Corkscrew Swamp Field Trip

Corkscrew swamp sanctuary is a great place for nature lovers. the 11,000 acres of marshland is home to 600-year-old trees, otters, alligators, and a beautiful collection of endangered birds. A boardwalk cuts through the sanctuary, on which you can take a self-guided tour and get a feel for what Florida was like before it was developed. i saw various otters, owls, lizards and alligators. The Audobon Society guides set out early in the morning with telescopes and binoculars, and they set them up pointing at the most promising nests for public viewing.  During the walk, you travel through four different kinds of swamp sanctuaries (a pine forest, a cypress forest, and a prairie).

 It's amazing how much you see if you just stop and take it all in. Several people rushed by us and one lady complained she wasn't seeing anything. There's plenty to see if you only take the time to look for it. I loved the peace and serenity that prevailed. We could actually hear the leaves falling from nearby trees. The boardwalk is in excellent condition and handicapped friendly for those in a wheelchair or with a walker. I enjoyed my time at Corkscrew sanctuary and like how it reminds you that the Everglades are really a beautiful and sacred part of Florida history.

This is a wonderful place to visit and take the time to  linger, listen, smell, feel, and observe the amazing flora and fauna nature provide us.

 

# 2 ECHO Field Trip

Last week we all went to this amazing place called ECHO farm. ECHO is a non-profit organization whose vision is "Honoring God through Sustainable Hunger Solutions."It was a fascinated tour of all farm working related stuff you can ever imagine. we all got to taste tropical fruits and even leaves as we explored the rain forest.  The farm is laid out so that we walked through a fruit tree arboretum and found ourselves walking in a huge circular pattern that carried us through areas set up to duplicate the different types of growing places throughout the world. There were hot humid lowlands, tropical monsoon, semi-arid tropics and tropical rain forest. On the outer edges were set ups for a community garden, herb garden and a duck pond.

One demonstration that capture my attention the most was how ECHO provides information on ways to bring solar power to outlying areas where electricity is not available. For example a solar oven can cook meals or heat water to boiling and that makes it clean enough to drink. Other solar panels dried fruit and meat for storage to be eaten later.

 There were vegetables growing in everything imaginable such as tires, wading pools and boxes. Irrigation was by drip methods or misting. There was even a garden using discarded aluminum drinking cans for potting and watering the crop. I was amazed at how much food could be raised in such a small area. I really admired and appreciate the people that worked together to create this awesome place. I've always been a city person and never been in a farm before, actually this was my first time and learned a lot from it.

 

 

# 1 Course Impressions

When i transfer schools and came to FGCU i would have never though i had to take a course about the environment. First of all because is not part of my major, and second of all it looked boring to me and did not think it would help in my future career. Also, When i spoke with people who have already taken University Colloquium, all you hear about is the unfavorable papers and loads of work. One thing i was happy about, is that this class is given at the Rookery Bay since is closer to my house than FGCU, and is a different kind of setting than the usual classrooms.

After our first class meeting at the Rookery bay my first impressions of the class is that colloquium should be fun and interesting and that it does actually relate at some point in every ones life since we all live in this world. One thing i was amazed about is the amount of people that  support and help this organization protect our Floridian ecosystem and wild life. One thing that i liked the most was the board walk we had with the volunteer. It was very interesting to learn the different kinds of species, plants, and trees that reside here in South West Florida.

By the end of this class i expect myself to have understanding of the beautifully place we all live in, and knowledge of how we as humans can help protect our ecosystem and the wild life that surround us.