A Land Remembered

"A Land Remembered" by Patrick D. Smith is a book about the MacIvey family and how they started out in the 1800s in Florida to being very successful and wealthy until the 1960s. I have only read 21 out of the 45 chapters, but so far, I have loved the book and look forward to more reading in the future. The book begins with Tobias MacIvey and his wife Emma and there son Zech moving from Georgia down to Florida. After living in the scrub for a while, their house was burnt down and forced them to move down south to a place called Kissimmee. Tobias began to work in the cattle industry which sold for 16 dollars a cow, which back then, was a lot of money. He hired three men, Skillet, Frog, and Bonzo. They began to get very wealthy and loved the work they were in. Skillet brought his wife to join the family which Emma enjoyed because there was finally another female in the house. Zech is my favorite character because ever since he was a little boy, he excelled at everything he did and never showed fear or cowardliness. He is currently seventeen and just met a girl that wasn't his mother for the first time in his life and is going crazy. The last chapter I read showed a couple of men hung the grandson and friend of Keith Tiger, a long time friend of Tobias. This made Tobias very mad and he punished the men then sent out for the Okeechobee to look for Keith Tiger and give his village the twelve cows that he had promised when he gave them to his grandson. This book is very addicting and cannot wait to read the second half of the book and see what adventures await the MacIvey clan.

Third Class

On Thursday May 23rd, Dr. Morris decided we stay in class and watch a video about how different types of the world are being effected but also contributing to the problems that are happening right now with our environment. The first place we looked at was Kansas, farmers are using less materials in order to not pollute the water as much and preserve. This is a good thing because when they lose less materials, they are saving money. However, not all people think that this is a good thing, especially the companies who produce the chemicals that the farmers use. If farmers are using less, then the chemical companies are not making as much profit which does not make them happy. One example that was discussed in class was a farmer trying to get a loan at the bank. When the bank realized that he does not use chemicals because he is an organic farmer, they declined him because one of their major contracts was a chemical company that instructed the bank to either make the farmers use their chemicals, or they are taking their money elsewhere for another bank to have. This can effect SW Florida by the food we eat has either more or less chemicals which could impact our health. Also if the farmers have to use more materials, then the water can become more polluted and can impact the water we drink greatly.

The other place we looked at was south Africa. In this situation, they had a low amount of water and did not know why. After some research they realized that the invasive trees that were planted there are taking up a lot of the water and making the river stay still instead of flowing smoothly. Once they cut the trees, the water flowed very smooth and they began to drink again. The effects on SW Florida would be that even though it is in south Africa, we in America still drink the water from there and if the the water is low, that limits are water supply.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Fieldtrip

Thursday May 16th, the second of nine classes we took a bus and visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It was my first time going there and it was great to see all the wildlife and preservation that was taking place right before our very eyes. The class was split up into two groups, half going with Dr. Morris and the other half going with a teacher assistant. I chose to go with the teacher assistant and she was very knowledgeable over this subject and was a great instructor overall. We learned many things during the field trip about the different types of plants and the animals that live within these ecosystems. For example, there are three keys to different ecosystems and those include fire, water and elevation. The Cypress Dome has taller trees on the outside, and shorter trees on the inside. The reason this is because the trees are on a slope and when it rains, the water goes into the middle making it more damp then the outside of the Cypress which is generally dryer. Cats, bears, and other animals that live in this ecosystem will scratch trees in order to sharpen their claws so they can hunt. They will also mark their territory by peeing.

The entire trip took four hours and included over three miles of walking. However, the more we walked through the path, the more the ecosystems changed. We saw different animals including alligators, eagle, deer, and others. Each were in the different ecosystems that fit their lifestyle.

The land was preserved because one man stepped up when no one else would and realized that we continued to destroy the environment so that we could live in our buildings, then we would destroy everything that Florida represents and would completely change the culture of SW Florida forever.

First Day of Class

Thursday May 9th was the first day of summer classes which meant the first day of University Colloquium with Dr. Morris. The class was located in Ben Hill Griffin Hall, Room 109. At first glance, I assumed that this class would be about the environment and how to protect and preserve what is left on the planet. While I was correct is my assumption, I did not cover the entire class description. This class will also help students grow within themselves. Since this class is filled with students with all different types of majors and career paths, it makes it possible to ignore our studies for a second and focus on how to be a better person as a whole. I am looking forward to what this class has to offer and am willing to put in the effort it will take in order to better myself as a whole.

After discussing the learning objectives and going through the syllabus, we spent the rest of the class on a field trip where we visited the food forest on campus. Being a transfer student and only being at FGCU for a year now, I have never heard of the food forest and what it was all about. It was very interesting that students took the time out of their day to come here and grow different types of plants that either produced food or did not. It definitely got me thinking that I could do more for the environment even if it is in a small way. Overall, I am glad to have visited the forest and plan to go back very soon.