The Nature of the Everglades - Marjory Stoneman Douglas

"There are no other Everglades in the world"

(Douglas, p.104).

This is how Marjory Stoneman Douglas begins The Nature of the Everglades. This statement made me think of how people take for granted the beautiful habitat of the Everglades. I am guilty of that too. I never realized how lucky us Floridians are, to be surrounded by such a beautiful environment. More specifically, the Everglades. The abundance of wildlife, mangroves, and water is what makes the Everglades truly unique. It is evident throughout the rest of the text that Douglas really admires the beauty within the Everglades. In this video below entitled Florida National Everglades Park, it captures just some of the unique wildlife and ecosystems present in the Everglades. I have not had the opportunity to visit the Everglades, but after reading this excerpt it is something I definitely would love to do!

 

 "Then the lion-colored light shuts down as the rain does, or the clouds fill with their steely haze every outline of the visible world and water falls solid, in sheets, in cascades" (Douglas, p.115).

http://stephenskory.com/2011/09/18/a-curtain-of-rain



 

Douglas did an excellent job describing how the sky looks as it rains. This quote stuck out to me because it reminds me of how a typical summer rainfall looks like. Douglas depicted this perfectly. As I read it, I just pictured in my head those afternoon showers we experience down here quite often. I envisioned seeing the sunlight on one part of the sky, and the clouds moving in quickly, and seeing the curtain of rain in the far distance. This picture to the left is what I imagined Douglas was describing in this quote.

" To understand the Everglades

one must first understand the rock" (Douglas, p.122).

http://pytczwee90.blog.com/2014/02/11/decomposers-of-florida-everglades-food-chain/

What I thought Douglas meant by this was that in order for us to understand the big picture, we must understand the little picture. Every little thing in our environment has a purpose. Overall, this quote made me think of how something as small as an ant, or fly can have an impact on something as big as the Everglades. For instance, a fish feeds off microscopic plankton and other fishes, birds and raccoons feed off these fishes, and at the top of the food chain is the panther. I think what Douglas was trying to say is that we have to really understand what the Everglades is composed of to understand the Everglades as a whole. The picture to the right demonstrates how the food chain in the Everglades would work.

Love it or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution: David Orr

" Biophobia ranges from discomfort in natural places to active scorn for whatever is not manmade, managed, or air-conditioned." (Orr,187)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103598417

Before I started colloquium, I never heard of biophobia, I did not even know it existed. I can say that I feel that our society is growing closer to becoming biophobic. With all of the technology such as video games, tablets, and Iphones, we are not drawn to the outdoors. In my personal experience, I grew up always playing outside and being active. I see my cousins who are young now, and they are always glued to their Iphones and tablets. Quite frankly, it is sad that people today do not appreciate our natural environment. At the rate we are going, our environment is going to suffer tremendously.

http://myers.salkeiz.k12.or.us/history_2008-2009.htm

" In return for our proper use, the earth is given to mankind as a trust. Proper use requires gratitude, humility, charity, and skill." (Orr, 192)
I think what Orr is trying to state that we should take good care of our environment. We got to think of it as a gift, and take precautions in caring for the Earth. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen people litter, and mistreat the environment. I have been guilty of it myself. Everyday we misuse the environment in some way, shape, or form. We really do not appreciate what we have.

" Life ought to excite our passion, not our indifference. Life in jeopardy ought to cause us to take a stand, not retreat into a spurious neutrality." (Orr,193) 

I could not agree more with Orr in this statement. People today do not understand that our actions have consequences. It does not matter how small it may seem, anything we do has an effect in our environment. For example, littering can have a consequence on the surrounding  living matters. The more we cut down trees to build new roads, homes, etc. , the more animals get endangered. The idea of conservation and recycling is still something people are reluctant to consider. Everyday we are doing something that puts our environment in great risk, but we are not taking an action.

Nature-Deficit Disorder and The Restorative Environment - Richard Louv

"More time in nature---- combined with less television  and more stimulating play and educational settings ---- may go a long way  toward reducing attention deficits in children, and just as important, increasing their joy in life" (Louv,10)

My sisters and I when we were young.
After a long day of climbing the "orange tree"
Photo by: Yaritza Guzman

Though many people might not view it this way, I believe that spending time outdoors is great therapy. Our society today, is so caught up in the idea of technology. I feel that overtime, we have really forgotten what it is like to play outside. To go run around and feel the grass between your toes, and smell the fresh breeze in the air. I can remember growing up, I would play outside with my sisters for hours at a time. Our favorite thing to do was climb the orange tree we had in our backyard. It is one of the fondest memories I have of my childhood. So, I can agree with this statement. Playing outside can benefit children with attention deficits because it allows them to burn their energy. Not only can it benefit them, but it can create some of the greatest memories in their life. You cannot get the same benefits of playing outside from watching television.

"To take nature and natural play away from children may be tantamount to withholding oxygen."  (Louv ,11)

http://idptv.state.id.us/dialogue4kids/season10/outdoored/teachers.cfm

While I do not agree that this quote applies to everyone, I understand what Louv is trying say. If there is evidence to suggest that nature therapy indeed works, why are we not doing it? Louv is arguing the importance of nature in a child's life and how it is beneficial for all.  I agree that nature and playing outdoors are crucial for children. For instance, it keeps them active. Obesity is a growing concern in our society. Too many children are focused on watching television, and playing videogames. To add on, a lot of physical education classes and recess programs are getting cut from schools. Slowly but surely, we are taking away
nature play from children. Consequently, it can be detrimental to their overall well being.

"Anyone who has spent much time around addicts or gang members understands how disarming---and manipulative they can be. Yet on this afternoon, I saw no evidence of con artist in their eyes." (Louv,14)

What stood out to me about this quote, was the impact that nature can have on someone's life. We all come from different paths, but we each can have an admiration or appreciation of nature in some way. Louv gives some examples of the troubled youth who were sent to a restorative program. Many of them had not experienced nature. Once they did, they each found something they admired.What I love most about being outside is watching the sunset. It amazes me just how beautiful the sky can look .

http://robertfinkelstein.wordpress.com/quotes-and-images/sunset-puerto-rico/

The Land Ethic - Aldo Leopold

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.”(Leopold, 60)

Tortoise hanging by canal. Photo by: Yaritza Guzman

 I completely agree with this statement. The soil, water, plants, and animals, are all part of the community in which we live in. After all they did come before us, and we do "live" together. This made me reflect on the days I sit outside in my lanai, and just observe my surroundings. I clearly remember one particular day, that I was outside and saw a tortoise sunbathing by the canal. It made me appreciate the area in which I live in much better. I then realized that there is so much life out there, right at my doorstep. I see the same tortoise hanging out in my backyard from time to time, and I almost feel like it is part of my family.

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." (Leopold, 62)

 

 

This is a powerful, but yet true statement. When I think of the word "harmony", I think of an agreement, or order. When I think of conservation, I think of preventing harm, So my interpretation of what Leopold means is that when we need to work together to prevent harm from occurring. Basically, if we take care of our environment, the environment will take care of us. This makes me ponder the ways in which I'm conserving. Usually before I leave my house, I unplug all the appliances. I make it a habit of recycling anything I can, and lastly I carpool with my mom to work. It is little things like this, that we can do to conserve our resources. However, we as a society need to work together, to prevent less waste of valuable resources and energy. If we all do our part, then there will be "harmony" amongst our environment as a whole.

http://technologygreenenergy.blogspot.com/2013/10/energy-conservation-resources.html

"Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals. Food chains are the living channels which conduct energy upward; death and decay return it to the soil" (Leopold,69)

This quote honestly made me think of the "Circle of Life" from Disney's The Lion King. It makes sense though, the land is what gives us "life". The land provides soil. The soil is what provides nutrients for plants to grow. The animals receive their energy from the plants and other animals they consume. We in turn consume the plants and animals. When all living matters perish, they decompose. Whatever is left, is put back into the land and then the cycle continues. Leopold is trying to emphasize that the land just isn't land, it is the building block of life.

http://learningwithmssultana.blogspot.com/