Service Learning Project

For my service learning project I chose to volunteer at the Koreshan State Park. 

I had never been to the park before and I had no idea what it was actually all about. It was very interesting to see all of the old buildings and read about the parks history. 

"The colony, known as the Koreshan Unity, believed that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The colony began fading after Teed´s death in 1908, and in 1961 the last four members deeded the land to the state. Today, visitors can fish, picnic, boat, and hike where Teed´s visionaries once carried out survey experiments to prove the horizon on the beaches of Collier County curves upward." (http://www.floridastateparks.org/koreshan/)

The volunteer work was actually really hard! They had me digging up tress and potting them to be sent to the nursery. I also chopped down a lot of palms from the palm trees in the park. Lastly, I sprayed poison on invasive plant species and picked up trash that littered the park. 

Summer Vacation

In a couple of days I am going to be taking a summer vacation to Georgia!

My family will be staying in a cabin that is surrounded by nature. I can't wait to relax and have a good time enjoying all the beautiful sounds and sights that the outdoors has to offer. We are going to be white river rafting, hiking, and doing an all day pontoon boat rental. 

At the base of the cabin there is a flowing creek that will provide the perfect background music for an afternoon nap. 

Just a short walk from the cabin there is a beautiful waterfall to enjoy. 

All kinds of interesting wildlife surround the cabin, including bears!!! 

My family, my girlfriend, and our two beagles, are going to have such a great time out in the wild.

Alligator Attack!

On July 9th a boy lost his arm in an alligator attack. 

The boy was swimming in the Caloosahatchee River when a gator attacked him and took off his right arm from the elbow down. The 17 year old came case to face with the gator and in an attempt to control it he was dragged underwater. He started to swim away and the gator caught up to him and when he finally broke free is was without part of his right arm. The gator was 11 feet long and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found it and killed it the next day. The officers found the boys arm inside the alligator but it was in no condition to be reattached. 

Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby made landfall on June 27th. 

On July 9th Collier county was one of six Florida counties to request extra assistance to help recover from Tropical Storm Debby.  Public assistance provides grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures and costs for repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly-owned facilities.

Even thought this was only a Tropical Storm, many areas were flooded. I wonder how bad it will be when an actual hurricane comes through! 

Recent News: Stakeholders Plan to Save Naples Zoo Pond

In a recent news article I read that Stakeholders of Naples Zoo are trying to save a lily pond from being destroyed in light of a proposed new parking lot. 

The article explains that the Zoo has already lost a large chuck of trees in the process of improving the parking, sewer, and power lines. 

The stakeholders came up with a alternative to completely removing the pond. Instead they are suggesting that they only remove a portion of the pond to accommodate a service road. In addition they will create a second pond in a different location. This plan is actually estimated to cost less money than the original plan that completely eliminated the lily pond. 

Projects like this are really disappointing to me. Tearing down beautiful trees and ponds to pour concrete slabs for cars to park on seems like such a waste. 

Fast Food, Portion Sizes, and Obesity

In class we had a lengthy discussion about the topics of fast food, portion sizes, and obesity. These topics particulaly interest me because I strive to live a healthy and active lifestyle. 

Fast food restaurants make it super easy to get food on the go. This has caused a lot of people to look past how bad it is for you just because they enjoy the convenience. In a place like America where everyone is working maximum hours and trying to get the most out of every day, fast food is very appealing. People just see the short term benefits of getting a quick delicious meal without having to take the time to buy ingredients, cook, and clean afterward. A meal in a bag has revolutionized the way we eat out food and it has brought more problems that the convenience has solved. 

Fast food has been a big part of the growing obesity epidemic in America.

The largest component of the obesity epidemic is the growing size of portions. "Super sizing" everything has caused people to think they can be eating more than they really should. In effect, people are increasingly gaining weight and are not able to loose it because everywhere they go the portion sizes are way to large. 

Just 20 years ago the potion sizes were half of what they are today. 

My Sense Of Place

In the last four years here in Estero I have really formed a sense of place. I have taken full advantage of the local environment and all it has to offer. I really feel like I have become a part of the community and I will be staying local in Naples when I graduate in December. 

One of the activities that has brought me closer to my community is roadside cleanups with my Sigma Chi Fraternity brothers. We get together every couple of months and clean up litter off of Ben Hill Griffin Road in front of the Gulf Coast Town Center.

The second activity that has given me a sense of place is my spending time outside with my dog Cooper. I take Cooper to the local dog park and we explore the large expanses of land in my neighborhood of Copper Oaks. 

The third activity that have given me a sense of place is enjoying the beaches and beautiful waters of SouthWest Florida. I love skim boarding, relaxing at the beach, and fishing with my girlfriends grandfather at Captiva. 

Overall SouthWest Florida is a great place to live and I feel like I have really grown to appreciate the area and everything it offers. 

My First Field Trip: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Its the day of my first field trip and I am all ready to go!

I've got my North Face shoes, FGCU shirt, and Camelback in toe. 

Off to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary ...

Corkscrew Sanctuary has a couple types of land including: pine upland, tall grass praire, and cypress swamp.

There are a variety of wildlife species including: Bats, Owls, Otters, Frogs, Woodpeckers, Mosquitofish, Butterflies, Turtles, Snakes, and so much more. 

The many types of pants at the sanctuary include: Bald Cypress, Ghost Orchid, Water Lettuce, Slash Pine, Red Maple, Poison Ivy, Cabbage Palm, and so much more.

The sanctuary is navigated by boardwalk.

As you walk along the boardwalk you can see examples of all of the different types of land, wildlife, and plants. We encountered some interesting things ...

Above is a picture of some alligators that we saw during our journey down the boardwalk.

I had a great time on my first filed trip at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and it got me really excited for the field trips to come. 

ECHO

The field trip to ECHO was very educational and interesting. We learned a lot about what ECHO stands for and how they operate.

ECHOs goal is to improve the effectiveness of poor farmers efforts. They do so by providing hard-to-find food plants and seeds, learning how to grow foods in urban areas, and showing people how to grow food under harsh conditions. 

Above is a picture of some bamboo that was being grown at ECHO. Bamboo is a very sustainable resource because of its fast growth. 

Above is a strawberry from a plant being grown at ECHO. I love strawberries and I realize should have asked them how I can grow my own!

Above is a picture of different types of sand. 

ECHO has so many different types of plants and they are all being grown in different climates. It is very interesting to me how you can recreate so many different climates all in the same place. 

The efforts ECHO is putting forth are so great and are really making a difference in the world. I think it is wonderful that they are building facilities in Africa to spread the reach of the program. 

Local Brush Fire

Today in the Naples Daily News:

"ESTERO — Firefighters were battling a brush fire Sunday afternoon near Interstate 75, about a mile south of the Corkscrew Road exit.

Florida Forest Service firefighters are on the scene, spokesman Victor Hill said, and Florida Highway Patrol officials are aware of the fire. Its size and exact location weren't immediately available.

Forest Service employees were called to the scene at about 2:45 p.m., Hill said. He added the fire is likely in a dense vegetation that causes large plumes of smoke."

I left my home yesterday around 7:00pm and it smelled like there was a large fire nearby. Well, there was! I looked up the fire on my iPhone while I waited to be seated at dinner and found out that I75 was closed because of limited visibility. They say that the fire was likely caused by lighting on saturday night. Even as I drove to work this morning you could see and smell the smoke.