Colloquium
– Journal 1
Growing
up in Southwest Florida has been a real gift to someone that enjoys nature and
her bounties. Everyday after school I was able to swim in the near pristine
waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the lack of industry the rivers in the
area team with many different species fresh and salt water. The area around
Naples is one of the largest hatcheries for salt-water fish. Which makes the
fishing exceptional.
The
pale blue-green water is some of the prettiest and cleanest in the world. For
someone who scuba dives like me, seasonally, we can see large mammals like
manatees and dolphins gliding and soaring through the waters. Sea turtles nest
and hatch on our white sugar sand beaches all summer long. Topical fish are
swept into the gulf from the Caribbean during the summer months as well. Even
for the shellers out there Mother Nature helps out by providing a beautiful
array of creatures and their shells that change with every tide. Have I
mentioned the birds? In my neighbor hood there is a retuning pair of bald
eagles that set up camp and raise their young. Red shouldered and Red tailed
hawks regularly try to eat my chickens and my dog. Migrating birds like the
beautiful indigo bunting have rested in my yard on their way to their far away
destination. My mom and I camp out on the porch every year for that week.
Growing up on the beach I have saved my fair share of pelicans and great herons
that were tangled in fishing line. The conservancy and I and very familiar with
one another.
I
am an avid horseback rider. The access that we have to the picayune state
forest and other National and State parks makes for a wide range of different
environments you can ride through. Being able to view all of the different
ecosystems on horseback is a rare experience. I am grateful to have that
opportunity. How many people can say that they live in the everglades? Not
many… But I can!
Word count: 345 words
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