Six Mile Cypress Slough

This was my first time going to Six Mile Cypress Slough, I had no idea it was so close to FGCU. When first pulling into the preserve I noticed right away that the environment was creative because there was a bird sculpture in the parking lot. When we started to walk on the board walk right away we saw wildlife around us. We saw a white bird and then a baby alligator then as we kept walking we saw different types of birds and fish. I loved how the board walk opened up to the lake and we could see the complicity of the preserve. The weather was perfect and the walk was just long enough, I enjoyed how there were many shaded areas to stop, sit, and look at the scenery. There was nothing that I didn't enjoy I really loved going to the preserve and seeing the wildlife and the scenery. We saw woodpeckers and turtles as well as many of the plant species we covered in class such as the Cypress Tree, Aerobic plants, Slash Pines, and cabbage palms. The slough is such a unique place in Lee County because it is the only preserve that didn't let loggers come in and destroy all of the cypress trees, they saved the area and then saved the land from highway construction. It is one of the very few places in Lee County that is a natural preserve and is home to such wildlife. It is also unique in the fact that a high school group called the Monday Group started the preserve and it is now on the Conservation 2020 list that is going to be voted on this coming Fall. When we have discussions in class about conservation I understand the importance but when I saw the preserve it finally connected. When we have discussions about biodiversity and the importance of sustainability the slough is what we are fighting for. The purity of nature and protecting wildlife is what we need to instill in our society and the younger generations. 

  

Food Intake

This morning I skipped breakfast because I slept in. But this afternoon for lunch I had an ICE drink with a avocado, bacon, turkey, cheese, lettuce, wrap with a banana with Nutella. On my way to class I also had a chai tea drink on my way to class. The drinks were purchased but the wrap and banana with Nutella I "put it together" myself. For dinner I had Balsamic Glazed Chicken which was pre-made from BJ's Brewhouse where I work and receive free employee meals. I also had an Arnold Palmer drink which was also from BJ's Brewhouse. 

My food comes from Publix a mass grocery store and my dinner came from a mass distributor of food that supplies the BJ's company. The food I had for lunch was produced in my house but came from different companies. It probably traveled thousands of miles to get to my plate because none of it was organic or local. A lot of energy probably went into producing my food because it involves all of the different food groups. Fed probably went into the pig and turkey and energy was used to slaughter the animals. Trackers were used to plant the crops and pick them. Most of the packaging was plastic and plastic isn't recyclable. My food choices aren't very sustainable but it is hard as a college student on a budget to buy sustainable food because it is more expensive. I try to think about the environment when I make my purchases and try not to have a lot of food waste. I can improve my purchases by buying more cardboard products and trying to go to more campus food markets. 

FGCU Food Forest

I've been to the FGCU Food Forest before but I never took the time to walk around and notice the plants because I was there for a scavenger hunt. I found that the food forest was very confusing and almost like a maze. So I was glad the naturalist was with us, because otherwise I would of been lost. I liked how for this field trip we were able to access the food forest by biking for class, which is what me and my friend did instead of driving. I also found it fascinating that the forest sustained it's self and irrigated itself as well. Permaculture is beneficial in so many ways it made me think why doesn't major food corporations use this method instead?  If all of the plants give nutrients to the soil and provide shade for others it makes the perfect environment to grow different plants all in one area. I learned that there is a wild flower that if you crush it up into a green paste it's a natural benadryl, which is helpful in Florida. That day I also learned that  a pineapple takes 2 years to grow, our food system makes it seem like everyone can have as many pineapples as they want. But back then it wasn't as easy to have a pineapple every season. This made me realize that we take advantage of the food system we have, especially as Americans we assume we have an unlimited supply of everything. I think the food forest is a perfect fit for FGCU's mission in sustainability because it displays the universities dedication to the cause and shows how even the students are involved and care about the cause.  

Ecosystem Services- Water Usage

The results of my water calculator was 141 gallons of water daily, 987 gallons of water per week, 3,948 gallons per month, and 51,324 gallons per year. Each step showed how many gallons of water you used for each resource of water. It shocked me how many gallons I was using for just one water way. I was especially shocked to the total of gallons just for me as one person. I live with three other people and I can't imagine what our water usage is for us. Typically I try to conserve water daily, I always turn off the water when I brush my teeth or when I'm hand washing dishes. I even try to take shorter showers instead of just sitting in the shower wasting water. Some ways my family and I could conserve water is having our appliances updated to more Eco-efficient appliances.We could also look into purchasing a solar grid to power our pool or power parts of our house. Water is used outside the home for landscaping for homes, businesses, offices, and malls. Water is also used to irrigate farms and for farm animals and also used for cleaning businesses such as power washing. As humans we cannot make more water, we just have to use the water we already have since Earth was created. In order to survive and have our environment survive we need to conserve our water in take and focus our efforts on the fact that water is important for our survival. 

Koreshan State Park

When I saw the Koreshan State Park on the syllabus I had no idea what it was or where it was. When our class got there I thought it was beautiful how nature was preserved in such an urban environment. But I still had no idea what Koreshan meant until the guide pointed out it was a type of religion created by a man. Personally, I thought the religion ideals were ridiculous and seemed like a communist society. But after the guide explained the time period and how women were seemed like  less than equals, I could understand why the religion became as popular as it did. The guide kept mentioning that the plants around them were mostly not native plants and that most were exotic because the Koreshan's wanted exotic and beautiful plants to look at. I found it interesting that even back then it was possible to get plants from all over the world, such as Asia. I can imagine it must of been an expensive plant at the time if it came from half way across the world. Meanwhile now plants are cheap even if they are exotic. The woman's court house I found most interesting though. The wood was preserved all these years and looked like it was only 20 years old, it fascinated me that natural resources will with stand years of use without becoming damaged. Now a days, we build a strip mall and use it for a couple of years until another is built and that one looses it's popularity and soon becomes abandoned. We are so wasteful, but the Koreshan's and pioneers who came out to Florida used every single piece of natural resources because they were grateful for them. The nature trail was a nice walk that made you appreciate the nature and animals around you. We saw the state butterfly, cabbage palm, bamboo, lynch, and squirrels. Without the Koreshan State Park these animals and plants would have no home and wouldn't give back to nature as they do in the circle of life. It's important to preserve the nature side of this park as well as the historical because the Koreshan's are the people who founded Estero. This is the history of Florida, it's not like in the North East how so much history has happened there it's packed with museums and battle field grounds. Florida is a newer more fresh state that doesn't have many historical sites, and these sites should be preserved and appreciated.  

2. Field Trip- Urban Fort Myers

When I first found out that we were taking a trip to Downtown Fort Myers I was excited because I've never been there before. While taking the bus to the destination I was surprised that Downtown was surrounded by such a struggling neighborhood. But downtown its self was actually really nice and adorable. There were multiple restaurants and little shops that surrounded 1st Street, which seemed to be the main street, there were also many sculptures and accessible side walks so you felt comfortable walking around. I thought that the new library was a beautiful addition to Downtown and brought a Floridian architect to the area because the brick in the streets and on the buildings gave it a Northern feel. The area seemed to be pedestrian friendly because of the sidewalks and also the low speed limits and decreased volume of cars. Once you venture off of 1st street Downtown has multiple green spaces, some are parks and others are just areas with statues and fountains. The basin was one of the more important green features because it purified the rain run off from the city, which is a major key in an urban area. Here at FGCU it's clear to see that there is a multitude of green space and green features, there are open fields as well as dense forest with small nature trails for students to explore. But Downtown it was a more urban environment that you would never find wildlife in or see a dense forest with a nature trail or energy efficient certified buildings. But it is clear that both areas care about the environment and want to set an example for the generations to come that the environment is important and we should take a step above the average to save it. 

1. Sense of Place--- "You can't know who you are until you know where you are." - Wendell Berry.

My neighborhood consists of both natural and unnatural elements. There is the beach in the distance which can been seen from my door. There is also a sand volleyball court and a large parking lot that is in between the sand volleyball court and my building. There are about 5 buildings in my area and surrounding all of them are parking lots. Even though there is a lot of development there is still a lot of wildlife because of how many patches of forest we have from the nature trails. Some days you can see little raccoon's, bunnies, snake, geckos, and lizards. It's especially unique because usually those animals wouldn't be found around a beach. But since this is a combined area these animals are found around the beach. I feel most at home when I'm at the beach on campus because of the waves, it calms me down when I'm stressed and when I feel adventurous I can always take a walk on the beach. I don't know if I would say where I live now is my sense of place because I'm from New York and I grew up on a mountain with tons of fields where my house was. I'd say that my childhood home is my sense of place because that environment is where I became who I am as a person. At my house in New York there is a winding black driveway that cuts through stone walls and it all uphill. Then I had my house and every direction surrounding it was green and that was the best feeling while growing up because I could really take a deep breath of fresh air. This isn't a picture of my childhood home but a place me and my friends would escape to just to take a nature walk and explore. This is where I find my sense of place.