Blog #13

The trip taken to Corkscrew was definitely the best trip that we took all semester. The scenery made me feel like I was miles away from the florida that I know and don't really love. Walking through the cypress forest made me feel like I was somewhere up north, but definitely not in Southwest Florida. During the field trip, we saw many different ecosystems such as swamps, wetlands, and cypress forests. One of the cool "services" that aree provided by the sanctuary is the natural water purification system. When I learned about their method of cleaning water, I was shocked at how novel and eco-friendly it was compared to the other methods that I had learned about in the past. Conservation is the act of protecting the environment for the future, and stewardship is acting as a protector over something. In this example, being a steward would involve watching over the environment to make sure that it was being protected. The role of the non-profit in this area is huge. Since the government has so much else to worry about, protecting the environment falls to non-profits such as the Audubon society. I believe that a group of like-minded people can most definitely create change. This is truly how all change happens- a group of people being lobbying for a particular cause and then, as the movement grows, lawmakers are pressured into creating legislation that brings about the necessary change (think civil rights movement!). I believe that the motivation to protect the sanctuary is to keep the environment healthy. For example, since a great deal of florida's water runs through parks like this, one motivation is to make sure that our water supply remains healthy. I believe that the proper role of government is to fund organizations such as the Audubon society and charge them with the task of up keeping parks such as Corkscrew.