Class-3

Today's class we did not go on any field trips. In class we watched a variety of videos and talked about the environment. For each video we watched, Dr. Morris told us to write down something new we learned from the videos, something we didn't believe to be true from the videos, and something that was relevant to Southwest Florida. One of the videos talked about the Ecosystem. The Ecosystem is a life support system and humanity couldn't live without them. I learned about the huge dust bowl that was the worst environmental disaster and that the land never fully recovered fro, it. we learned about far,s and how they can become more environmentally friendly by not using as many chemicals while farming. During this class we also talked about our upcoming projects coming up and Dr. Morris put us into groups for our Plan B 4.0 presentations. We also had time at the end of class to meet up with our groups and discuss our presentations.

Corkscrew Swamp-2

On todays field trip we went to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The swamp was surprisingly a very educational and fun field trip to go on. I learned so many things while walking through the swamp and also got to see many different types of plants, animals, and tress. We saw an alligator and her baby gators, a bald eagle, a vulture, different types of birds, and many other animals. Some of the plant life that we saw included bald cypress which has more feathery leaves than that of a pond cypress which has more skinnier leaves. We saw alligator flag, swamp lilies, and also a resurrection tree. One of the cool aspects of the swamp that interested me was the boardwalk. The boardwalk is made out of a south american wood called Ipe. This particular type of wood is perfect for this type of habitat because it does not rot and is very strong. Even the animals such as panthers use this wood as a scratching post so it is very beneficial to the area and the inhabitants. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems which includes the wildlife and their habitats. this benefits humanity and the earth's ecological diversity.

Food Forest -1

Today was the first day of attending University Colloquium. We took a field trip to the on-campus garden called "The Food Forest." The Food Forest is a student run botanical garden located on the campus of FGCU. I learned many things while touring the food forest. We got to try a variety of leaves and berry's that grew inside this garden. One of the purposes of the food forest is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about different types of edible and useful species from all over the world that can be grown in South Florida. Food Forest is also a great opportunity to get service-learning hours and it also free for anybody to go into this garden and check it out.