Reflecting on University Colloquium

I cannot believe that my Colloquium Class Experience has come to an end. I feel like it was just yesterday when Professor Borden taught me the concept of sustainability and sense of place. Now, after fourteen weeks, I am able to relate the concepts we learned to the green world around me. I find myself telling my family and friends the names of Southwest Florida species that I see when I am on the golf course. I am able to identify sabal palms, royal palms, Spanish moss, ball moss, mangroves, lichen, and more. Prior to Colloquium I was not able to put a name to an item in nature. I think the readings, essays, and teachings in Colloquium only increased my ecological perspective and sense of place with the natural world around me. I understand the concept of sustainability a lot more now and it is so important because it provides each individual with a significant purpose to live a “green” life. Society needs to become more proactive in the journey towards sustainability, the capacity to endure, and I feel like University Colloquium is a great way to start. I think learning about the urban “slum” communities struggle towards sustainability was an important concept taught in Colloquium because it proves to many individuals the global fight for a sustainable environment. I also thought it was important to learn about the invasion of exotic species such as the Burmese Python because those species create a larger problem in the environmental cycle of species.

The field trips were also great way for me to learn the concepts of University Colloquium and I now have a lot more knowledge of Southwest Florida’s environment. I was able to complete my service learning hours at The City of Naples Preserve where I restored one of three ecosystems (Pine Flatwoods) which I learned about during our field trip at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The sanctuary had three ecosystems the boardwalk took us through and being able to take what I learned during that field trip about the Pine Flatwoods and applying it to my service learning was a great, enlightening moment for me. I like being able to apply what I learn to everyday moments in my life and I feel like University Colloquium gave me that opportunity daily.

Word Count: 384



The Sunflowers at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary



Southwest Florida Species

      1.      Cabbage Palm

a.      State tree of Florida

b.      Contains boots which are used as homes for critters and other small species

c.      Contain palm frawns which look like the palm of a hand

                                                    i.     Used to make roofs for houses

d.      Produces Heart of Palm which is edible

2.      Coontie



 Mangroves

                  a.      Red Triangular Seeds

b.      Seminoles used it for bread but it was toxic

3.      Wild Coffee

a.      Green glossy leaves

b.      Red berries

c.      Toxic to humans

4.      Spanish Moss

a.      Member of the Pineapple family

b.      Epiphytes-air plants

5.      Slash Pine

a.      Adapted to fire

b.      Pine cones explode when on fire

c.      Puzzle-piece bark

d.      Deep roots

6.      Black Mangrove

a.      Checkerboard Bark

b.      Hold barrier islands together

c.      Pencil-like breathing tubes

7.      Royal Palm

a.      Smooth, concrete-like trunk

b.      Brought to Fort Myers by Mina Edison

8.      White-tailed Deer

a.      Much smaller in Florida

b.      Prey for panthers and bears

9.      Melaleuca

a.      Bark looks like paper

b.      Allelopathy-tree poisons the soil

10.   Water Lettuce

a.      Dense mats that block waterways

11.   Bald Cypress

a.      Found in swamp areas

Sea Grape

b.      Triangular base

12.   Strangler Fig

a.      Symbiotic relationship with the Bald Cypress

b.      A vine in the Ficus family

13.   Lubber Grasshopper

a.      BIG, brightly colored

b.      Make sound by moving their hind legs

c.      Don’t jump/hop

14.   American Alligator

a.      Dangerous tail

b.      Can be up to 14 feet long

c.      Have store captured prey

15.   Lichen

a.      Signifies good air quality

b.      Combination of algae and fungi

c.      Colors: white, green, and red

16.   Old Man’s Beard

a.      Type of lichen

b.      Green and fuzzy

17.   Wood Stork

a.      Endangered bird

Alligator Tail

b.      Eat small fish

c.      Have a 6-foot wingspan

  

18.   Alligator Tail
            a.      Native Swamp Plant

b.      Sign of deep water

c.      Arrow-shaped leaves

d.      A warning flag for early Florida settlers

19.   Strap Fern

a.      Grows in swamps

b.      Brown circular spores on the underside of the leaves

20.   Sea Grape

a.      Holds barrier islands together

b.      Interconnecting root system

c.      Can be used for sea grape jelly

Words: 408

Downtown Fort Myers

Uncommon Friends Fountain

Our last and final fieldtrip of Colloquium to Downtown Fort Myers was my favorite. I liked how I was able to see a different side of nature and experience the past of Fort Myers. One of my favorite features of Downtown Fort Myers was the Uncommon Friends Fountain. First off, I really liked hearing Professor Borden’s proud words of the fountain because she helped construct it. Second, I liked how it included not only the three established men of the century (Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone) but also native species such as manatees, otters, mullets, gators, etc. I was able to appreciate the fountain because Professor Borden was personally involved with the funding of it and because it incorporated a lot of the ideas and topics discussed in Colloquium (species, sustainability). Learning about the Civil War and how Fort Myers was used as a fort for the Seminole War was baffling to me. It is so hard for me to grasp the fact that soldiers were fighting on the very ground I was standing on by the flag pole years ago.





The view of Downtown Fort Myers from the top of Hotel Indigo

  

My favorite aspect of the fieldtrip was being able to walk into the boutique hotel: Hotel Indigo. The hotel is an upscale hotel train that encompasses its environment and portrays it in its décor. All of the rooms were different by design and it is a direct example of urban sustainability. It used the flooring that was already there from years ago and added to its beauty. It also provided a great view of Downtown Fort Myers from the top of the building where the pool and bar were located. I was able to see the river and the over hangings of the buildings built for nature’s disasters (rain). I know this field trip was my favorite because I have told my friends and family about it and I really want to go back and attend the first Fridays and third Saturdays (event days). I know I would enjoy myself and I have always wanted to walk through New York City but Downtown Fort Myers will do for now!

Word Count: 375

ECHO: Use What We Have to Make What We Need

My first college field trip to ECHO was an eye-opening experience for me. From the introduction to the star fruit to the wick gardens, I witnessed how people use what we have to make what we need. ECHO is an organization that fights world hunger through education of new techniques to make agriculture and farming easier and more efficient. I really enjoyed learning about the Bamboo; there are forty different species and only two kinds: running bamboo and clumping bamboo. I never really thought about how much bamboo can be of use to us. Bamboo can be used as piping, house building material, fencing, etc., and it grows a foot a day contributing to the subject of sustainability. Another fascinating statement that ECHO ingrained into my head many times was: THE WORLD RUNS ON MANURE! I learned about the ducks that ECHO had and how their poop falls through the mesh on the bottom of their pens, feeds the tilapia which then provides a great source of protein to humans.

The manure-producing ducks

I found Vermaculture (worm farm) very interesting because once again, the worms’ poop (castings) is used to fertilize. Human’s trash and compost is thrown into the worms’ community and they break it down forming manure.

Besides the world running on manure, I was also fascinated with the many ways plants can be used as dietary supplements. The Moringa Tree provided vitamin C, A, calcium, protein, iron, and potassium along with seeds that provide a source of water purification. The Neem tree provides brushes, cleans teeth, makes shampoo, soap, and it can be used as a bug repellant. So many different trees at ECHO could be used for more than one purpose and sending these trees to other developing countries is one of the easiest ways to reduce world hunger and nutrient deficiency.

The wick gardens

This field trip made me aware of the struggles other countries are enduring and that world hunger is still very much an issue in the 21^st century. Just standing in those “houses” around an open fire for one minute made me uncomfortable and very uneasy. I find it very upsetting that there are humans just like me living in conditions such as those I experienced at ECHO. ECHO definitely made me more aware of struggles going on in other developing countries and of the many different ways to provide help through efficient agricultural techniques.

The housing developing countries live in (usually 5-9 people stay in one)

Word Count: 399

Etters, PA

For the neighborhood I am going to describe I am going to go back to my childhood home. My childhood home is located in Etters, Pennsylvania (York County), and I lived there for thirteen years of my life. When I think back to my old neighborhood all I can remember is my endless backyard. I call it endless because I wouldn’t just count my backyard; I included the Basso’s backyard and the Tamim’s backyard-my two closest family friends. Every time I came home from school I would put on my running shoes and head out the creaky garage door to the two houses to the right of mine. My younger sister and I would go door to door ringing bells and shouting names; running back and forth feeling the cool, brisk, fall air fill our lungs and produce that dry cough only northern states can create. The sun would peak down on us through the tiny oak tree spaces in the grown oak “tree house”. There was a black tire swing hanging from a sturdy branch of an oak tree with as many stories as the years it has been there. The three-inch tall green grass would slow the fast runners down when running up the steep hills sloping from back yard to front yard with scattered trees. The only sound would be the loud screams from victims of the ghost in the graveyard and the quiet whisperings of plans towards the next best hiding spots. Since I have moved to Florida, I realize that I miss the smell of the air. Pennsylvania had such a crisp, distinct smell to the air that just brought a relaxing sense over me. I would only taste the dryness of my mouth; almost like tasting stale blood from bleeding gums. It would almost be painful to swallow because the air was so clean and powerful. I still miss playing with my neighbors to this day; there are no trees to climb until you feel like you are queen of the world and no air to raise the hairs on your arms. I do not hear the comforting, yes comforting, screams of children having the time of their life outside; never anticipating the call of their parents’ voice telling them it is time to come inside and get ready for bed. My childhood home created a memorable childhood that I will never regret and one I will cherish forever.
Word Count: 405