Blog Entry 10 - Trip to Downtown Fort Myers

Smilodon (Souce: My Camera)

Museum (Source: My Camera)

When I first heard that we would be taking a trip to Downtown Ft. Myers, I had mixed feelings about it. Having lived about 5 minutes from that part of the city my entire life, and traveled through there possibly hundreds of times, I thought I had seen all there was to be seen. But, at the same time, the thought of learning more about the history of Fort Myers was appealing. The first thing we did was visit a museum that used to be an old train station. The interesting thing about the museum was that it featured the history of the area in chronological order as you walked through the area. So we would start off where Florida was underwater, to when the area was inhabited with Mastodons and Smilodons, to when the Caloosa and Seminole Indians resided here, then finally when settlers from up north moved in and the area became what it is today. I was surprised at the amount of history there was about this area, especially relating to Billy Bowlegs and the Seminole Wars. Following this, we took a tour throughout the city, which included the chance to see the landscape of the city from the roof of a building. While not as impressive as Chicago, or New York City, Fort Myers has still come a long way when one considers that it was basically nothing a few hundred years ago. A particularly fun part of the trip was when we were allowed to break off and explore the city on our own. I walked with Brittaney, and together we worked our way towards Centennial Park and the boat ramp. Along the way, we saw all sorts of monuments and memorials, including the one of Edison, Ford, and Firestone near the small park by the ramp. When we eventually reached the river, we noticed a platform (almost like a pier) we could go on and essentially walk about 25-30 feet into the river. We walked on it and spent quite a while on it and looking out into the river. It was a overcast that day, and a bit windy, which made it nice as it wasn't too hot. While we didn't get to see much wildlife on that trip, we did manage to see a dolphin breaching on the surface of the water while we watched the river. Overall, the trip was very enjoyable. Aside from the canoe trip (which really wasn't a trip considering that we didn't really leave Vester), this was my favorite.

De Tomaso Mangusta (Source: My Camera)

On a small side note, among the interesting things I saw that day, there was this strange car at an old (perhaps abandoned) gas station. As a pretty big car fanatic, I am usually very good at identifying specific makes, and years of cars - even some of the less interesting ones, but this car was one that had completely stumped me. I took a picture of it, and later when I returned home I did a little research and learned that the car was a De Tomaso (Qvale) Mangusta, an Italian Sports car. Doing a bit more research, I learned that only 284 of this type of car were produced in the entire world! To put this number into perspective, Ford makes over 90,000 Mustangs each year! Just in the United States too. This was undoubtedly the rarest car I had ever seen. Considering its rarity, I would guess its owned by one of the lawyers that practices in the city. I consider myself very lucky for getting the chance to see one!

The Caloosahatchee River (Source: My Camera)

Strange monument (Source: My Camera)

Blog Entry 9 - Last Child of the Wild

Ringneck Snake (Source: Internet; link on image)

The reading reminded me a lot of the experiences I had outside when I was little. Although I watched a lot of television, and played video games when I was younger, I still spent a good amount of my time outside when I got the chance. I had always had a fascination with various types of animals, from insects, to lizards & snakes, to birds, etc. I became very knowledgeable about the kinds that lived around this area, thanks in part to books I would check out at the library. I would explore in my yard with my brother, turning over logs, rooting through bushes, looking for whatever we could find. Of course, living in a fairly urban area, we usually wouldn't find anything too interesting, but we would still make good finds none the less. Every once in a while we would find something particularly rare, like a Ringneck Snake. However, as fun as those outdoors adventures would be, the Crown-Jew of my outdoor experiences as a child were my trips to Fort Myers Beach. My parents bought an old motorhome with the intention to travel when I was younger, but due to its age, we were restricted in our vacation choices to sites near home. So twice a year (for about a week/week and a half) we were able to reserve a spot on the front row of Red Coconut RV resort on Fort Myers Beach. Due to the nature of our motorhome (next to nothing to do inside), I would always be outside during the trips. From building sand castles, to playing in the water collecting fish and other sea life, to skimboarding, to meeting and playing football with the kids from other families staying on the resort, I was almost always occupied. The interesting thing was that, despite the number of years I went to that beach, each trip had a distinctly different experience. There was one trip where the we endured a particularly bad thunderstorm, bringing heavy rain and winds to the camp site. But after it subsided, the beach would be calm, and along the shore would be all sorts of creatures (jellyfish, octopuses, exotic conches) washed ashore from the gulf. We returned to that camp site twice a year until I was about 14 (when the resort changed its policies, no longer accepting German Shepherds, the type of dog we had). I'd definitely say the trips there were among the highlights of my childhood.

The kind of RV we had. (Source: Internet, link on image)

The RV park (Source: Internet, link on image)

Blog Entry 8 - Canoe Trip

Canoe (Source: Internet, link on image)

Before that day, I had been in a canoe only once in my life. I had been in boats before, but they had almost always been powered by an engine of some sort (outboard or inboard). The idea of being in a boat powered by nothing at all (with the exception of the rowers, of course) still seemed strange to me. However, considering that it seemed like half the class had never been in a canoe before at all, I actually felt pretty good. I ended up pairing with Brittaney that day. I figured that as long as we could actually get into the canoe, without flipping it over, we would be OK. And, sure enough once we were in and adjusted to using the canoe, the experience quickly became very enjoyable. The water was pretty calm and maneuvering the craft proved to be fairly simple. I was sitting in the back of the vessel, so I was in largely in charge of steering it. The only real difficulty we had was trying to avoid the oyster beds and areas that were too shallow to go across. Most of the time we found it nearly impossible to tell whether or not we were in an area that was too shallow - until it was too late and we found ourselves stuck. The difficulty continued to rise the longer we were out there, as the tide was beginning to go out. Eventually, though, we got the hang of it and found ourselves having a good time. We even got to see some wildlife, including Little Blue Herons and a Horseshoe Crab the Professor had found. This was probably my favorite of the field trips, especially since we got to go out and explore the area in a manner much more relaxing than walking. In hindsight, I regret not trying out the kayak, as it looked like it could have been fun to use. Unfortunately, this was the one field trip where I did not bring my camera, as I was afraid of potentially getting it wet in case we had flipped.

Horseshoe Crab (Source: Internet, link on image)

Blog Entry 7 - Food Inc.

Food Inc. (Source: Internet, link on image)

There were several people in the class that had seen this film before, but I was not one of them. I would have definitely classified myself as one of those people that would prefer not to know how the meat I buy at the supermarket is prepared. I knew companies are likely cruel and brutal in the livestock they butcher, but I had  no idea just how cruel they were. It was really sad to see how those animals are treated. I remember one segment in particular regarding Tyson and their treatment of chicken. You could see hundreds, possibly even thousands of them, being kept in an area far to small for a healthy life. Then to make things worse, they would be subjected to growth hormones, making them grow at unnatural rates - so fast that they sometimes cannot take adjust quick enough and die. And then when they were set to be shipped to the processing plant, workers would go into the building and dispassionately pick them up and kick them about, as if they weren't living things at all. I like to eat meat, and I know these creatures have to be killed and processed before I can get the meat, but surely there is a more humane way to go about doing it. However, as disturbing as that scene was, I was even more shocked by the one regarding the power the meat companies have against those that disagree with how their operations are run. It is apparently against the law to say negative things about those companies, and those that do can be susceptible to being sued. Even powerful celebrities, like Oprah, have had to endure long and expensive legal battles against them. The fact that the government could allow such corporations to have such  invulnerability against animal rights advocates, and even the population in general, is truly disgusting. It would be nice if one day this issue could rise to the national spotlight, as if more people complained about matters like these, the government would have to do something about it.

Blog Entry 6 - CREW

CREW Site (Source: My Camera)

I had never visited the CREW site before. I had heard some things about it but actually never set foot there. All I knew was that the site was somewhere in North Fort Myers. I had initially assumed it was some sort of educational facility, teaching those about sustainable practices that could lesson our impact on the environment. When we arrived, I was a quite surprised. It looked pretty much like a small farm! One that grows all sorts of plants, from rice, to bamboo, to sweet potatoes, to bananas. The purpose of the site seemed to be to demonstrate how it is possible to grow a wide variety of plants in a small amount of land. Perhaps the most interesting plant I learned about there was the one referred to as "Moringa". This was the one we were invited to eat the leaves of while we were there. I was amazed at the amount of uses the plant had. The leaves are incredibly nutritious, loaded with protein and multiple vitamins. The seeds were also interesting as they could filter water with a high degree of efficiency. I remember at one point our guide raised two water bottles, one contained filthy water, and one contained fairly clean looking water. He proceeded to tell us that the water from both bottles came from the same source (the duck pond), but that the almost-clean looking water had been filtered using Moringa seeds. The usefulness of that single plant was truly outstanding. As we walked through the site we were also shown how man-made items, such as old tires and soda cans, could be used to grow plants in areas that lacked suitable soil. While the site was not quite what I had initially pictured it being, I think the trip ended up being a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be.

Cactus Plant (Source: My Camera)

Rice Field (Source: My Camera)

Blog Entry 5 - Fort Myers Beach

I have lived in Fort Myers ever since I was born, and had visited Fort Myers Beach more times than I can remember. Until recently, I thought I had known everything there was to know about the little island. There's a beach (with a pier), a bunch of restaurants, and a lot of stores. There are also parking spots, but never seemingly enough of them to keep up with the huge amount of people that are always there. But when I was walking on the boardwalk among the mangrove trees, I came to a realization: I never knew this particular area even existed. I was literally walking in an area that the Calusa indians, and perhaps even Ponce de Leon had walked through hundreds of years ago. I was also surprised at the amount of fairly recent history that area had, particularly during the second world war. I had already known about the air bases that were here, since my grandfather actually got his flight training at the bomber base at Page Field during the war (he flew the B-25). What really took me by surprise were the stories about the Nazis. When you think of the war against them, you think of it taking place in Europe and North Africa, but not this close to home. But sure enough, U-boats would supposedly scout right off the shore of Fort Myers beach! It's pretty scary to think about. It's even more scary to wonder if Germany ever had plans of taking the war to the US, and perhaps using south Florida (which was largely undeveloped, at the time) as a place to start an invasion. The story about the Nazi uniform being found in the mangroves with a ticket stub (presumably from a local play) found in the pocket was incredible, almost too incredible to be true I think. After I got back home, I tried to do some research regarding the story, but all I could find were links to blogs from people that had mentioned the story from the past colloquium classes! I'm starting to wonder if the story might just be an urban legend.

Blog Entry 4 - Inconvenient Truth

I had seen this film before, but it had been a while since I had last watched it. I like to think that, since becoming a bio major, I was able to take more out of the film this time. I had taken General Ecology with Professor Cross a few semesters ago, and felt that a lot of what I had learned in that class helped me understand the movie better. When so much carbon (previously sequestered in the Earth's crust, or in the trees in the forests, among other places) is released, it can be a disaster, as the planet cannot adjust quick enough to the changes. The carbon dioxide being released greatly exceeds the amount that can naturally be reabsorbed, so excess gas can build up in the atmosphere. People like to criticize Al Gore for talking about Global Warming and excessive CO2 emissions, while at the same time driving an SUV and flying around in private jets. Some people even like to write off the entire film as nonsense because of him doing these things. It raises the question of, "Well, if he's not going to change his lifestyle, why should I?" While his choice of automobile probably wasn't a particularly good one considering how much he'd like the general population to change its driving habits, I personally saw nothing wrong with him using the jet as a form of travel. While there are more eco-friendly ways to move about on the road, the same is not yet true when it comes to aircraft. Fossil fuels are the only means by which they can be powered. The only way for him to realistically be able to travel to as many places as he does to deliver those many speeches is by using an aircraft. And because of how famous he is, taking a standard airline would be not be a realistic option. In my opinion, regardless as to what people think of Al Gore as a person ("hypocrite", "liberal", etc), the least they could do is at least listen to what he has to say. If they don't believe what he says, they could easily look up & see the data he presented and make their own conclusions. However, in doing so, they may well find that there really is something to what he's saying after all.

Blog Entry 3 - Hot, Flat, and Crowed

The assigned chapters proved to be quite an interesting read. And I believe the author's right when he says that it's going to be impossible to sit back and assume the path we're on won't lead us to disaster. It is important to realize the situation now, and do something to change our ways while there is still time. However, this is not the first time I have heard about warnings like this, and that NOW is the time we should start doing something about it. In fact, I had been hearing about such things for over a decade now. And yet, all this time later, nothing much has changed. In my opinion, no matter how hard activists will try to warn the government and the everyday people, nothing much will probably ever change and we are likely going to be doomed anyway. The problem has to do with the general population, and the relatively small knowledge they have about science and the environment. Most people look outside, see blue skies, green grass, and think there is no problem. They are convinced that the planet is so large, so massive, that nothing we could possibly do could ever affect it. They think scientists and the politicians have some kind of hidden agenda and are trying to sell them a form of "snake oil" in the form of solar panels and electric cars (i.e. things they don't think they need). Others (perhaps a bit more educated) realize that there is a warming trend going on, but believe that it's a natural phenomenon, referring to instances in history where there had been other warming/cooling periods. While the later group of people might not be wrong (there have been temperature fluctuations throughout history), what everyone needs to realize is that all the carbon dioxide and other gases that comes from cars and factories actually goes somewhere and can negatively impact the planet. Just because its invisible doesn't mean it doesn't do anything. I hope I am wrong about this, but I just cannot realistically see a way for most people to change their minds about this issue before it's too late.

Blog Entry 2 - Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

It had been a long time since I had last been to Corkscrew Sanctuary, ever since Elementary school - or so I originally though. I must have been thinking about Ding Darling, or a similar place, since when the bus arrived at the sanctuary I realized that I had really been there much more recently than I remembered. The last time I had actually been there was only about 4 years ago, during my first semester at FGCU, when I took a class called Environmental Biology of SW Florida. While I was initially disappointed that I wasn't going to be visiting a place I hadn't been to since I was very young, I soon remembered just how interesting of a place Corkscrew really is. The preserve is a combination of different types of ecosystems. Pine flatwoods and cypress domes were among the types we walked though. Each ecosystem is different from the other in terms of what plants and animals can live there. As I walked around on the boardwalk, I couldn't help but notice that the sanctuary did not look the same as it had the last time I had visited. The reason for this was that it was now the dry season - a lot of the green plants and bushes I had seen four years ago (during the rainy season) were now dry and golden from the lack of moisture. There was also almost no standing water as well. The alligators at the sanctuary had reportedly been forced to result to cannibalism due to the lack of their normal prey items (turtles, fish, etc). When it comes to the plants, while seemingly dead, many of them will bounce back to full health once the rain starts coming back. This is a type of adaptation that has helped native plants survive in Florida's harsh climate.

Blog Entry 1 - First Impressions

Before entering this course, I didn't really know what to expect. I had always heard people talking about the class, but I had no idea what it was actually about. I asked a couple of my friends who had taken it before, and they said it's pretty much like the Foundations of Civic Engagement, which was a course I had already taken. After the first few days of Colloquium, I noticed that while it is somewhat similar to Civic Engagement, it is also distinctly different. The basic idea behind both classes is about the same; put people from various backgrounds and majors together, and have them consider matters they might not otherwise sit back and think about. In Civic Engagement the focus was more about the status of human affairs across the world, and wanting to help those that are less fortunate. It was considered selfish for one to go about life caring about nothing but himself and his immediate family members and thinking nothing of those who have had struggles. In comparison, based on what I have learned in Colloquium so far, the focus seems to be more about wanting people to consider the state of the environment as they live their lives. While it was once considered possible to live the "American Dream" while not needing to worry about the rainforests or the atmosphere, that is no longer the case today. As the human population around the world continues to increase, it becomes necessary to realize that resources are limited and must be distributed in smarter ways to prevent shortages. It is also important to keep in mind that humans aren't the only living things on the planet, and that we must consider other forms of life as well, some of which are now threatened (and heading towards extinction) unless things change. With the planet and the societies that live on it changing in ways that could not even have been imagined just half a century ago, I can understand why the University would want us to take both of these courses.