Journal 10: Invasive & Exotic Species

Definitions:
~Environment- That which surounds us.
~Ecosystems- Interactions between an organism and the environment.
~Niche- Role of the species; species can not occupy the same niche.
~Invasive- The population is growing out of control causing harm to humans, plants, and/or animals. Hint to remember: invasive aka invading!
~Exotic- From somewhere else; not part of the local ecosystem. Hint to remember: exotic aka non-native!

   
Some of the exotic and invasive species of Florida are Cattail, Strangler Plant, Melaleuca, Brazilian Pepper, Fire Ant, Cuban Tree Frog, Monk Parakeet, and Wild Hogs.

Where do these Invasive and Exotic animals and plants come from?
They come from:
~Pet Trade:The Iguanas on Gasparilla Island.
~Horticultural Industry: The Melaleuca Tree was brought here for other means, like shade.
~ Trade: The Black Rats would sneak off of boats and boxes and onto our land.
~ War: The Tiger Mosquito came when boats would drop there used water into our port water .
~ Biological Controls: The Cane Toad.
~ Hurricane: Brought the Monk Parakeet and Monkeys.

An animal that is exotic and becoming invasive in Florida is the Burmese Python. They have become a very big problem for areas like the Everglades in Florida. The have become such a big problem in the wild, because when some owners would get tired of these snakes they would just release them, not caring or knowing about the consequences of releasing pets into the wild. Another reason why they have become a growing problem is, because of hurricanes. When storms would pass through places like pet stores that hold these snakes would get blown over and the animals would be released, on accident. Since these animals are exotic they are posing a problem for animals that are native to the land. For example, birds now have even more predators to worry about, now that this snakes population is increasing in the Everglades. Since these predators can slither up trees to attack the birds, they are not even safe when nesting! In some cases predators are now becoming the prey. For instance, Alligators only real predator in the Everglades was the occasional hunter. Now that the Burmese Python has invaded the Everglades they are starting to compete with Alligators for food and territory. Scientist have even found Alligator bones in the snake’s stomach. This is why people need to be better educated about the dangers of invasive and exotic species. If they were better educated maybe we would not face issues like the invasion of these snakes in the Everglades.

Journal 9: Reflect on the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Field Trip.

 

 For our final class field trip we went to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. When we arrived, we were given a brief history about the Sanctuary. The National Audubon Society has been protecting and preserving the 11,000 acres since the beginning. They protected the land when all of the forests around were being clear cut and ended up preserving all of that land. They even risked their own lives to stay on watch to protect birds from hunters when they tried to kill them for their feathers. Hunters would kill these birds for their feathers and then sell them to put on hats. Along Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s boardwalk you can see Pine Flatwood, Wet Prairie, Pond Cypress, Bald Cypress, Marsh and Lettuce Lakes.                                                                                                                     

 The first habitat we came across was the Pine Flatwood. In this habitat we were able to see trees like the Slash Pine, Saw Palmetto and Cabbage Palms. While walking down the boardwalk we were able to see vultures flying in the sky. I learned a few interesting facts about these birds. They use wind tunnels to circle in the sky.  Vulture’s feet only appear white, they actually poop on their legs to cool themselves down. A vulture’s diet mainly consists of dead animals. If they can not find dead animals they will resort to killing their own food.  

After heading past the Wet Prairie our class came across the Bald Cypress Trees. After moving further into the cypress habitat we saw the Pond Cypress. The cypress trees are unique, because they have knees. These knees make up the cypress trees extensive root systems. The knees are a major reason why they have been around so long. While in the cypress area we came across many different types of birds. One of the birds that I found interesting was the Great White Egret. The bird was on the boardwalk only a few feet away from us. I never realized how big this bird actually was until we were only a few feet away from it.  This is one of the reasons why I love University Colloquium. Without this class I would have never had the opportunity to see all of these animals and experience these different places. 

Journal 8: Could Tigers Become Extinct?

For my eighth journal assignment I was required to find an environmental issue in the news or in a magazine article. While I was watching Bay News 9 one environmental issue caught my attention. The story that caught my attention was Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected.  This story came out on Sunday November 21, 2010, but it has been a growing issue for many years now.

 The World Wildlife Fund and other experts say only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, a dramatic plunge from an estimated 100,000 a century ago. These issues are being looked at further in St. Petersburg, Russia. A meeting to try and save this great animal was hosted by the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin. The two main reasons why these animals are dying off is because of habitat destruction and poaching. “The summit approved a wide-ranging program with the goal of doubling the world's tiger population in the wild by 2022 that is backed by governments of the 13 countries that still have tiger populations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia” (Bay News 9). They are trying to accomplish this by setting up reserves for the tigers. The group is also trying to conserve what wild forests they still have, so that the tiger population can grow and expand. All of the money that will be going toward saving these tigers will have to be donated. “Much has been done recently to try to save tigers, but conservation groups say their numbers and habitats have continued to fall, by 40 percent in the past decade alone.” The fact that these tigers are disappearing is very sad. A question that comes to my mind when I hear this is, why have these countries let the decline in animal population go this far? It is good to see that stronger efforts are being made before all of the wild tigers become extinct. Since,“Three of the nine tiger subspecies _ the Bali, Javan, and Caspian _ already have become extinct in the past 70 years" (Bay News 9). Hopefully the efforts that are being made by these countries are effective, but I have a feeling it will take a longer amount of time then they predict for the tiger population to make a comeback.

I found this quote in the Bay News 9 article and thought it was a perfect description of the tragedy that is occurring.
"Wild tigers are not only a symbol of all that is splendid, mystical and powerful about nature," the Global Tiger Initiative said in a statement. "The loss of tigers and degradation of their ecosystems would inevitably result in a historic, cultural, spiritual, and environmental catastrophe for the tiger range countries" (Bay News 9).

All information was found on the Bay News 9 website: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/ap/november/175351/Tigers-could-be-extinct-in-12-years-if-unprotected.  The article was published on Sunday, November 21, 2010 and is called Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected.

Journal 7: FGCU Green Campus Tour!

I am very proud to say that I am a Florida Gulf Coast University Student, because this campus is fighting everyday to become a sustainable campus. Some "green" improvements that FGCU has made since opening the school are installing the "Big Belly" trash compactors, recycling, cooling system, solar panels, campus draining system, and overall structure of the buildings. Since the school is growing rapidly, more efforts have been made to keep up the "green" campus lifestyle. Listening to the Physical Plant presenters and going on the campus tour has made me more aware of the natural beauty on campus and how much work is put into being an environmentally friendly campus.

The cooling system at FGCU! It saves the campus money by freezing at night and then using the melted water to cool down the  classrooms. Since the campus has grown so much over the past few years, they want to add on to this cooling system, so that the campus keeps saving its money

The Physical Plant presenters gave us a lot of information before our tour about the campus. The Physical Plant helps with the environmental aspects of the campus. Some of the programs that they have helped to start up are Eagles <3 Tap Water, Turn Me Off, and FGCU Recycles. They have gone and put spigots on the water fountains for the students to fill up reusable bottles, placed recycling bins all over campus, made efforts to expand the cooling system, and installed things like the "Big Belly" to help insure the environmental sustainability of the campus. This is the Physical Plants main website just in case you would like to read up on these items or any of the other efforts being made by this department: http://admin.fgcu.edu/phyplant/homepage.htm.

 On the tour we walked out to the courtyards. Here we observed the "Big Belly" trash compactors that the presenters had talked about. Even these trash compactors make a difference. They compact the trash so that there are less frequent trash pick up days and there are no plastic bags to worry about. We also admired how nice the courtyard was, because it provided a ,perfect shaded, study area for students while they waited for their classes to start. It was shaded thanks to the many trees planted by FGCU. Some of the trees that were pointed out were the Cabbage Palm, White Oak, and Slash Pine Tree. These trees not only provide shade for the students, but they also provide shelter and food for the wild animals that live on campus. Walking through the breezeway, are attention was brought to the rocks that had been placed along the side of buildings on campus. These rocks were put there to be a drainage system and to prevent erosion. I had always thought they had been placed around the buildings for decoration.

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

The final two stops were to the water. When we stoped at the bench by the lake, our professor told us that FGCU is trying to plant a White Oak Tree beside every bench that they install. While observing the water we saw the Zebra Longwing Butterfly and the Spatter Dock. I observed so many different plants and animals around the FGCU campus on this tour.

Spatter Dock

 Even before this "Green" campus tour I knew that FGCU was striving to have a our campus be environmentaly sustainable, but since touring I got a first hand look at all of the ways they have helped this campus reach some of its goals. Even though living sustainably is an ongoing event, it is still nice to be going to a school that is aware of the environment and finds ways to insure that they stay this way, even though the campus is growing at such a fast pace. Overall, the tour was very informative and inspiring.

Journal 6: How Much Energy Do I Use?

                             This is a journal of how many times I use anything that requires electricity in a 24 hour period. I will also list all of the consumer goods that I have used throughout the day, that were covered in a packaging. When I woke up at 9 A.M. I used a toaster, coffee machine, light switch, and radio. For breakfast, I ate an egg bagel with philadelphia cream cheese. I used a toaster oven for the bagel, and to make my coffee I used a coffee pot. I put fat free milk and two sugar packets into my coffee. I drank tap water for the entire day. Before leaving for class I made sure to shut off all of my bedroom lights. I was in class from 10:45 A.M. to 4:45 P.M.. I only had a twenty minute break during this long day. During the break I stopped in at Subway to get a six inch turkey sub and a brisk iced tea. After classes, I walked home and started on my homework it was still light outside so I opened up the blinds instead of turning on the lights. I used my computer to finish the sixty math problems. After I finished my math homework, I took a break to cook dinner. I put a lean cuisine into the microwave and sat down to watch a little television. I stayed out in the living room to read up on some of my books for classes. When my roommate came home we watched Glee. After Glee, I was very tired so I took my book to bed, and I ended up falling asleep reading. During the middle of the night I woke up to turn off my lights and went back to sleep.

 The packaged items that I used throughout the day were bagels, cream cheese, coffee, milk, sugar, subway sandwich, brisk sweet tea, and a lean cuisine. After going back and looking at all of the items that I used I realized that all of the products try to grab the buyers attention. For example, the milk had fat free right on the front of the carton, the sugar packet was pink, and the coffee can was red and had a scenery of the mountains and the sun shining. The bagels have a saying on it that states that these bagels last longer than any other. The garden vegetable cream cheese has a light label on it and vegetables on it. Subway wraps sandwiches in paper and plastic bags and there logo is eat fresh. The brisk iced tea is flashy and blue with yellow writing and definitely appeals to the buyers eye. The lean cuisines have picture of the meals on the box, and they also  have the nutrition value right on the front of the box. For those people who are trying to watch their weight it definitely gets peoples attention, because it is an easy and quick way to eat a healthier meal. I noticed that all of the packaging was geared toward catching the buyers eye and appetite. Living in a consumer society, I can definitely tell that producers of products base the way a product is distributed in the grocery store.

Journal 5: Downtown Fort Myers Field Trip

    I was very excited to go on the downtown Fort Myers field trip. I have been living in Fort Myers for three years now, but I have never even been to the downtown area. When driving through the the downtown Fort Myers area I was impressed with the general upkeep of the places that we visited. During the field trip we ran all over the place. We had a surprise tour through the Edison and Ford Estates. Some places that stuck out in my mind about downtown Fort Myers was the Fort Myers Pier, the Art of Olympians Museum, and the Hotel Indigo.

    When driving through to see the Edison and Ford Estates we drove past the beautiful scenery of Royal Palms lining the roadway. When arriving to the estates we got off in the parking lot just to look around, but we were not planning on going inside. We were told it cost to much to for the students to walk the grounds. However, once we arrived to the estates, our Professor was able to get us onto the estate grounds for free. It was an inspiring moment walking onto the grounds. Thinking about the great minds that have walked along the sidewalk and living in those houses. I feel very lucky to have been a part of this experience.

    I thought the Fort Myers Pier was very nice, and going out to look over onto the river was very peaceful. We also visited the Art of Olympians. This was my favorite part of the field trip! It was very cool to see all of these olympic medalist achieving perfection in every day life, as well. It makes me think that anything is possible if you put all of your effort into it. The Hotel Indigo was a boutique hotel. We were able to go up to the top floor and overlook all of downtown Fort Myers, and being so far up we were able to see the try beauty of the city instead of just worrying about the hustle and bustle of the world. Overall, this was my favorite field trip! I got to see many beautiful places, and also learned more about the city that I live in.

Journal 4: My Carbon Footprint

 
I went to sustainability.publicradio.org to find out my carbon footprint.  I took a carbon footprint quiz last year, but did not remember what score I had received. I thought it was going to be a multiple choice quiz like last years, but I was surprised to see that this quiz was completely different. This carbon footprint quiz let us make our own character. After making our character, we were able to choose our house, and then we were able to input all of our information about our houses. I put in information about my home and not my college dorm. I figured I should do the quiz on my house since I live there for the majority of the year. I was shocked to see my results for the carbon footprint quiz! My results said “Those eco-friendly choices have you headed in the right direction! The bad news? You’re still a long way from sustainable. It would take multiple Earths to support a planet living you lifestyle.” I scored the worst in “food and drink” with seven points. In “shopping habits” I had a total of five points, and my third highest was “home” with a total of four points. I realized that I may not have done everything I could to live sustainably, but I didn’t realize how bad it actually was. I could definitely use a lifestyle change, because if everyone were to live like me it would take 4.4 planet Earths to sustain everyone. I know that the fact that my house has solar panels helped me to have a lower score. My family also carpools with friends, and we are even starting to use energy efficient light bulbs. These are only a few minor changes in our life style, but it has helped our electric bills. So, I know it has also helped us to move to a more sustainable lifestyle. I know that being able to live sustainably is a ongoing effort. After taking this quiz, I am going to try and make more lifestyle changes to help live sustainably. The next step that I am going to take is to try and set up recycling in my house. It may be a tiny change in our household, but I will be curious to see my carbon footprint next year after making more changes to my life and home, to see if these little changes have helped.
This is the link to the game that shows you your carbon footprint:

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/consumerConsequences.html