Class Reflections:
On Wednesday I got to listen to some fellow students read and show their journal entries. It was really nice to hear my fellow biologist's journal sound as it did, though now I seem to have a problem qualifying it. Mine feels this way to me, when I reflect upon it. Not, technical, per say, but certainly different from those I heard in class. More, analytic maybe. Does that mean I remove myself from the subject? Certainly not. I read once that people might think a scientist loses the ability to see the magic in nature, and therefore cannot love it. On the contrary, the scientist sees the wonder of nature through an entirely different lens, and is still astounded by it. I grok that wonder in the other students in class. I heard their prose and saw them play and listened to their words, and smiled. I love feeling like they are actually interested in being part of their environment, an active and aware part instead of this sad view I seem to have of others (with the littering and the laissez-faire attitude over water and air quality). Someone started up the conversation about litter again, and I was almost overjoyed! Mission Green was tabling that day and bringing volunteers on short litter walks around Heritage Park! I of course announced it to any that might be interested. I did have one girl come and give her contact information! YAY!
Then, I tabled for two and a half hours. I love tabling, I do. What does this have to do with Class, and how can it be a class Reflection? Two people came. Two from class. One was the girl who'd given her information. Another came, and put her information down. She'd been interested before but the old president hadn't been very active. A third did sign up, as I drew in from the crowd. However, another from class passed by and completely ignored me when he passed. Not even a nod of recognition. I withered. I think I actually shrank a little in my seat. I realize that students act like they care in some classes, for participation points or for requirement, and I'm sure I've done it myself. I think I only deluded myself this time because it's a subject that really means something to ME. How highly we place our values, and how shocked we are when others do not value them too.
Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":
I think I actually covered this above, as an Interaction feature, but I have some more to add. I have begun contacting professors to find a graduate advisor for the Environmental Science masters program. Turns out I have to have one willing to babysit me before I can complete the application! Oops! Naturally (for me) I asked Dr. Gawlik first. It had been recommended to me by two professors (Dr. Frazier, Biodiversity, and Dr. Koch, Ecology) to contact him first due to my interest in Avian Ecology. He has a Bird Lab on campus, and there would be many opportunities to get swampy. SQUEE! Alas! He is full on graduate students through the Fall 2014 year. I can probably try to wiggle in, in the following year, but I need to find another to be my advisor. Turns out there is another avian ecologist on campus, Dr. Baldwin. I have an interview with him Monday. YAY!
Ethnography of the South Floridian:
This morning I went on a walking tour of the plans for new planters/plantings along the seawall in Bryant Park. I was informed of the informational tour by an acquaintance on the Lake Worth Tree Board. The tour was led by Carman Vare, from Environmental Resources Management of PBC. I thought it was going to be largely informational, but it turned out that there are a fair amount of people against the planters. The seawall is subject to tidal beatings, and the angle of the waves coming in scour at the seawall and weakens it. It cost 5 million dollars to build the seawall, and the plan proposes planters (about 500 feet long, with 50 feet breaks between in) in a few strips along the seawall (not over the entire length). These planters will have rock and mangrove seedlings, and some with have short seagrass. These planters are ridiculously beneficial. First, their presence help protect the seawall from erosion, as the waves attack the rocks and whatever plants are there first. Secondarly, the mangroves collect sediment, which strengthens the barrier further. Third, the mangrove trees enrich that part of the water's floor, which is terribly poor right now, which brings better fish (which are terribly few, according the fishermen we came upon during the tour). These trees (habitats) and fish (food) draw more birds. The complaint? The view.
Some who live in the area, and walk
the seawall, believe these mangroves will block the view of the water.
They claim they're happy to have mangroves planted, just somewhere else.
(I don't need to clean up the litter, someone else will. I don't need
to save water, someone else will. I don't need to give up my view to
save the seawall and the water, someone else will.) Well, red mangroves,
the ones planned for the planters, will be approximately three feet
high for TEN YEARS. Seriously people. And even if they did block some
view (approximately 20% of the whole length of the seawall) the benefits
are immense! "Oh, you don't live here, that's easy for you to say!"
Ugh. The planner noted that some of the planters will have seagrass,
definitely too short to block views, so they wondered why they couldn't
all be seagrass (a fair question). The very presence of the good
seagrass beds will allow mangrove trees to root and grow. Personally, I
say let them have their "seagrass beds" and the mangroves (which share
that particular ecological niche) will simply come anyway. Ah well. I
could go on about the whole thing, but I simply want to point out that
these people obviously value the water, and the park, but at a
superficial level. They want to be able to see it with less effort. They
say they understand it needs to be protected (the seawall) in order to
protect themselves, but even the reduced risk of hurricane damage isn't
enough to warrant losing the view. They want it protected, somewhere
else. It doesn't quite work that way. The bend being scoured is going
keep being scoured unless bolstered. Planting the mangroves "somewhere
else" will help habitat growth, yes, but it won't protect the seawall.
This man seemed intelligent to understand that concept, yet seemed to
refuse to believe it.
I made some contacts there, with someone else on the Tree Board, and with the biologist giving the tour. I'm very interested in following the project. Who knows, maybe I can turn it into a thesis! (wink!)
On Wednesday I got to listen to some fellow students read and show their journal entries. It was really nice to hear my fellow biologist's journal sound as it did, though now I seem to have a problem qualifying it. Mine feels this way to me, when I reflect upon it. Not, technical, per say, but certainly different from those I heard in class. More, analytic maybe. Does that mean I remove myself from the subject? Certainly not. I read once that people might think a scientist loses the ability to see the magic in nature, and therefore cannot love it. On the contrary, the scientist sees the wonder of nature through an entirely different lens, and is still astounded by it. I grok that wonder in the other students in class. I heard their prose and saw them play and listened to their words, and smiled. I love feeling like they are actually interested in being part of their environment, an active and aware part instead of this sad view I seem to have of others (with the littering and the laissez-faire attitude over water and air quality). Someone started up the conversation about litter again, and I was almost overjoyed! Mission Green was tabling that day and bringing volunteers on short litter walks around Heritage Park! I of course announced it to any that might be interested. I did have one girl come and give her contact information! YAY!
Then, I tabled for two and a half hours. I love tabling, I do. What does this have to do with Class, and how can it be a class Reflection? Two people came. Two from class. One was the girl who'd given her information. Another came, and put her information down. She'd been interested before but the old president hadn't been very active. A third did sign up, as I drew in from the crowd. However, another from class passed by and completely ignored me when he passed. Not even a nod of recognition. I withered. I think I actually shrank a little in my seat. I realize that students act like they care in some classes, for participation points or for requirement, and I'm sure I've done it myself. I think I only deluded myself this time because it's a subject that really means something to ME. How highly we place our values, and how shocked we are when others do not value them too.
Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":
I think I actually covered this above, as an Interaction feature, but I have some more to add. I have begun contacting professors to find a graduate advisor for the Environmental Science masters program. Turns out I have to have one willing to babysit me before I can complete the application! Oops! Naturally (for me) I asked Dr. Gawlik first. It had been recommended to me by two professors (Dr. Frazier, Biodiversity, and Dr. Koch, Ecology) to contact him first due to my interest in Avian Ecology. He has a Bird Lab on campus, and there would be many opportunities to get swampy. SQUEE! Alas! He is full on graduate students through the Fall 2014 year. I can probably try to wiggle in, in the following year, but I need to find another to be my advisor. Turns out there is another avian ecologist on campus, Dr. Baldwin. I have an interview with him Monday. YAY!
Ethnography of the South Floridian:
This morning I went on a walking tour of the plans for new planters/plantings along the seawall in Bryant Park. I was informed of the informational tour by an acquaintance on the Lake Worth Tree Board. The tour was led by Carman Vare, from Environmental Resources Management of PBC. I thought it was going to be largely informational, but it turned out that there are a fair amount of people against the planters. The seawall is subject to tidal beatings, and the angle of the waves coming in scour at the seawall and weakens it. It cost 5 million dollars to build the seawall, and the plan proposes planters (about 500 feet long, with 50 feet breaks between in) in a few strips along the seawall (not over the entire length). These planters will have rock and mangrove seedlings, and some with have short seagrass. These planters are ridiculously beneficial. First, their presence help protect the seawall from erosion, as the waves attack the rocks and whatever plants are there first. Secondarly, the mangroves collect sediment, which strengthens the barrier further. Third, the mangrove trees enrich that part of the water's floor, which is terribly poor right now, which brings better fish (which are terribly few, according the fishermen we came upon during the tour). These trees (habitats) and fish (food) draw more birds. The complaint? The view.
 |
| A Map of the proposed plantings. |
I made some contacts there, with someone else on the Tree Board, and with the biologist giving the tour. I'm very interested in following the project. Who knows, maybe I can turn it into a thesis! (wink!)
 |
| An informational piece emailed to people RSVPed to the walking tour. |
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