WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

ENDANGERED SPECIES/
VERNAL POOLS

PLANT COMMUNITIES

GREAT SWAMP WATERSHED

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ
A semester-long project
focusing
on
watershed
management and vision
planning.
These maps are part of an
intense GIS-based inventory
and analysis of the biological
and ecological components
of the Great Swamp
Watershed.
Under my
leadership, my team sought
to conserve the natural
resources of the watershed by
creating a greenway spanning
Legend
the region.
Such action
would
allow
for
the
Roads
proliferation of wildlife and
Vernal Pools
plant species, which would
Potential Vernal Habitat Area
maintain ecosystem services
Vernal Habitat Area
and
provide
future
Endangered Species Habitat generations
with
an
abundance of nature to
Low Habitat Viability
Threatened Species Present experience and appreciate.

Legend
Roads
Watershed Boundary
Coniferous Forest
Agricultural Land
Deciduous Forest
Deciduous Wetland

Endangered Species Present

Herbaceous Wetland
Water

EXISTING PRESERVED LAND

Source: NJDEP, The Landscape Project

1.25

2.5

Miles

VISION PLAN: WILDLIFE

CORRIDOR

Our analysis of existing

preserved land, paired with
information gleaned from a
class-wide developmental
suitability analysis allowed us
to create our vision plan.
After studying individual
parcels and deciding where
to purchase development
rights, we drafted our wildlife
corridor.
The system of
interconnected open space
would extend into the
watersheds context--linking
to the Black River Wildlife
Management Area to the
Northwest and the South
Mountain Reserve to the
Southeast.
All Maps and Drawings: Brian
Curry.
Programs: ESRI ArcMap, and
Adobe Illustrator

Preserved Land

Projected Preserved Land

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

1.25

2.5

Miles

Cherry Grove Farm Meadow

Mix and Planting Plan

Echinacea purpurea--Purple Coneflower

UMM

WMM

Aster novae-angliae--New England Aster

UMM

Aster novi-belgii--New York Aster

WMM

Eupatorium purpureum--Sweetscented Joepyeweed

BIOFILTRATION FIELD

CHERRY GROVE FARM

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ
Landscape
Architecture
Program
at
Rutgers
University focused on the
design of an educational
trailhead at Cherry Grove
Farm in Lawrenceville, NJ.
The main focus of my teams
design was the creation of a

UMM

Liatris spicata--Dense Blazing Star

UMM

Solidago rigida--Stiff Goldenrod

The meadow was placed to

rainwater and runoff from
adjacent pastures.
The
current state saw water
washing quickly down a
makeshift swale, carrying
manure into a native wetland,
where the pond had
undergone eutrophication.
By planting a native wet
meadow, the plants would

WMM

Euthamia graminifolia--Grass-leaf Goldenrod

Rudbeckia fulgida--Orange Coneflower

UMM

excess nutrients before it

reached the wetland.
WMM

Veronia noveboracensis--New York Ironweed

Asclepias incarnata--Swamp Milkweed

WMM

Asclepias tuberosa--Butterflyweed

UMM

Calamagrostis canadensis--Bluejoint

The species composing this

planting plan were selected

WMM

replenish soil. All selected

plants are also able to be
used as feed for the cattle
when it is time for fall
cutbacks. The spreadsheet
highlights some of the main
characteristics taken into
consideration during species
selection.

WMM

Tripsacum dactyloides--Eastern Gamagrass

Sorgastrum nutans--Indiangrass

UPLAND MEADOW MIX

UMM

UPLAND/WETLAND MIX
WET MEADOW MIX

NATIVE SHRUB MIX

NATIVE TREE MIX

16

32

Scale: 1/16=1-0

Coreopsis lanceolata--Lanceleaf Tickseed

Scien

UMM

c Name

Calamagros s canadensis
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Symphyotrichum novaeangliae
Oligoneuron rigidum
Solidago rugosa
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii
Solidago exicaulis
Eupatorium purpureum

Andropogon gerardii--Big Bluestem

Common Name

UMM

Seeds/Pound

W.I.S Shade Tolerance

Plant Type

Bluejoint
Boneset

3,837,472
2,560,000

FACW+
FACW+

No
Low

Graminoid
Forb

New England Aster

S Goldenrod
Rough-Stemmed
Goldenrod
New York Aster
Zigzag Goldenrod
Sweetscented
Joepyeweed

1,029,655
1,009,000

FACW
FACU

Low
Medium

Forb
Forb

1,000,000
700,000
700,000

FAC+
FACW+
FACU

Medium
No
High

Forb
Forb
Forb

672,000

FAC

High

Forb

Eupatorium purpureum
Aggression Rudbeckia fulgida
Tridens avus
Moderate Veronia noveboracensis
Moderate-High Euthamia graminifolia
Coreopsis lanceolata
High Sorghastrum nutans
High Asclepias incarnata
Andropogon gerardii
Moderate-High Echinacea purpurea
Low Liatris spicata
Moderate Asclepias tuberosa
Tripsacum dactyloides
Moderate-High Carex intumescens

Joepyeweed
Orange Cone ower
Purpletop
Ironweed
Grass-leaf Goldenrod
Lanceleaf Tickseed
Indiangrass
Swamp Milkweed
Big Bluestem
Purple Cone ower
Dense Blazingstar
Bu er yweed
Eastern Gamagrass
Bladder Sedge

672,000
496,000
465,000
360,000
250,000
221,000
174,720
153,761
144,240
115,644
100,000
70,000
7,200
Unknown

FAC
FAC
UPL
FACW+
FACW
FACU
FACU
OBL
FAC
FACU
FAC
UPL
FAC
FACW

High
Low
No
Medium
Low
No
Low
No
Low-Med
Low
Medium
Low-Med
Medium
High

Forb
Forb
Graminoid
Forb
Forb
Forb
Graminoid
Forb
Graminoid
Forb
Forb
Forb
Graminoid
Graminoid

Moderate-High
Moderate-High
Low
Moderate
High
Moderate
Moderate-High
Low
Moderate-High
Moderate-High
Low
Low
Low
Low

Details: AutoCAD plan with

minimal Adobe Illustrator
Rendering
Meadow Mix: Developed by
Brian Curry with help from Dr.
Jean Marie Hartman, Botanist

BRIAN
B
RIAN
CURRY

CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

FIELD ECOLOGY
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
HERPETOLOGY
For the past four years, I have
been
involved
in
a
herpetological study led by
doctoral candidate, Jeremy
Feinberg. I am a co-author of
published in PLOS ONE on
October 29th, 2014. The
article,
titled
Cryptic
Diversity in Metropolis...,
concerns the discovery,
genetic differentiation, and
taxonomy of the Atlantic
Coast leopard frog (Rana
kauffeldi),
a
previously
undocumented species in the
New York City area.
I
conducted
much
of
including habitat assessment,
population
studies,
environmental monitoring,
and holotype collection. My
responsibilities
required
strong
native
plant
biological and
principles.

ecological

discovery broke in March of

2012, my images of the
holotype specimen have been
published worldwide.
Image Sources:
http://inhabitat.com/nyc/new-leopard-frog-s
pecies-discovered-in-new-york-city/souther
n-leopard-frog/
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/17/us/new-yo
rk-frog-species/
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2
012/03/16/new-frog-discovered-in-nyc-fres
hwater-species-of-the-week/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/nyregi
on/new-leopard-frog-species-is-discovered
-in-nyc.html

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

CHARLIE KONTOS
MEMORIAL GATEWAY KIOSK
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
In the Spring of 2012, I was
asked by the family of the late
Charlie Kontos Jr., a wildlife
biologist and photographer, to
design and construct a
memorial kiosk and trail
system at the Rutgers
University Eco-Preserve. I
have worked closely with the
family, Rutgers facilities, and
professors on this project,
which will become the new
gateway to the Preserve.
Charlie Kontos and Kiosk Info

Rutgers University
Eco-Preserve

tion, and History

Maps, Trail Informa

Concept, Life and Work,

Purpose of the Windows

of the Site

Instead of walking up to the

kiosk, one walks through it.
The
horizontal
slats,
constructed
of
locally
harvested black locust lumber,
act as a bird blind for the
native meadow surrounding
the kiosk.
Kontos
was
an
avid
environmental educator, and

SPRING RENDERING AT GATEWAY KIOSK

FINISHED PROJECT (NOV.

this. I included four colored

plexiglass windows allowing
2014) visitors to explore the
properties of light, as well as
the vision-related biological
concepts.
The kiosk has become part of
its context--beckoning visitors
from the Livingston Campus
boulevard to explore the
Ecological Preserve.
This project was completed
and dedicated on Oct. 23,
2014--what would have been
Charlies 38th birthday.
Details:
(Top) Rhino 3D
Model, minimally rendered in
Adobe Photoshop. (Bottom)
Photo of Completed project,
Nov. 2014

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

BIO-INSPIRED PAVILION

LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER

JERSEY CITY, NJ
This project was part of a
construction
studio
at
Rutgers University focused on
detailed technical drawings.
The aim for each student was
to design an educational
pavilion space for children
and adults alike.

LSC

My goal was to present

visitors to the Liberty Science
Center with new ideas,
instilling in them an
appreciation
of
lesser
understood
biological
systems. I used the form and
function of mycorrhiza to
design
interesting
and
educational
spaces.
Three-dimensional
parametric modeling software
was used to model the
branching
patterns
of
mycorrhiza. The resulting
grid is constructed of
permeable concrete and
throughout the structure,
much
like
mycorrhiza
transports water and nutrients
through its tendrils and into
plant roots.

AUTUMN RENDERING AT ENTRANCE

SECTION AT LAB SPACE
SYMBOL:

NOTES:

PERVIOUS CONCRETE WALL. MINIMUM DEPTH TO FOOTER:

18. FOOTER IS INSTALLED ATOP A 6 DEEP BED OF DRAIN
ROCK.

1X6 BLACK LOCUST DECKING LAID ATOP 2X8 DOUGLAS FIR

JOISTS.

TRANSLUCENT GLASS RAILING/ LAB WALL AND TABLE. TO BE

INSERTED INTO A STEEL PRAM AND FASTENED TO GROUND
WITH A J BOLT.

FINE BLUESTONE GRAVEL--6 DEEP. TO BE TAMPED LIGHTLY,

ALLOWING FOR PERMEABILITY.

MOLDED PLASTIC LAB BENCH. TO BE FASTENED IN PLACE

USING A BOLT.

SIMPSON STRONG TIE JOIST HANGER. PLACED 16 O.C.

ALONG DECKING PATHWAYS.

16

The projects strength lies in

its ability to visualize an
underground system few are
familiar with. This creates in
visitors the desire to learn
more about the earth and its
intricate complexities, which
represents a new creative
frontier.
Details: Rhino 3D model
rendered
in
Adobe
Photoshop, and AutoCad
section rendered in both
Photoshop and Illustrator

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

32

EXPERIMENTAL PLAY
TRENTON, NJ

This
project
was
a
semester-long study of
Trenton, with the goal of
creating spaces that would
revitalize the city. Through
natural
park
space
throughout the city as one of
the principal contributors to
its degradation. Parks have
the potential to create a sense
of community--pride in ones
hometown--that is essential
to any citys well-being.
Successful
parks
often
showcase local features, and
this was key to my location
selection.
One of my designs for this
project focused on a portion
of the Assunpink Creek
adjacent to an abandoned
housing project. I designed
an interactive reclaimed log
trail winding through a
successional meadow and
across the creek, introducing
children to natural concepts
in an intensely urbanized
area. The log trail would
promote
creative
play,
encouraging children to work
to
understand
their
environment.
The native
meadow is planted to
remediate the compacted,

AUTUMN RENDERING AT NATIVE MEADOW PARK SPACE

SECTION OF LOG TRAIL AT ASSUNPINK CREEK

site, in hopes of limiting the

pollution of the Assunpink
into the Delaware River.
Details: Rhino 3D model,
rendered in
Adobe
Photoshop, and AutoCAD
section, rendered in both
Adobe
Photoshop
and
Illustrator

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246

PHOTOGRAPHY
PUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Photography offers one the
ability to share landscape
experiences with the world.
My photography is an attempt
at understanding the places
to which I travel; each frame
revealing something new. I
hope my images are able to
inspire others, instilling in
them an appreciation of, and
fascination
with
the
environment.
All Images: Brian Curry

BRIAN
CURRY
curry.brian.r@gmail.com
908.420.9246