Journal # 6 Historic Cottage

I really enjoyed our visit to the historic cottage on Fort Myers beach and Matanzas Pass preserve. I had no idea of the rich history of the Fort Myers area. As early as the Native American era the area was settled and large mounds were formed by the native’s waste which consisted primarily of shells from the seafood they ate. In more contemporary times I thought it was very interesting how knowledgeable the elderly woman was of the net fishing history. People were making a living practicing net fishing for generations and when it was declared illegal they had to find another way to live. Supposedly the net fishing was killing other fish which were not intended to be netted. Not to mention she made some amazing sea grape jam that was made from local plants on the island! I also found it incredible that before the bridge today going from Fort Myers to the mainland there was a “swing bridge” operated by one man. The mangrove ecosystem around the historic cottage was also very fascinating. It always amazes me how many adaptations mangroves have developed in order to live in these extreme environments. The red mangrove with their long prop roots growing in the deepest water. The black mangrove behind the red with its checkerboard bark and Pneumatophores poking out of the mud. Finally the white mangrove which is found farthest away from the water, usually at the highest elevation. After leaving the historic cottage I enjoyed seeing the shrimp fleet under next to the bridge. I did not realize just how big the local shrimping industry was right here in Fort Myers. Moreover I always thought shrimping at night was how people every where caught their shrimp, it turns out that on the east coast the boats actually go out at night.

Journal # 5 Leopold

Aldo Leopold has many genius ideas and conceptual philosophies dealing with the environment and life. One which stood out to me was the community concept and how it relates to the “Land Ethic”. He says all ethics rest upon a single premise that states an individual is a member of a community made up of interdependent parts. The individual follows his instincts and competes for his place in the community while the ethics developed over time tell him to co-operate. I agree that the idea of “land ethics” is simple; include the soils, water, plants, and animals into our community of ethics so we truly care about them as we do each other. We say we care about the land around us, but in reality do we truly care about the environment we are part of? Just as Leopold says, I certainly don’t think we do. Humans don’t care about the soils which they overuse for their own well good until it is totally depleted of nutrients. Humans don’t care about water which we use for transportation and carrying off our wastes. We definitely don’t care about forests that we clear out in a matter of days to lay down a shopping center. It is like we do not see ourselves as part of the world around us, when in fact we are no better or important than any other creature on this earth. “Ecological Conscience” is another topic Aldo talks about. I agree that conservation/ ecological education is important. Both the volume of education needs to be increased as well as the method in which we teach young generations. It seems to me that it is obvious we need to switch from traditional modes of education to a more progressive mode in an effort to create a more ecologically literate youth. His “land Pyramid” is also a very eye opening concept which shows just how interrelated and complex life is. When thinking of land for example one must remember that land is not just the soil. Native plants and animals are important to keep the natural cycle of life flowing while exotic ones may not. Lastly and most importantly man-made changes are different than evolutionary changes and therefore create changes that can be very dangerous and life altering.

Journal # 4 Campus

In class today I learned many new things that I have always taken for granted. While walking around campus it was interesting to see the cooling plants that are very unique to FGCU. We have the second largest cooling plant of this type out of any university in the country! I was also able to learn how the cooling system works; there are coiled pipes inside the large “barrels” that a very cold substance runs through, this substance cools the water in the barrel, and finally the cold water cools the air running next to the pipes. Another very simple yet effective aspect of the school was all of the covered pathways between each academic building. Living in an area like southwest Florida we are prone to blistering heat and random thunderstorms, it is very convenient to have these paths covered. On the side of the overhangs there are actually rocks which allow the rainwater to seep into the groundwater and aquifers. This is very important to have because there is already too much impermeable surfaces around campus that disrupts the hydrology of the area. The plants brought here to campus were also very carefully selected. All the different plants here on campus are native and usually drought resistant. This way we do not have to worry about introducing exotic species that could be potentially invasive taking over the surrounding plants. There are however some exotic invasive species found here on campus, the main one being the Melloluca tree. The tree was brought over by the first settlers of the area in an attempt to dry up the swamp lands, and make the area “livable”. While walking over the pond on the board walk with the class we saw a little blue heron, or possibly a juvenile white egret. It was amazing to actually observe the cypress trees and see how barren they were compared other times of the year like summer. Come summer time that pathway will be shaded by the thick green leaves of the Cypress trees.