Blog Entry #3

Week#3: January 21-27, 2013

I saw a lot of different ecosystems while on this field trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida. On the brochure I picked up in the visitor center listed the different eco systems, a pine upland, a wet prairie, a cypress forest, and a marsh.One particular ecosystem that stood out to me was the forests around, one tree in particular that I stopped to photograph a lot as the bald cypress tree, which I learned as I was there that the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary contains the largest remaining Bald Cypress forest in North America. To be honest I didn't even know what a bald cypress tree was prior to my trip to the Corkscrew Sanctuary. Another distinct ecosystem on this trip that stood out to me was the large marsh, a vast type of wetland that contains seasonal plants. It is the ecosystem that is bordering lakes or water. Both the bald cypress tree forest and marsh lands act as a habitat for many different types of animals and plants that have adapted to environments that have high or low levels of water. 

In my own words conservation in this case is protecting, conserving as well as managing the environment. Stewardship is the management of resources, to me stewardship reminds me a lot of sustainability. The role of private non-profit in these two endeavors is huge, the conservation and stewardship efforts are all driven by members of organization that are passionate to help protect, manage and sustain the environment. Without them places like the Corkscrew Sanctuary would have been removed and replaced by neighborhoods. Civic Engagement is a large factor in all of this, I am as well taking Civic Engagement this semester and I've learned that it's more than "doing your part" or "community service." Civic Engagement has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern." The motivation to preserve this particular acreage was being cypress forests were being leveled in Florida for their timber. Since National Audubon was already protecting the wading birds nesting within the Corkscrew Swamp. Audubon's mission was to help protect not just the birds, but also other wildlife by conserving and restoring the natural ecosystems. If we had just bulldozed and built condos we would have destroyed four very important ecosystems, thus damaging the environment immensely. I’m glad that people in 1940-50’s were still fighting for what they believed in and didn’t take no for an answer! If they would have backed down who knows what kind of irreversible damage could have been done.