Update.

=]

I’ve added three new pages; however, one parent page titled “Issues” and the pages that go under that category are viewable and the other two are just drafts until I work on them some more.

I added the Issues pages to post some of the short essays I’ve written on environmental issues. So enjoy and hopefully I’ll have the other two pages viewable soon.

River Clean-Up

 Rivers are not trash cans!

Seriously, I was appalled at some of the stuff we pulled out of the Powell River. I went in thinking we would only be cleaning up soda cans and bottles, plastic bags, and other small items but no we ended up also pulling 2 bicycles, a shopping cart, a mattress and enough car parts to build a car.

The even more disturbing thing was that I was informed that down the road about a mile and a half is a place to dispose of junk but instead people threw stuff into the river. At the next meeting on campus, I’m going to suggest that we do clean ups more often and in different areas.

I’m encouraging everyone who reads this blog post to take a trash bag to your local river, creek, lake, or pond and take the initiative to pick up at least one bagful of trash.

Get Involved.

Work. Work. Work.

Sorry about the absence. I’ve been trying to catch up in my Environmental Problems class all thanks to a financial aid mishap and still doing research for the first project which I feel close to completion. It should be posted by the end of the month.

Enough about the bad news! The great news is that I was elected secretary of the Environmental Science Club on campus. Not only was I the only new to the club person elected as an officer but I have the even higher honor of being nominated by our club advisor/teacher, Mr. O.

Our first big project is tomorrow and we are cleaning up the Powell River. I’m so excited about this clean-up project and I’m so excited about being with like minded people who want to be involved in our community and make the world a little bit cleaner and efficient.

And I must say…I make those chest-high waders look hot.  ;)

All jokes aside, I suggest that you guys find a group or even organize your own community clean-up. Be it a river clean-up, a park or road-side clean-up… make every day Earth Day and do something meaningful for the environment.

Cheers,

Cat =]

P.S: I plan on starting some of the other blog and research projects in the next week because some of them are time consuming and need to be started soon.

P.S.S: Maybe I’ll post a picture of me in the waders. Hey! It could be my avatar for the blog. It’s an idea. lol

Thoughts in my Cupped Hands

Contemplation: noun- 1. the act of contemplating or thoughtful observation; 2. full or deep consideration; reflection: religious contemplation.; 3. purpose or intention.; 4. prospect or expectation.

This weekend has been full of contemplation but one story and the lesson learned stand out the most.

I always get asked questions that deal with a similar theme. The questions are always a bit different but deal with my love of the environment but until this weekend I’ve never been able to give a thoughtful answer. I could easily say its because I love the environment but that isn’t a deep or interesting answer; however, this weekend I’ve come up with the perfect answer.

I was standing outside when this beautiful specimen, a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, circled me three times and then landed about five feet in front of me. I stood watching it for a few moments when I realized that something was wrong, as soon as the butterfly landed it ceased moving, normally butterflies will land and wave their wings back and forth but this one was absolutely still. I slowly approached it thinking that it was going to fly away but it still didn’t move. I bent down to pick it up and I realized as I cupped it in my palm that it was dead. It was shocking to realize that in a matter of moments I had witnessed this butterfly go from a beautiful and alive being floating through the air to beautiful but macabre symbol of fragility in the palm of my hand.

From this life changing experience, I’ve concluded that our ecosystem is a fragile thing; one minute perfectly fine and the next gone. As a part of the massive ecosystem known as our planet it is my job to protect and maintain the balance. It’s a wonderful thing that an answer to such big questions can be found in something so simple as the death of a butterfly.

First Steps in a New Path.

New day, new major, new challenges and a better tomorrow.

So, today was the first day of class for me this semester and I’ve never been this excited about starting a new chapter in my life. Before now I was only taking general studies because I had no certain idea about I wanted to be in 5 years until earlier in the summer when I made my major change now I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

This semester looks to be fun, interesting, and inspiring for me. I was supposed to be in five classes but unfortunately due to problems within the system at the college not only did I get locked out of one of my classes but I lost a bunch of financial aid which is another blog in itself that I’ll try not to rant about but I’m in four classes that all sound interesting. I’m taking introduction to forestry with *Mr. O and Dendrology with *Mr. C both of which are in-class and I love both teachers! I think they’ve made my top ten favorite teachers list of all time. My other two online classes are Environmental Problems which plays to two of my strengths: the environment and writing papers and Introduction to Technical Science which gives an overview of all the branches of science and math related sciences which I’m not looking forward to but I’ll survive.

But anyways back to my teachers and why I love them. Mr. O has a Ph. D in agricultural sciences, entomology, and forestry and was born and raised in Nigeria. He’s got a big sense of humor and a love of what he does. According to him the three main ways to pass his class is to a)apply yourself, b)declare allegiance to his alma mater, Nebraska or c) never say the word “bug” in his presence in reference to an insect. According to him, choice ‘a’ and ‘b’ will get you an A and choice ‘c’ is on the way to a grade of Z which according to him is worse than failing. All of these jokes said seriously and then ended with a booming laugh.  

Mr. C is really strict but can be a jokey person but ultimately he loves what he does. He is teaching a class that is really interesting because I’ve always had a fascination with trees and this class is just playing to this love. Plus, hiking is a big part of this class, another of my favorite past times. By strict and serious love of what he does, I mean that in his words “A little rain doesn’t stop you from identifying trees so I suggest you gets a rain coat or a wind breaker. And please, please use pencils in the field because ink-pens don’t work in the rain.” He also talked about how we have to walk all the way on the campus to the out of the way tree to identify because “the grounds keepers get mad when I break branches or take leaves off the trees within public eye view.”

I’m so looking forward to this semester and the next two years. I’m getting to talk and discuss with like-minded people, working towards my goal of conservation and expanding my horizons.

*Names abbreviated  to keep confidentiality.

Day Five.

Deforestation seems to be as prevalent now as it was in the past.

Currently, I think I’ve collected enough information to possibly have a first draft done within the next few days. I’ve been reading through books and websites about how pioneers were the first to manipulate the land for their use and how eventually pioneers turned into farmers and later added coal mining to their repertoire.

I cannot even to begin to imagine what Southwest Virginia looked like back before settlers came because to me the land still seems so wild. It just depends on where you are to what extent the beauty extends. I can easily drive 30 minutes to the nearest urban type area and I can still see the mountains in the background and trees everywhere, even deer and other wildlife are still found within the urban limits or I can go to the most rural sections and be surrounded by trees and mountains. If I really wanted to be fully immersed in the wild I can find places to hike or camp.

The only blemishes I find on the land is deforestation for farming and surface mining which both effect the water, air, and soil quality. If both were done responsibly I think that the blemishing would be far less severe.

Day Three: Research and Further Inspiration.

Inspiration comes in many different forms.

Several hours of research has not only put me a few steps closer to the writing portion of this project but it has also inspired me for another idea all my own. Further more this research into how coal mining has effected my biome has given me further argument backing power, part of the idea mentioned last sentence, that gives a stronger base for my side of an argument about a need for a decrease in mining efforts.

My family has roots in the coal mining business, ending when my father left the mines in the mid-to late 90s, so I know how mining supports families through job prospects but I also know the two main negatives : the environment and health problems (I lost my grandfather, a coal miner for 3 decades, to lung cancer in January 2010). This being stated, the counter- argument of “if coal mining is reduced and replaced with renewable energy then you would be depriving the working-class community of jobs” has always made me have second thoughts about my proposal.

My original opinion states that if we decreased the United States coal production by a third to start with, and replaced that man-power and financial means by beginning to switch to renewable sources by installing solar-panels on public buildings like libraries, courthouses, hospitals and schools and if we harnessed wind with turbines that it would not only bring energy costs down but would also bring new jobs and opportunities for the American people. This argument is strong but not strong enough to convince local communities who believe change would be too expensive and risky and would specifically target and deprive the Appalachian people, who rely mostly on coal as a money making resource, of jobs in the mines; however, from my research, I have found a startling result.

According to a chart from http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/coal.html, coal mining locally in the Appalachian region has already started to decline and is predicted to continue declining up until 2030!

So, why not head-off that decline and begin replacing the already declining energy source with cleaner and more abundant energies like solar and wind power which would freely open up new opportunities for jobs and would over time decrease energy costs? Usually, the answer would be related to financial resasoning that switching to renewable resources would be expensive. I will agree that installing the turbines and solar panels would be expensive but the eventual savings and job openings would out-weigh the initial financial burdens.

So my idea about the need for an increase in renewable energy is no longer just about the environment but about the need to introduce new jobs to an area that solely relies on a single declining empire.

Day One: Brainstorming.

Brainstorming and idea hashing has already been underway. =]

According to the project guide here is the quoted premise:

“Identify the biome that characterizes your community or state. What plants and animals lived in the region before the arrival of Europeans? What changes have occurred and how have they impacted on the plant and animal life? What remains today? Have foreign species been introduced? Has any of the original community of plants and animals been preserved? What has been the impact of human activities on soil, water, and air of your region? Use charts and graphs where possible to show changes over time.”

This project will be more of a visual and literature data collection than that of some of the other projects which means I get to do another one of my many favorite things, read. I’m confident that all of the surrounding and local libraries will be rich with information. I’m looking forward to not only expanding my knowledge of the area but hopefully learning new things.

But I’ve already brainstormed a few of the ideas that I already know about my region and that I want to include in this written project:

• Description of the Temperate Broadleaf Forest flora and fauna.
• Daniel Boone’s Exploration/The before and after effects.
• Coal mining’s impact on the environment and community [Negatives and Positives].
• Deforestation for farming and its effect on the soil and water tables.

These four key facts will be the meat of my final paper.

The first key point will be the best part because I’ll be able to talk about the wildlife and beautiful plants and trees that; however, I know that the last three points, Daniel Boone, coal mining and farming, all have been major impacts on the changing landscape. I’m thinking that although wildlife and flora are still quite abundant that I’m going to be shocked at how much has changed, especially nearer urban area. I’m mostly curious to see what foreign species have been added because as of right now I can’t think of a single animal that could be an invasive species.

The coal mining and its impacts on the environment are going to be very interesting to write about due to the overwhelming prevalence it has locally. I’m already thinking that it make spark more research into the negatives it has on the environment and how much mining effects the human ecology and how it can make or break this community.

 

Introduction to Projects.

I’ve chosen six projects to start.

If anyone wants to know what book I got all of my projects to start with from it’s 1001 Ideas for Science Projects on the Environment by Marion A. Brisk, Ph.D.

I’ll collect and use data from my local community and hopefully from there make an impact. It only seems appropriate that I start locally before I go global.

I’m starting out with a project detailing the place that I currently live in and it’s properties and ecology that will aptly be named “What Biome Do I Live in?” I feel like this is a good starting place because this biography of my location will help with future projects and maybe inspire further data collection.

Hello world!

Okay. First post…Yay!

Hopefully I will get acquainted with this website soon.

Anyways…  

I’ve always been interested in helping the environment and I thought why not spread the word and my many conquests through a blog. I figured I could easily organize my thoughts, my projects and the everyday happenings of my new majors, Environmental Science and Forestry in blog-form.

Soon I’m going to post my first project and a few other posts after I can completely feel comfortable with the site.

Cheers.

Cat. =]

PS. Special thanks go out to my wonderful best friend and resident photographer, Misty, for my beautiful header.