Monday, 13 September
Journal Entry 6
Module 2
To be honest, I have never really been one to worry about recycling, but after becoming more aware of my surroundings, I have definitely noticed almost every single piece of trash around me that isn’t thrown away! I can’t believe I didn’t notice the amount of trash before. I have been finding myself using the same plastic water bottle and re-filling it on campus instead of buying a new one, and making sure that I throw my cans and bottles away in the specific locations on campus. I’ve even been scolding my boyfriend about anything that he has attempted to litter!
I was pleased to notice today how many trees and plant-life have been incorporated in main roads, such as Alico. Not only do they help the ecology and surrounding environment, but they are a beautiful sight to see (especially with all the construction that’s been going on).
Tuesday, 14 September
Journal Entry 7
Module 2
After making my post on the forum for this week’s Module, I found it amazing to be able to put myself back in the Everglades as I wrote it. I spend so much time crossing the Everglades, and never knew which plants exactly were surrounding me as I drive right through it. Slash pines and saw palmetto’s were very interesting to discover.
As I mentioned in my discussion post, I was able to take an airboat ride not too long ago. I remember many of the facts that the guide gave us as we cruised through the swamps of the Everglades. He explained to us how the location we were in was first a Seminole Indian Village and how the tribal leader was Jimmy Osceola. He pointed out areas where the hammocks used to be which were built by the early Indians as houses and even stopped and got up very close to a huge alligator (as seen in the picture below) and asked us if we wanted to get close enough to touch him! I still can’t tell if he was serious or not!
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The tour guide explained how throughout the breeding season, alligators use the saw grass as seen in this picture to hide and protect their eggs |
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| On the airboat (ofcourse I forgot my sunglasses and the speed of the boat was making the wind kill my eyes!) |
The drive through the Everglades is spectacular, I have included pictures of the drive coming back from the east coast while the sun is setting, it definitely kills my eyes every time I get stuck driving back at that time! (and no worries, I wasn’t driving when the pictures were taken!)
Driving from the east coast to the west coast:
Wednesday, 15 September
Journal Entry 8
Module 2
I noticed this morning while driving out of my community all of the signs around me and down the mile long drive which is a part of the preserve. The signs distinctly mark the area as part of the protected preserve and how people are prohibited from entering. I have to say after living in this part of town for four years I don’t know how I missed them before! It was interesting to be able to see just how large the preserve actually extends throughout my community!
On another quick note, I think I must have annoyed at least five drivers yesterday as I was coming home from class. The main road to get to my house is a two-lane road and as I was driving down it, I saw this poor turtle sitting helplessly in the middle of my path! So of course I stopped, and this turtle was huge! I didn’t know how to re-direct it towards the preserve, and it was too big to pick up. Either way, I got out of my car and managed to get him to walk towards the preserve, meanwhile I was being honked at and there was a pile up of cars behind me! Isn’t helping the poor turtle just something that someone should obviously do, especially if we’re living in their habitat, not the other way around? If more people were concerned with even little situations like that, our environment would be so much better off!
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