Hallowed Landfill

On the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, wildlife biologists reminisce about the role they played in the recovery of human remains.

Written byJef Akst

| 3 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

3:00

Scavenging birds remain a problem at many landfills around the world, but their foraging became a grave concern at Fresh Kills in the months following 9/11. PETERNUNES PHOTOGRAPHY/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

In the days after September 11, 2001, workers continuously shuttled between Manhattan and Staten Island, eventually delivering more than 1.8 million tons of debris from Ground Zero by barge and truck to the Fresh Kills Landfill. Once the largest landfill in the world, Fresh Kills had been closed for good just six months earlier, after more than 50 years of accepting New York City’s garbage. When wildlife biologist Richard Chipman arrived at the site on September 18, he says there was only one word to describe the scene: chaos.

“There was a lot of activity—a lot of people in close proximity to the debris and in close proximity to lots of vehicles moving up and down the hills, lots of dust . . . oozing ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
View Full Profile