Corkscrew Sanctuary

As I was walking up to the visitors center I noticed the interpretive signs. After reading them I learned that the endangered Wood Stork only inhabits the swamp during the dry months of the summer and early spring to mate. I have never seen any kind of stork in person so I was a little disappointed that we would not see them considering it is late June, but was excited to see other forms of wildlife and vegetation. After reading that the swamp is filled solely by rain water I was expecting the water level to be pretty low since we haven't had much rain yet this summer. I then learned about the Plume Birds being hunted almost to extinction for their feathers, at this point I knew that Corkscrew Sanctuary was someplace special. It is one of the last remaining functional parts of the Southwest Florida Ecosystem, and is preserved in order to maintain the existence of some very rare forms of life including the rare bald cypress. Inside the visitors center I learned that the strangler fig is a source of food and shelter for many wildlife creatures. It wraps itself around a host and it is unknown as to whether it feeds off the host or not. 

As we started down the boardwalk the first thing I noticed was a measuring unit sticking out of the ground to measure the water depth. There was no water, in fact it was almost completely bone dry, except for the little bit moisture that appeared to be in the soil. It appears that the changes to the drainage system in order to accommodate agriculture and population growth has greatly effected the natural wetlands of Southern Florida. Redirecting the natural water flow has caused wetlands to dry up, which greatly impacts the wildlife in the areas affected. Because the area is so dry, it cannot support wildlife. I saw no animals, only insects, because there is no food for them. The lettuce lakes were not lakes at all, but instead flatter areas of shorter vegetation growth where you could determine were once full of water.

While I was there I did get a very rare opportunity to see a Ghost Orchid. This orchid is endangered and only blooms once a year. Corkscrew sanctuary had a scope set up on the boardwalk to view the orchid since it was too far away to see with the naked eye. There were seven blooms and more buds ready. It was beautiful! I only wish that I could have seen it close up.

Corkscrew Sanctuary was a wonderful experience for me. However, it was very disappointing to see the lack of wildlife in an area that once thrived with it. To see everything so dry was very unsettling. Freshwater releases need to be made in order to sustain the life of our estuaries and the wildlife that depend on them for survival.

Untold stories of Fort Myers

I was very surprised by the information I learned about Fort Myers. Being from Minnesota, I know next to nothing about this area. Being a Twins fan, of course, I have been going to pre-season games since I moved down here. I found it interesting that they have been coming here for spring training since just after WWII. I didn't even know Minnesota had a team back then. Another interesting piece of information I learned was that this area was originally Monroe county, before becoming independent from Key West. My grandparents have always told me that I am a descendant of General Robert E. Lee so I was pleased to find out that the county was named after him. I visited Edison's home not long after I moved down here but was shocked at how many people were on record to have passed through his home. Not knowing that Edison's wife had dreams of having a college named after him, I am very pleased that was made possible in the 1960's. I had no idea that Fort Myers was such a historic city. Now that I am aware, I am looking forward to spending my evening there tonight. I love learning the history of historic cities. I enjoy visiting them and wondering what it would have been like to live during a previous time period. I live in Estero and rarely ever go to Fort Myers, let alone downtown Fort Myers. I think The furthest North I have gone is Edison Mall, which I was surprised has been around since the 60's.

Post #10: Bush 60 minutes

It's hard to believe how much politics play a part in just about everything. The fact that the government is trying to cover up, or mislead us of the dangers of global warming seems a little ridiculous when you think about it. With the internet and knowledge at our fingertips, anyone can do independent research on the matter. It also seems a little unfair for the government to lie or withhold information from their citizens. Why does George Bush think that he should be able to make the executive decision as to whether or not American citizens should be able to be fully informed about what is happening to their planet? On the other hand, I do believe that some Americans just plain don't care about the effects that global warming is having on our planet. Some people don't really want to know, while others don't understand it. I think that is a big part of why the government tried to cover it up for so long.  I think that the Bush administration didn't think that many Americans would understand  even if it was explained to them and were afraid that some may even panic. Whatever the reason, lying isn't fair or honest. As a society, Americans have become more informed of the dangers of global warming. The government has been honest about the importance of preventing it, now we just have to start doing something about it.

Post #9: Global Dimming

The idea that the sun is producing less solar energy when the temperature is increasing is puzzling. However, since global warming is caused by greenhouse gases neglecting to release heat back out of the atmosphere this is a good thing. If the sun were increasing solar energy simultaneously with global warming we probably would have fried like bacon by now. The idea of the pan evaporation decreasing sparks a memory of mine. Not long after moving to Florida from Minnesota I hung a wet towel outside to dry. Because the temperature was rather hot outside I assumed it wouldn't take long. After going to retrieve the towel several hours later I noticed it had not seemed to have dried even the slightest bit. I then concluded that it must have been because of the humidity, or amount of moisture in the air not allowing it to dry. It seems as though I was partially correct with this analysis of the situation. Evaporation levels are effected by both humidity and heat. As far as pollution being the culprit of global dimming, this does not surprise me. If pollution is not allowing as much heat to escape the atmosphere it is likely not letting as much in either. Thus, resulting in a decrease of solar energy. This decrease in solar energy affects the monsoon patterns in Africa, resulting in famine. Those who are busy criticizing scientists for being concerned with the planet while there are people starving need to look at the big picture. I' m not saying that ending global warming will feed the starving people in our world, but it definitely has a snowball affect, it has been proven over and over again.

Post #8: "As the World Burns"

Politics can be a little confusing at times. This article almost made it seem like a popularity contest, and not just with voters, but among the politicians as well. They go back and forth seeing who they can get on "their side", meanwhile they are betraying others in order to get ahead. It reminds me a little of the reality television show Survivor. Politicians will appear to be on a certain side, then switch at the last moment. In Obama's acceptance speech he claimed that "Energy we have to deal with today, health care is priority No. 2". By having six republicans on their side before voting took place for the bill they did not foresee an issue with it being passed, or so they claimed. So why was it not passed? How did climate change become so unimportant to Obama and the other lawmakers? Why have they decided to put it on the back burner? After all the hard work they put into developing the comprehensive bill that they did, it is hard for me to believe that they wouldn't do anything it took to get it passed, especially when they appeared to be so passionate about it. Or were they? All of the politicians involved in writing the bill, John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman, seemed as though they had an alternative motive for writing it. They all had a negative stigma attached to them at that time in the eyes of their colleagues and voters. Maybe they did it to have a more positive persona, or make scientists and voters believe they are acting on the subject to shut them up for awhile. I personally think that behind all politics is just a popularity contest among greedy, self gratifying liars.