Snow in Florida?

I wish Florida could get snow. Is it impossible. For this blog I decided to find out. We are near the equator but maybe it isn't possible. I actually heard a rumor that in the past it has snowed in Florida.

Here are some dates I found when it snowed:

Jan. 2008 = Snow flurries reported near Daytona Beach.

Jan. 2003 = Snow flurries reported near Cocoa Beach.

Dec. 1996 = Snow flurries reported in western panhandle.

Jan. 1996 = Snow flurries reported along the west coast.

Mar. 1993 = The "1993 Superstorm" drops a couple inches of snow in the western panhandle

Dec. 1989 = Snow, freezing rain and sleet is reported in much of Central and North Florida. Jacksonville has a white Christmas.

Mar. 1986 = A half inch of snow accumulates in Jacksonville.

Mar. 1980 = A quarter inch of snow accumulates in Jacksonville.

Jan. 1977 = A swath of snow sweeps across the entire state. Accumulations over an inch are reported well south into central Florida, and flurries are spotted all the way to Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Feb. 1973 = A snowstorm dumps several inches of snow in northern Florida. An unofficial report indicates that a few isolated areas may have seen up to 8 inches.

Feb. 1958 = 1.5 inches of snow accumulates in Jacksonville and 2.8 inches accumulates in Tallahassee.

Mar. 1955 = Snow falls in the panhandle.

Dec. 1952 = Sleet and snow is reported in northern Florida.

Feb. 1951 = Up to 2 inches of snow falls in NE Florida.

Jan. 1935 = Pensacola receives 1 inch of snow.

Nov. 1912 = A dusting of snow falls in north Florida.

Feb. 1907 = Flurries fall in Jacksonville.

Dec. 1901 = Light snow falls in Jacksonville.

Feb. 1899 = "The Great Blizzard of 1899" hits Florida

Do not Litter

Littering is not a good thing at all for our earth. This litter will end up places we would never even think about. It can end up absolutely anywhere.

Today I saw a man litter. He did it thinking no one was looking. Turns out he was going into my work for an interview. I had no idea. My boss got out of his car right at the same time I did.

Well my boss saw it too. He did not know that man was coming in for an interview till we got to the store door. My boss inerviewed him. I was working on the floor.

About half an hour later, my boss came out I asked how it went? He said he is not hiring him because he littered. Wow! Don't litter or it can cause you to not get a job!

It's Christmas Time

I love this time of year. It does get very chilly outside though. I use this to my advantage with my house. I have noticed that I am very comfortable with the air turned off when it is cold outside.

The temperature outside is 50 degrees right now. With the air turned off I am saving energy. This is great for the environment. This is a benefit. Instead of turning the heat up just layer yourself with clothing.

Now lets look at the con's. Have you seen how many lights get used and put up in and outside of houses around this time of the year? It is a lot. I can't even think of a number. It's good for the holiday spirit but bad for the environment.

Another con is the hot water use. It is cold so no one wants to take a cold shower they want to take a hot one. This isn't green but it is needed.

I saved a turtle today!!

I was driving on a road to go to a meeting at school and what appeared in front of me? A HUGE turtle! I could not keep driving and no one was behind me.

So I pulled over and looked at him. It immediately was frightened and slipped right back into its shell. I had to pick him up but I did not want to scare it more.

I went back to my car,got a towel and wrapped it around him. I put him in thebushes far from theroad. He sat there for a moment. I started to walk away but all of asudden, he looked at me as if to say thank you.

It made my day.Do a good deed. This was just one that was related to the enviroment:)

FGCU efforts to become more green

My group and I were in the library today. We were working on our PR research project. We wanted to get Starbucks before hand. Starbucks we each got a couple hot drinks and headed to our study room.

At the study room we did all our work but there was no trash can to dispose of our drinks. I told everybody in my group we should recycle these cups. They called me a tree hugger right on the spot! haha.

I took all the cups and went outside. There were recyling baskets to put our cups. The neat thing about these bins was they had pictures on it of all the different things that can go in it. This makes it much easier for people who don't know or are not sure.

What a great idea. I knew exactly where it all went but it definitely helps.

FGCU's Tap Water not good?

I saw a sign on campus saying tap water is unsafe at FGCU. But I was not sure if I should believe it or not. So I set off to do a little more research to see if it was true or not.

I asked a man at the student government table in the building. He was actually passing out Eagles tap water bottles. I felt like this is too good to be true. I figured I would go up to him and see if I can get my answers out of him.

He was very interested when I told him about the sign. He said it is incorrect because FGCU pays thousands annually to bring safe clean drinking water to campus( FGCU Physical Plant).

The tap water on campus is tested weekly too. FGCU wants students and staff to also reuse their waterbottles. The man who gave me all this information even gave me a water bottle. I am going to commit myself to using it everyday. I am going green :)

Here is more info on FGCU's tap water- http://www.fgcu.edu/PhysicalPlant/eagles-hearts-tap-water.html

I propose no Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Lets be thankful for the turkeys. This post has to do with Turkeys. Since it is the month of thanksgiving.

I feel bad for the turkey this time of year. I think thanksgiving should be not turkey. It should be replaced with a non meat food.

In fact all the food that is consumed on Thanksgiving should be not meat.

We are giving thanks for our family, world and everything in life. So why be thankful and eat turkey. The truth is, the turkey is an animal and should not be hurt or eaten on thanksgiving.

We can eat the turkey on other days, but thanksgiving no form of meat should be eaten. Thanksgiving can still be a very delicious meal without meat.

My roomate said there was a Bobcat in our hallway!!!

So I am blogging about something I learned yesterday. My roommate saw a bobcat outside in the breezeway of our apartment. When she told me this I really thought she was joking. But I guess not because by listening to the description of the bobcat it had to be one.

She said she saw it at night. I think it must of came because our neighbors always put their garbage bags outside the night before. The trash does not get picked up until late morning. So the bobcat must of smelled the garbage and wanted to go through it.

I understand I go to an environmentally friendly school but I am very scared at night. We have so many different wildlife that live here. Next thing you know I will have a poisonous snake in my room or worst a gator. We have to be very careful. We are so close to these animal’s habitats. They don’t mean to harm us but they will if they feel threatened.

The bobcat was brown and orange.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary

This is another place I have volunteered at. It is located in Naples Florida. I learned about this place through a classmate. She told me you work with wolves. I thought it sounded really cool. Definitely something I have never done before. Why not try it out.

I went down to the center and got an appointment with Deanna, the lady in charge. It was very nice to meet her and learn about what I would be doing. I told her I am a little nervous but she said I will be fine.

Another lady the next time I went down told me to play in a level 4 Wolves cage. I had no idea what I was doing so I of course went into the cage and next thing you know this wolfs ears are flat back, snarling his teeth.

I knew it was not a good sign. I ran out as fast as I could. He was threatened by me I was in his cage. Turns out the lady who did that had no idea what she was doing.

I definitely have an angel watching over me. A man came out and calmed me down and we started off with level 1 Wolves.

What a difference. No snarling, no growling, no teeth just them being playful. I learned never to go into a level 4 Wolves cage ever again.

I did volunteer there more. I did not let one mistake get to me. You learn from your mistakes. I received over 40 hours from volunteering at Shy Wolf Sanctuary.

President Obama makes Horse Slaughter Legal....

I was reading an article this morning that showed up on the home page of my computer. And now I am completely and utterly furious. President Obama has made horse slaughter legal for consumption.

There are no words to how I felt right after I read this sentence. All I can say is I am speechless and now want to go to Washington to give him a piece of my mind.

Maybe even start a debate on the reasons why this is wrong and horses are not meant to be food. It is the same as him saying dog slaughter is legal in the United States. Horses and dogs are pets. This is inappropriate and very wrong.

Why make this legal? In the past there have been cases down in the Miami, Florida area where people were breaking into barns and killing the horses over night getting meat and leaving them there.

The next morning the owners of the horses would come out and see their wonderful steeds slaughtered lying down in their stalls. It is a sick matter.

All horse owners have been on their guard during that whole period. If anybody tried killing my horses I would shoot them. They are trespassing in my yard and hurting the things I own.

Now this is legal. This now gives the robbers a benefit. They get away with killing horses and breaking into your yard. Wow, president Obama please make this illegal. I really don’t think he has researched or thought this through at all.

Colloquium Field Trip # 4

Down Town Fort Myers

After visiting down town Fort Myers I have seen many historical things. New Urbanism is a walk able neighborhood area that contains a range of housing. It is an urban design movement. This area did not have houses in the main park and town area but it had the houses on the out skirts of downtown. Therefore I think it does not fit the description of new urbanism.

In the city I felt really comfortable walking in the park. It reminded me of my grade school years. There were many different statues in the park. Clayton the soldier was one of them and the other was the “Uncommon Friends” statue that had the water full of alligators, otters, manatees and fish which are all South Florida animals.

There was water with sail boats nearby too. It created a relaxing atmosphere in downtown. The city was full of stores, hotels, museums just variety amount of different places. The parking in the area was limited. When I was there this week there was a food market going on with vegetables and many other food items. The city had a very busy environment.

What was really awesome was seeing the red mangrove trees in the park. I wanted to get a better view of the city overall. I saw the top of the roof of the hotel in the city and decided to go inside and go on top of the roof to see the view of the city.

Rookery Bay Service Learning

I have been working on service learning hours a lot lately. My goal is to graduate and a great place I have been volunteering at is Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. I have been volunteering here for my service learning hours for this course. I met the staff at the center and they had me fill out all the basic forms and information in order to become a volunteer at the center. They were very welcoming and the first thing they had me do was take a tour of their center. I was very excited. There were more than 20 exhibits there. And the information I learned from each station was so interesting. I learned a lot and it did take me forever to finish the tour.

Then once I learned about who they are and what they stand for, they put me to work. I got my very own name tag. They did spell my name wrong but it was ok. I went to the area they had all the organisms in tanks and they had me carefully pour them into another tank and clean the tank out I had poured them from. It was a very timely process but I like doing things for people and organisms.

After that they had me file paperwork for them. They are a very busy center so they definitely need all the help they can get to stay and be organized. I did just that. I even labeled files for them.

Each time I visited I did many different and random tasks. It is neat to volunteer and learn and help many people.

A what in the Outlets? #8

At work yesterday in Miromar Outlets the biggest experience happened to me. I never thought this would happen at work.

Yes working in retail is just clothes and customers but BEARS? You heard me right. BEARS.

I saw a black bear cub outside our store at 7:30 am while I was cleaning the windows getting ready for the day.

I looked out the store's window and saw a black bear by the fountain. I could not believe my eyes.

The shopping outlets is an unusual place to see a black bear. I was worried for the people outside though. I knew I was safe.

But when there is a baby bear cub around there is usually a momma bear around with it. And if baby cub is approached the mother would attack whoever is nearby.

I told my boss and we had a special group come and take the bear away to release it back to its home. What an experience to have right before the day of work starts.

Here is the link to coverage from FGCU:http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16039913/2011/11/14/black-bear-spotted-near-fgcu#.TsQlMOXPx28.facebook

Owls! #7

So my dad called me today and told me I have a family of Owls in my backyard :) How much better can the holiday season get?

I love owls. They are barred owls. There are 3 of them and a Mother owl watches over them.

I am away at College but my Dad said when he goes near the birdhouse the mother owl warns him by puffing out her feathers, and opening her wings.

I go home in a couple of days and want to see if there are other animals trying to get near the nest.

Some animals that would prey on the owls are, crows, racoons, other birds and my cat. I built the owls birdhouse on my own.

My teacher told me I should over college break so I did. And look at it now. Home to a family of owls.

ECHO Field Trip #6

My third field trip was to ECHO. ECHO stands for Education Concerns Hunger Organization. This organization is designed not only to feed families but also to educate them how to grow their own food and be able to survive.

ECHO is directed towards families who make less than $100.00 a year. When our tour guide Mike Sullivan said that it made me realize how grateful I am every paycheck I receive.

The farm was incredible. I was very excited to be able to experience it again. I visited it originally with my Introduction to International Studies Class freshman year. So much of the property has changed.

To explain the relationship and complexity of production the seeds is, the life of aseed at ECHO gets cleaned, separated, put in the system and small amounts are sent out to families to experiment with. They are sample sizes.

A way to propagate plants is a system they use called “air layering”. The plant produces fruit immediately and grows very quickly. You cut the stem of the plant 12-15 inches and wrap in plastic and aluminum foil. You then unwrap the foil and you have a brand new plant with roots.

One of the issue’s with this business is climate. Climate is always changing. ECHO sets out to educate and show people how to grow their own food no matter what the climate is doing. They are on a mission and are sure to achieve every step.

A solution is called “urban gardening”. Urban gardening is, you take a container such as a tire or even pool buckets. Then you fill it with little soil and you can grow plants and trees.

With Livestock my tour guide Mike said that choosing goats over cows is better. They are not picky eaters. Goats eat anything and everything! Their manure is used for fertilizer. But they do need to be penned so that does not eat your crops.

Another solution to being environmental sustainable is, the duck and tilapia system. The manure from duck area goes into the Tilapia’s lake. This turns into algae and the tilapia feed off of it. Tilapia that feed of the ducks grow twice as fast as regular fish getting fed.

My favorite plant there is called Cranberry Hibiscus. I was very hesitant try it at first, but then when I tried it, it was so good! It almost tasted like a sweet tart but with a hint of cranberry. I then ate another leaf. I wanted to take the whole bush home.

Estuary Memories#5

Itwas very neat visiting the estuary at Lover's Key. The last time I visited one was in Jupiter, Florida. My environmental teacher taught the class how to do the "stingray shuffle".This prevents us from getting stung by the stingrays passing by. If you do not stingray shuffle the stingray thinks you are a shark or some type of predator stepping on them. So they will barb you. But when you shuffle they think you are another sting ray passing by.

I love nature. I always have. Just to sit outside and listen to the whispers in the trees or watch the sunset makes my day. My friends tell me they are not fans. They would rather be inside. Me, ha I love the outdoors. I enjoy going on these Colloquium field trips.

Getting the Proper Education #4

After looking over the essay assignment and reading Last Child in the Woods I brainstormed a little about what my education has been like through the years and what worked best for me overall.

Honestly what worked for me mostly was the good teachers. In other words, the teachers who educated my class using hands on experiences when teaching the lesson.

Those hands on experiences definitely helped me, especially when it came time to testing them. I still remember 90% after skimming the notes after an outdoor's field trip.

In Louv (2005), "In 1890, James described two kinds of attention: directed attention and fascination (i.e., involuntary attention)"(p.5).

This excerpt from the reading was exactly what I was looking for. According to the education I have recieved the words directed attention and fascination is the target for what those selected few teachers gave me.

Also in Louv (2005), " During these treks or afterward, subjects reported that just being in nature was more restorative than the physically challenging activities, such as rock climbing, for which such programs are mainly known"(p.5).

This is true to me. I feel that with being outside and learning about the lesson taught it is important to know why we are learning this and how we can use it in our future.

The teachers who most likely did this, achieved their goal of reaching out to the students and actually teaching them something. I think that being inside learning does not at all meet the students 100% learning outcome. Stepping outside of the classroom and actually being taught something in the world we live in, now that is priceless.

Treat others the way you want to be treated #3

This section, The Erosion of Biodiversity, really disturbed me. I am in fact an animal lover and a tree hugger at heart. Reading all the facts in this reading made me angry at the people in this world.

The section is about seeing other life forms as biological andgenetic raw material is fraught with ecological risks. Well yes it is. The question ask's why. There are a MILLION reasons why!

"Human kind does not have a right to push other species to extinction, or to manipulate them for greed, profit and power without concern for their wellbeing"(40). Humans use animals and plants for things.

Meat, milk, fur, antibiotics,entertainment or just for money. I feel bad for all the animals and plants out there who are not appreciated for their beauty and their purpose of living here on earth with us.

Humans destroy them constantly. I was the girl at the county fair each year who tried to save the pigs and cows from going to the slaughter house.

My parents always told me they are mean't for that.But the question I always ask myself is,are they really?

Lover's Key State Park #2

Visiting Lovers Key State park was a phenomenal experience. I have never been there before and it was really neat seeing everything there for my first time. I have visited parks in my past but this one was not like anything I have ever seen before. I went to Lovers Key State Park early in the morning. It was quiet and you can hear the noises of much wildlife.

This park became protected when humans wanted to change much of it. Altering mangrove areas, dredging a canal were some of the actions human’s wanted to perform. The preparations for development would damage the islands. When discussing mangroves and estuaries environments they are perfectly made for each other.

The estuary is made up of a mixture of fresh and salt water also known as “brackish” water. In the estuaries the mangroves serve as a nursery for the oysters, crabs etc. It serves as a home for these organisms. The topography and surface features affect the plant and animal species by which organisms adapt to each area. They are all different. For example on the beach the elevation gets higher. Sea turtles nest on higher ground so the nest is not ruined by the ocean. There are animals that live in moist areas and some live in dry.

Organisms live in the many different environments at Lover’s Key. The water quality in Lovers Key is a vital ingredient to the habitat. I asked a park ranger about it and she said “Water quality is very important. We have people who go out in the field and collect water samples every day. This keeps us informed of bacteria. With terrible water quality, the estuaries have a difficult time living”.

Five tree species I saw were mangroves, red, black and white, bald cypress, dogwood, live oak and red oak. Five non-woody plants were, smooth cordgrass, spanish moss, eel grass, poison ivy and the narrow-leaved cattail. And five animal species I saw were the pelican, roseate spoonbill, florida fighting conch,snook and the black headed gull. There were dragon fly’s too. This park is unique to me because it is called Lover’s Key. Lovers used to come out to this secret beach for a romantic get away.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Trip #1

1) After visiting the corkscrew swamp sanctuary I was amazed of how much wildlife was on the side of a two mile boardwalk. There were many habitats around too. One which I came upon first was the Pine Flatwoods. The Pine Flatwoods is full of palmettos and pine trees. Inside of the Pine Flatwoods I learned about Controlled fires. The fires were able to preserve the natural resources with ash being the fertilizer for the new plants. Some plants in the Pine Flatwoods are, Palmetto, Cabbage palm, slash pine and poison ivy. The Pine flat wood is a very dry area in the sanctuary .The plants adapt well to dry climate.

The next habitat I examined was the hardwood hammock. The hardwood hammock is full of shade and does not let in too much sun light at all. Some plants were, the button bush, ludwigs, pepper vine, elderberry, cypress tree, and tilladsia.

Last habitat was the wetlands. The wetlands is surrounded by water. During the summer the water levels are high. But in the winter they are low. This makes it easier for predators to catch their prey. Cypress trees, pond apple tree, bahoon holly, moon vine and the ghost orchid are just a couple plants in the wetlands.

2) Much wildlife was seen on the field trip. The wildlife I saw when I was passing through the pine flatwoods was spiders, hawk,lizards, and a warbler. I did see some raccoon scat too. In the hardwood hammock I saw a viceroy butterfly pollinating flowers, and a pine warbler. In the wetlands I saw, a blue green tree frog, dragon fly and apple snails and another type of warbler.

3) Water is in fact a very important element. The landscape retain and detain water by having living machines. Living machines is a treatment for wastewater.

4) People are taking care of the corkscrew swamp sanctuary. The boardwalk there is made out of sustainable wood and is named the worlds best boardwalk. There are signs everywhere stating do not feed the wildlife that way the wild animals are not harmed. They also do controlled burns to replenish healthy plants.