On our way to the Historic Estero Cottage, I had no idea where we were going, nor what our trip was going to be about. Estero Island serves as a barrier island, which are islands found on coastlines and are separated from the mainland by a bay. In this case, the bay is the Estero Bay which also serves as an estuary for the island. And estuary is a body of water that is usually found where rivers meet the sea. These estuaries serve as a home to plants and animals that have adapted to their waters, which is a mix of fresh water and salty water. Once we got there and settled in, the staff at the cottage took us through Estero's history lane, and showed us a powerpoint that depicted Estero island back in the day and Estero island today. The comparison really made me sad because so much of the land has been cleared out for development. Our professor and cottage staff member then took us though the Matanzas Pass Preserve, a piece of land that is preserved and serves as a sanctuary for native plants and animals. This preserve has the last maritime hammock oak community on Estero island, which is an elevated area surrounded by wetlands or different vegetation, which allows for a diversity in birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. This preserve is also part of the Lee County Conservation 20/20 which is a
conservation land acquisition program that aims to preserve land like Matanzas Pass from development, which is the main problem in Estero Island. During the powerpoint it was pointed out that back in the day, it was very easy to go out and fish in the bay and catch so many fish without having to go very far into the water. Nowadays, that is impossible. With development comes the clearing of land, and more of a human footprint in the surrounding ecosystem. During our walk through the Matanza Preserve we also stopped to look at the bay, and noticed the red mangroves that surrounded the bay. Mangroves are trees that grow under salt water. The strong roots help prevent flooding when storms and hurricanes come around, erosion, and they serve as a home for many underwater species. The whole trip just made me sad, and feel a little defeated too. And as I looked around to my classmates, I realized the majority didn't care either, even after the professor went through her passionate speech about why we needed to make a difference. The comparison between the past and the present made me realize that theres things I will never be able to experience, just like my kids wont be able to if we don't raise or voices and get to action to make a change.
On our way to the Historic Estero Cottage, I had no idea where we were going, nor what our trip was going to be about. Estero Island serves as a barrier island, which are islands found on coastlines and are separated from the mainland by a bay. In this case, the bay is the Estero Bay which also serves as an estuary for the island. And estuary is a body of water that is usually found where rivers meet the sea. These estuaries serve as a home to plants and animals that have adapted to their waters, which is a mix of fresh water and salty water. Once we got there and settled in, the staff at the cottage took us through Estero's history lane, and showed us a powerpoint that depicted Estero island back in the day and Estero island today. The comparison really made me sad because so much of the land has been cleared out for development. Our professor and cottage staff member then took us though the Matanzas Pass Preserve, a piece of land that is preserved and serves as a sanctuary for native plants and animals. This preserve has the last maritime hammock oak community on Estero island, which is an elevated area surrounded by wetlands or different vegetation, which allows for a diversity in birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. This preserve is also part of the Lee County Conservation 20/20 which is a conservation land acquisition program that aims to preserve land like Matanzas Pass from development, which is the main problem in Estero Island. During the powerpoint it was pointed out that back in the day, it was very easy to go out and fish in the bay and catch so many fish without having to go very far into the water. Nowadays, that is impossible. With development comes the clearing of land, and more of a human footprint in the surrounding ecosystem. During our walk through the Matanza Preserve we also stopped to look at the bay, and noticed the red mangroves that surrounded the bay. Mangroves are trees that grow under salt water. The strong roots help prevent flooding when storms and hurricanes come around, erosion, and they serve as a home for many underwater species. The whole trip just made me sad, and feel a little defeated too. And as I looked around to my classmates, I realized the majority didn't care either, even after the professor went through her passionate speech about why we needed to make a difference. The comparison between the past and the present made me realize that theres things I will never be able to experience, just like my kids wont be able to if we don't raise or voices and get to action to make a change. 
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