,” loss of coordination and balance, vertigo, numbness, tingling, or weakness, nausea and vomiting. 2) Have the person lie still, begin to asses their conciousness and alertness by engaging in conversation for physical stimulation, ask questions to keep them awake. 3) Apply a cold cloth to their head, use ice if available. 4) If the person wishes to sleep, wake them every quarter hour for the first 2 hours, then every half hour for the following 2 hours, then hourly. Every time you wake them, check their consciousness and responsiveness as above. 11


Shock Shock can be caused by many things such as blood loss, severe head injury, infection or trauma, heart failure, dehydration, allergic reactions. 1) Recognize the symptions of shock: rapid pulse, sweating, thirst, confusion, palm and clammy skin, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and nervousness. 2) Treat an visible injury and loosen any constricting clothing, check breathing and perform CPR if necessary. 3) Lay the victim on his back or whatever position it is easiest for the person to breathe. 4) Maintain normal body temperature and allow the person to rest, making sure to keep them comfortable and their airway clear.

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You’re going to need: N/A

Estimated Time: 1-6 hours, varies.

Additional Notes: Immediate treatment is key in succesful aid for a person in shock.


Wounds You’re going to need: Medical dressing, tape, and a bandage. Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Additional Notes: Place a layer of plastic between the dressing and the bandage if the wound might get wet.

Wounds are injuries that break, tear, cut or puncture the skin, damaging the dermis, specifically open wounds. 1) Clean the wound with water or a clean, damp cloth. A little bleeding is good and cleans the wound. 2) Apply pressure with a clean cloth to stop the bleeding. 3) Fold or tape the dressing to fit the size of the wound, taping in place. 4) Wrap a bandage around the injured limb or body, supporting and securing the dressing.

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Burns Burns that are fewer than three inches in diameter are generally considered minor burns. These types of burns usually heal quickly with minimal care. 1) Wash or sterilize your hands. 2) Emmerse the burn in cool or cold water for about five minutes, or until pain stops. 3) Look for signs of blisters or possible infection. Treat affected areas. 4) Do not bandage, air will heal the burn faster.

You’re going to need: N/A

Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Additional Notes: Never pop or burst any blisters caused by a burn, may become infected.

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JUST IN CASE: You want to learn how to pick a suitable campsite based on evenness of terrain, elevation and proximity to water. This site will be become the center of your experience, as both a place to sleep and eat but as a departure point for all exploration. 15


campsite bReeze

Sunlight Drainage

The breeze will help keep the bug away. Heading for an exposed knoll or a wind tunnel (look for a saddle between two hills) might find you a breezy spot.

Sunlight amounts are helpful. Choose a location that has lots of sunlight in the morning and shade in the late afternoon, to regulate temperature.

Water source

even Overhead Surfaces Danger

Watersources must be at least 200 feet from your site to prevent inadvertently contaminating the water or scaring wildlife away from their nightly drink.

Even surfaces are ideal for campsites. Look for forest duff or pine needle, mineral soil or sand. Lay out your groundcloth and lie down to check out the slope and whether there are big protruding rocks.

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Drainage is essential in a downpour. Avoid flat areas that lie in slight depressions, especially on non-porous, hard soil.

Overhead dangers must be avoided including the possibility of rock-fall from a scree-slope and widow-makers (dead trees that have started to fall but are held in place by other trees)


Water Rocks Sand

Charcoal

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h2o: PURIFICATION You’re going to need: A plastic bag or container, rocks, charcoal, sand, and a piece of string. Additional Notes: 1 gallon of water per person per day is suggested

Filtration requires more supplies but can more efficiently purify an already fresh water source. Using a cloth or plastic bag hung from a high place, you can use gravity clean your water. Tie off the bottom of the bag, filling from bottom to top with 2-3 inch layers of charcoal, sand, rocks, another layer of sand, and finally another layer of rocks on top. Place a bucket or drinking vessel underneath and then slowly pour water into the top of the bag to to collect purified water.

Estimated Time: 30 minutes

JUST IN CASE: You’re unable to find a clean water source and need to purify your supply by filtration or UV sunlight. Clean water is essential to health in survival situations where food can be scarce. 18


As Manhattan is an island of brackish marshland, a source of water will not be hard to find. There are two methods to purify your supply for usage. On the east side is the East River, a tidal strait that flows back and forth between the New York Bay and the Long Island Sound. On the west side, The Hudson River is a tidal estuary, transition between river environments and ocean environments. Fresh water flows down from the Adirondacks and meets with the Atlantic Ocean. Sea salt levels are highest with the tide. 19


h2o: PURIFICATION You’re going to need: A clear plastic or glass container Additional Notes: UV Purification is the only natural way to remove salt from drinking water.

UV Purification is a process in which solar radiation can disinfect or desalinate water. Leaving water in a clear plastic or glass container out in direct sunlight for over 6 hours will elimate most bacteria and evaporate sea salt.

Estimated Time: 6 Hours or more

Atleast six hours in direct sunlight.

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JUST IN CASE: You’re able to find plants but are unable to positively indentify it, use this test to ensure it’s okay to consume. You’re going to need: A knife, a pot, and a mortar & pestle. Estimated Time: 16+ Hours

SEpaRATE CONTACT out the five basic parts of the plant, some may be edible and some may not.

Additional Notes: If stinging or burning occurs, discard immediately. 21

tests are performed by crushing up separate parts of the plant with a mortar and pestle , then applying them to your wrist or elbow for a continuous 15 minutes. Wait 8 hours for effects.


EDIBILITY TEST

COOK

TASTE

SWALLOW

the plant parts by boiling them. Apply each individually to the lips and press for 3 minutes.

the boiled plant pieces by placing them on your tongue for 15 minutes. Chew the plant pieces and repeat.

the boiled plant pieces, finally. Consume no other food or drink, besides water. Wait 8 hours for effects.

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Bud Flower

Leaf

Stem

Roots

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PLANTS, fungi & animals Cap

Gills Partial Veil Stem

Cup 24


SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN

These indicate which parts of the plant are edible/in season: UNIVERSALLY EDIBLE Grasses - Pile grass onto cloth and beat out seeds with stick. Boil or roast seeds, boil stems. Nuts - Bitter taste can be washed away by rinsing mashed-up nuts. Bark - Inner layers of tree bark is edible boiled, roasted or chewed raw. Berries - Edible but must be tested carefully first. Ferns - A safe stand-by, scrub away hairs in fresh water. Elephant Grass - Grass, about 5 ft, boil edible roots, flowers, or shoots. Bamboo - Edible seeds, shoots, and roots. Seaweed - Clinging to rocks or floating is edible when healthy/fresh/ firm (though will make you thirsty).

American Elm

Staghorn Sumac

Common Violet

Lady’s Thumb

Amaranth

Blackberry

Wisteria

Mulberry

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PLANTS Dogwood

Autumn Olive

Hawthorn

Ginko

JUST IN CASE: You need to forage for food to avoid growing increasingly weak and vulnerable to predators, sickness or the elements. Keep in reserve food you have in your supplies, but foraging for edible plants can be an easy way to supplement your diet. Foraging is harvesting indigenous, wild plants and fungi, as well as fishing and hunting--it’s all about eating what the land provides. Because foraged plants are indigenous, they are best suited for the soil in your area, growing efficiently and in abundance, without the care, tending and treatments required of farming. Experiment with the best parts of plants to eat: fruit, bark, roots, seeds, pods, flowers, buds, nuts, leaves, stems, and bulbs. 26


SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN

These indicate which parts of the plant are medicinal/in season:

JUST IN CASE: Some of the plants you may forage will not be edible but can be helpful in other ways, medicinally for a variety of common ailments or afflictions. Witchhazel can be used as an astringent for itching, swelling, insect bites, minor burns and other skin irrations. Ground Ivy brewed into tea can be used to treat headaches and sinus congestion.

Cleavers may be made into salve for skin problems and for stopping bleeding. Mugwort tea can be used for fever, epilepsy, and stimulating blood. Greater Celadine may be used as atringent 27

for eczema, psoriasis, and jaundice. Catnip tea can be used to treat fever, bladder dysfunctions, congestion and colds. Pineapple Weed flowers made into tea treats intestinal upset, infected sores, fevers, and anemia. Horse Chestnut made into astringent can treat hemorrhoids and improve blood circulation. St. John’s Wort tea treats anxiety, depression, insomina. Sweet Pepperbush’s flowers can be crushed for soap-like foam. Yarrow tea to treat fevers, indigestion and kidney problems.


PLANTS Catnip Witch Hazel Greater Celadine Pineapple Weed Ground Ivy

St John’s Wort Horse Chestnut

Cleavers

Sweet Pepperbush Mugwort

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Yarrow


False Hellebore

Horse Nettle

Poison Ivy

A solid green stem with spirally arranged broad, elliptic leaves that end in a point, heavily ribbed with a hairy underside. Numerous flowers, with six green to yellowgreen petals. This deadly plant is highly toxic, ingestion causing nausea, vomiting and burning in the mouth. Untreated, poison slows respiration, cardiac rhythm and lowers blood pressure, eventually leading to death.

Leaves are alternate, elliptic-oblong to oval, and each is irregularly lobed or coarsely toothed, hairy on both sides. The flowers have five white or purple petals with yellow centers. Stems have spines that may penetrate the skin and break off. Berries look similar to tomatos, very toxic. Ingestion causes problems in the digestive system, excessive salivation, colic and diarrhea or constipation.

Found in three different variations: 1) a trailing vine, 2) a shrub or 3) a climing vine on another tree or shrub. Leaves alternate, with three leaflets sitting on a long stem. The leaflets are broad and the side leaflets are smaller than the middle leaf. Sap of the plant that causes an itching, irritation and sometimes painful rash when it comes in contact with skin.

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PLANTS Bittersweet

Jetbead

Black Nightshade

Thin, spindly vines have silver to reddish brown bark forms thickets, will twist themselves around other trees and shrubs and strangle them to death. Round and glossy leaves have toothed margins and grow in alternate patterns along the vines. Poisonous to consume. A woody vine native to East Asia, introduced to North America in 1879. It is currently considered an invasive species.

Upright stem with opposite (not alternate) serrated, broad leaves. Flowers are white and have four petals, fruit is a cluster of one to four shiny black drupes. Ingestion causes difficulty breathing, pupil dilation, abdominal pains, vomiting, spasms, convulsions, coma, respiratory failure. May be fatal if consumed in large quantities.

A branching shrub with long ovate leaves. The bell-shaped flowers are tyrian purple with green tinges and faintly scented. Green berries ripening to a shiny black berries that smell sweet. Four to five berries or one leaf can be fatal to ingest in adults. Ingestion cause sensitivity to light, blurred vision, staggering, headache, rash, severely dry mouth, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions.

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JUST IN CASE: You come across a large amount of mushrooms and want to identify which are safe to consume and which aren’t. Consume only small portions at first.

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fungi FORAGING Always avoid mushrooms unless you can certainly identify them. Separate and boil all parts to make sure they are safe to consume after careful examination. Autumn is usually thought of as mushroom seasonbut each individual species of fungus has its own season. There are species which appear only in the spring (Morel, St. George’s Mushroom) or prefer the summer (Sulfur Shelf, Chanterelle). Identifying mushrooms and other fungi is the most difficult aspect of foraging but knowing when and where to look for them is an equal challenge. Mushrooms are very particular about the conditions in which they will grow, some only growing in certain environments, such as at the base of a certain type of tree.

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Sulfur Shelf has 2-10 in. across “shelves,� made up of many tiny tubular yellow-orange filaments. The mushroom grows in large brackets. It is most commonly found on wounds of trees, mostly oak. Called chicken of the woods, for it’s poultry-like taste.

Boletus has a large brown cap up to 14 in. in diameter, has tube-like gills. Stem is white or yellow, between 2-10 in. long with a raised network pattern. High in protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, low in fat.

Chanterelle is orange or yellow, funnelled and meaty. Underneath the smooth cap, it has ridges that run almost all the way down its stem, which tapers down from the cap. It has a fruity smell, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste.

Edible Fungi

Sulfur Shelf

Boletus 33

Chanterelle


fungi FORAGING Amanita has a large yellow or green cap 2-6 in. in diameter, initially rounded and hemispherical, but flattening with age and a skirt-like partial veil. There is a swollen, ragged sac-like base that is a diagnostic marker.

Earthball has no stem, and do not have an open cap. When it is dry and brittle, it splits open and releases spores. Caps are firm and thick, ochre yellow externally with irregular warts. Differentiated from puffballs by lack of natural aperture.

Fibercaps are small and conical, though flattening somewhat in age, generally with a pronounced raised central knob. The cap often appears fibrous or frayed, with a long and thin stem. Highly adaptable and psychoactive.

Poisonous Fungi

Amanita

Earthball 34

Fibercaps


JUST IN CASE: You are need or want to trap, hunt or kill an animal for food or other uses. Wild animals are high protein and low in fat.

Meadow Vole

Squirrel While wild animals may be scarce in civilized Manhattan, the longer people are gone, the more vegation will grow and this means, that slowly but surely the food chain will reappear in the overgrown city. Don’t expect success at first. Hunting and trapping is something that comes slowly and with practice. Small rodents and insects will be both abundant and easier to trap or kill than other larger animals. Sometimes the least stuble approach is best for the inexperienced. Try and try again.

Deer


ANIMALS Weapons The HUNT Trapping Use everything and anything you can find or make. Capults made from already dead animals or any left over elastic. Makeshift clubs, bludgeons or spears. Rock missles. A stone attached to a vine can result in a yo-yo weapon that can stun a fish or small bird. Keep knives sharp with sandstones. Hold blade at silght angle and push away.

Turkey

Try to catch prey lying down, sitting down or standing. Discover where animals pass over a period of time. Hunt in the early morning or dusk. Hide downwind, facing the sun. Keep still, only crawl forward if the prey is drinking, feeding, or otherwise distracted. Freeze when they turn their head. Avoid snapping twigs, brushing aside foliage, or silhouetting yourself.

Mouse 36

Use lots of snares, traps, and deadfalls to capture or kill creatures. Keep traps simple and small. Natural looking traps are the most effective, placed in the narrowest part of trails. Snare wires, as well as natural supplies like rocks and sticks and leaves, are all you need. Once trapped, butcher animal immediately, leave entrails to attrach other prey within the next few hours.

Duck


9 10 11 a

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N

S

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Present-Day Manhattan

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Pre-Civilized Manhattan (Land)

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Pre-Civilized Manhattan (Marshes)

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MAP 4

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