Doll Herbalism in collaboration with Gotham Taxidermy and People's Riisearch is happy to offer summer Queer beach plant walks exploring the sand dune ecologies, plant life, bird life, People's history, Black History and flowers of the People's Beach at Jacob Riis park and Fort Tilden Park. Both are current and historic Queer NYC gathering and cruising sites. We are so lucky to have very special guest facilitators:
Sunday August 2nd REGISTRATION CLOSED!!
Divya Anantharaman of Gotham Taxidermy and the Plover Project will be joining us to lead a bird walk as we use our senses to focus on more than humans: birds and plants alike.
NEW RAIN DATE SUNDAY 9/6 (formerly Saturday 8/22)
Dr. jah elyse sayers of People's Riisearch and Riis Beach Bloc Association will be joining us to discuss a people's history of Riis focused on Black, trans, queer, and working-class congregation on the ever-changing coastline.
Sunday 8/2: 3-8 pm
Join Divya of Gotham Taxidermy and the Plover Project and Ayelet of Doll Herbalism as we explore the sand dune ecosystem of our beloved queer Riis beach and Fort Tilden.
In learning about our ecosystems we will focus on plants growing on the sand dunes and birds living amidst them.
We will learn some plant ID guidelines and some plant characteristics. These will include some medicinal aspects of them, but primarily focusing on learning to recognize them in their habitats and what roles they play there. We will discuss relationships with other parts of the landscape around them and what keeps our queer beach gathering and cruising habitats intact.
In this birding experience, we will engage with the act of observation, building comfort and awareness of our senses, to connect to the beach and to each other.
This is a gently guided experience, intended to nurture engagement with birds (and other wildlife) found at the beach. We will move at your own pace and look for birds primarily by sight and sound. Unlike traditional birding which prioritizes species identification and counts, our focus will be on engaging our senses. Knowing the presence of these beings comes before knowing their names, though we will have ID apps accessible. There is absolutely no birding experience required-all are welcome!
This will be a fairly long hike covering both Riis and long stretches of Tilden. We will be traveling, stopping, and observing along the beach, covering varied terrain, including but not limited to hiking up and down sand dune paths. There will be time spent moving and stationary, standing and sitting, depending on the locations visited. The pace will be dictated by the group, and is meant to be relaxed and inclusive.
A unique combination of science and style, Divya Anantharaman is New York City's premiere taxidermist. Their award winning work centers honor and compassion for animals, and seeks to combine the demonstrative aspect of scientific presentation with the symbolic, introspective nature of art. Their practice seeks to reimagine taxidermy as an act of reverence, a meditation on mortality. Their clients span museums, designers, gallerists, and collectors, though Divya most enjoys demystifying this scientific art in their beginner friendly classes. They've starred in the Emmy winning documentary, Rearranging Skin, which portrays taxidermy as a practice rooted in care. In their commitment to conservation, they serve on the board of NYC Plover Project Feminist Bird Club, and Flatbush Cats, and other efforts to engage diverse audiences with nature. You can learn more at gothamtaxidermy.com.
SUNDAY 9/6
Join Dr. jah elyse sayers of People's Riisearch and the Riis Beach Bloc Association for A people's history of Riis focused on Black, trans, queer, and working-class congregation on the ever-changing coastline. We'll walk the length of Riis Park in order to dive into the queer movements of people, sea & sand; how capital shapes it; how plants stabilize it; how flowers give us beauty and vibes; and the people’s infrastructures for queer movement & gathering ever-emerging.
This will be a relatively shorter hike covering the entirety of Riis up til the border with Tilden. We will be walking mostly on beach and boardwalk, stopping at many different points for interactive experiential historical, geographical and botanical learning.
This walk will be more focused on the humans who have made Riis the haven it is, and specifically communities who are Black, trans, queer and working class. That said, we will discuss the plant life growing amidst these living cultural hubs, learn about flower essences, and create an essence together to embed these histories and struggles into medicinal form.
jah elyse sayers (they/them) directs their creative energy toward liberatory placemaking through research, writing, artmaking, teaching, and building. Their work blends political education, community organizing, and participatory research, and their current book project offers a political geography of erosion and queer placemaking at the People's Beach and Jacob Riis Park. jah is the initiator and a member of the People’s Riisearch Group–a team of community-based researchers caring for histories, futures, and the now of queer Riis–and an initiating member of the Riis Beach Bloc Association–a queer civic group and space for sharing knowledge and resources toward community and environmental care at queer Riis Beach.
For more info on Ayelet of Doll Herbalism please see here
Dynamics:
The event aims to offer a space for people to connect around love of people's history, birds plants and ecosystems, get to know each other and also when appropriate, cruise. Please be respectful and attuned to verbal and non verbal cues. We will be talking about this with regards to our relationships to the non-human world as well as with one another. This event is flirty friendly but that does not need to be your vibe to join.
Logistics
Please come prepared for afternoon sun and whatever weather brings. Usually the wind comes in in the evening and layers would be wise.
Please come prepared to take care of your own hydration and food needs.
For those who are coming along from Riis to Tilden there will be around a 30-35 min walk between the two points. Please prepare accordingly.
Sunset in August is between ~8:00 pm - 8:20 pm, getting earlier for the later August dates. We will depart for Buses and Parking lot around 9. Parking lot closes at 10. You are welcome to leave the group whenever you wish.
Ayelet will share her location for those who want to join only for the Tilden segment.
Accessibility
There is a lot of walking involved. The walk in each location is on uneven sandy terrain and therefore is not wheelchair accessible. The walk on Tilden especially is long and up some steep hills. We will go down some overgrown paths, please wear long pants and closed shoes for poison Ivy, which is abundant on Tilden now. Masks are optional.
A few notes and feedback from last time to take in mind:
- 8/2 Plant and Bird Walk A lot of walking: The walk segment is more like a hike. We will be walking around 15-20 mins riis-Tilden entrance, then around ~20-25 mins to the path to the battery, then around ~10-15 mins up steep sand dune sloped terrain and eventually up a lot of steps to the battery. Please keep this in mind. 8/22 people's history will be a bit less walking mostly on beach and boardwalk with a lot of stopping for interactive activities.
- A lot of poison Ivy: poison ivy is popping at both Riis and especially Tilden right now. For the Fort Tilden segment of 8/2 please wear or change into long pants and closed shoes.
- Timing: if you are arriving or rejoining for the Tilden segment, please be very prompt. Pay attention to where you park, the walk from Tilden parking to the meet up spot is somewhat long.
Payment:
Each date is: $45 or $30 - $90 sliding scale
Please note that each date will feature different experiential and educational content. You are welcome and encouraged to sign up for both. Please use the sliding scale according to your means to make participation possible.
If you are BIPOC or a low income trans woman who would like to attend but otherwise would not be able to offer the lowest end of the sliding scale please email me at dollherbalism@gmail.com for other payment options.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
