Darling

Although brief and short, our trip to Ding Darling Wild Life Refuge didn’t only show how beautiful the state of Florida, but it was truly a reflection on how important it is to keep our environment clean.  

Our Student Naturalist Kai was really enlightening, and had a very broad recognition many of the birds native to Southwest Florida. Although my sight wasn’t very good, and I could only make them out from a distance, it was really interesting to see anhingas, cormorants, herons, ospreys, and spoonbills in their natural habitat. Something else we talked about were the mangroves, which I’ve personally touched up close, and got to say is a pretty tough tree. The roots tangle in a such a complex way that makes it obvious how important mangroves are for our ecosystem, and land during heavy storms.  Without them we’d probably have immense flooding on our coastlines. Aside from that, they help improve water quality by absorbing nutrients from runoff that might cause harmful algae blooms. One of the main problems we’re having in Florida right now is the poor water quality, and the issue that first comes to mind when I think of water pollution is the awful red tide that lasted for over a year in 2017. The effects of that red tide killed hundreds of marine animals. Not only were they affected, but animals that depend on them as food source were affected as well. While we were on the boardwalk, what might have been an anhinga or cormorant, scooped up a fish straight out of the water and flew with it hanging from its beak. A red tide that lasted over a year due to man-made disasters. Pollution from runoff from farms being dumped into our lakes, chemicals polluting our freshwater systems that not only have an effect on fish, but the ecosystem as a whole. This damage to our ecosystem means that it will also affect tourism in Florida. Florida relies on the tourism industry as one of its main economic contributors, and because of the red tide, we haven’t had the same influx of snowbirds. Businesses that rely on them have seen their sales plummet in the last year because of it. K. Brevis also affected people with respiratory problems; breathing conditions were not suitable for many. When we don’t treat our Earth good, there will be effects and Florida is having a first-hand experience with the consequences.  

Something this trip made me reflect on is the fact that I don’t spend enough time in nature, even though I live in an area that has easy access to many bays, wildlife refugees, beaches, and nature trails. At FGCU itself, there are many nature trails that one can explore solo, and I’ve only been on them once, even after living on the FGCU campus for two years. I’ve established a sense of place with a place that is very far away from Fort Myers, but its time I start a genuine connection with the place I’ve called home for the past three years.