3. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Today I went on an amazing walk through the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida.  It was once again pretty amazing to see such a beautiful untouched landscape full of wildlife and plant life.  One of the most interesting things at the Sanctuary were all the differing ecosystems that were present providing for many different types of animals and plants.  Among them were the pine flat wood, wet prairie, pond cypress, marshes, lettuce lakes (full of the fan-favorite American Alligators), and bald cypress forests.  Keeping this sanctuary around is of utmost importance to us as people as it acts as a living system by mimicking waste-water treatment using natural  ecological processes involving the plants and animals of the area.  The sanctuary provides a role in the conservation, or the protecting of species and their environments from extinction, and stewardship, the responsible using of the earth's resources, by keeping this area untouched by consumers and people who would wish to use these lands for their own profit.  This is where non-profit organizations come in as they are the ones responsible for keeping these lands safe and providing the framework for ways to protect and maintain our natural waterways and landscapes.  The more of these organizations that can be pulled together in a like-minded effort to maintain our ecological biodiversity, the better a chance they have to stop the changing of our natural landscapes and the important ecological systems they provide.  This thought process requires us as people to become active in the fight to keep our natural habitats alive in the communities whether it be by volunteering in environmental projects or by helping give money to these non-profits to ensure the stability of our ecosystems.  Back before people had desecrated the lands of the Sanctuary, it acted as its own form of irrigation and a source of flowing waters into the ocean.  After the animals were hunted and deforestation began, it became clear that the whole ecosystem was being thrown into a downward spiral where less and less water was falling into the oceans, dry land emerged, and animals were becoming endangered.  All of these factors helped in the decision to save the land.  In regards to the government, it is my opinion that they should be the ones really stepping in to maintain there own natural habitats to keep their land beautiful and thriving while still allowing the natural surroundings to do their jobs in maintaining biodiversity.  They've done this already by establishing laws protecting against the destruction of sanctuaries and the killing of threatened animals.  In the end, the destruction of these lands would kill the biodiversity right on the edge of the Everglades, creating a domino effect that would absolutely destroy the ecosystem of Florida and really throw off the balance of it environment. 

2. FGCU Campus Walk

Today I went on a long walk of the campus at Florida Gulf Coast University.  After watching the Colloquium video and hearing the story on the founding and construction of the university, I wanted to see for myself whether or not even they were keeping with the standards they set for this site.  I have to admit, at the end of the day, I liked what I saw.  The college is point blank in the middle of this beautiful preserve.  The first place I went was down the nature trail on the east side of campus.  While I felt like they could do more with what was there, I encountered all different types of life, mostly pertaining to wold birds, insects, and small mammals such as squirrels and armadillo.  The only disappointing thing I witnessed was an overwhelming amount of litter which is to be expected on a college campus.  I just thought it was too much for environmentally based university to have.  Besides that, I felt as though FGCU belonged in the middle of this sanctuary.  Yes, it's weird that an environmentally renowned college built in the middle of this natural habitat, but what they've done to keep the surrounding environment flourishing is evident by the number of animals and plants that are unaffected and almost unaware of the school's presence.  Projects are happening all over campus to keep the ecosystem empowered and sustainable and if someone else took one walk-through of campus, I know that they would feel the same.  Having a degree in Biology and taking classes bent on the sustainability of environments and their wildlife such as Evolution and Ecology, I'm almost predisposed to taking the negative stance and viewing everything as something that could hurt the balance in an ecosystem.  However, the FGCU campus has done so much to keep it preserved as well as just making Colloquium a mandatory class that I don't think they are an eco-hypocrite in the least.

1. Class Expectations

This class came as quite a surprise for me. I was not exactly excited for a required class outside of my major.  However, after watching the 'Colloquium' and 'Founding of FGCU' videos, I think this class is going to be a fun departure from the norm.  I've lived in the Lee County area all my life and, while I've explored the habitat quite a bit, I'm excited to see more of what this environment has to offer while learning about how we can keep it preserved. From everything I've learned so far sustainability is just that.  For people, it is our job to be responsible with the environment, using only the resources we need and keeping the surrounding ecosystems rich with growth and life for the future.  This concept can definitely be correlated with my current field of study, Chemistry, and my previous degree in Biology.  The chemical states of the environment such as the pH and salinity of water in the ecosystem or the use of harmful insecticides or related chemicals directly impacts the concept of sustainability in that it hurts the natural order of life in the ecosystems which has an impact on everyone.  Trying to think of anyone or anything that is actually unsustainable is difficult.  However, I think the main attitude not allowing sustainability is complacency or unwillingness to change.  The best example of why sustainability is hard to control is our growing population size.  As our numbers rise we must continue to branch out and the surrounding environment will take the hits in favor of urban development.  That's all for now.  See you next week!