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Earlier this year, I saw a social media video about a beaver sighting in New York City. I didn’t know beavers could survive in these waters. My introduction to local bodies of water was a dreary Circle Line cruise, followed by a “field trip” to Newtown Creek, possibly one of the most polluted waterways in the United States. Both experiences were part of a required undergrad course, so of course they’re blurred-out memories now. Throughout our Search + Discovery class, I’ve been thinking more and more about this beaver. It turns out, my initial assumption was partially right. Beavers don’t really live here anymore, but as recently as 1600, there could have been a million beavers making homes in the marshes, hills, forests, and meadows that existed on the landform we now know as New York City.

Recounting what I’ve learned about the beaver, I created four collages. Each collage contains various pieces of beaver history—past-present-future—sourced from across NYC archives and other people’s memories, stitched together to form distinct but interwoven maps. Drawing some inspiration from Toni Morrison's practice of "literary archaeology," I invite you to meander through my recollection— and the archives' records—of the beaver and of New York City. "Journey to a site to see what remains were left behind," Morrison invites us, and "reconstruct the world that these remains imply" (2026, 10). Let us welcome the beaver home and remember its central role in the creation and ongoing care of New York City.

Quote from Morrison, Toni. The Site of Memory. Spiral House, an imprint of Silver Press, 2026.

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