The Birth of a Conservationist

 

Having spent my youth in Florida, I have had the opportunity to appreciate the amazing and diverse ecosystems found here.  The Great Florida Reef is the third largest reef in the world and is located off of the Florida Keys.  Fourteen hundred species of plants and animals live on the reef.  It provides shelter for animals such as spiny lobster, snapper, and other commercial species.  Another spectacular natural wonder is Everglades National Park.  It is the third largest of national parks at 1.5 million acres.  It helps protect endangered species such as the manatee, American crocodile, and Florida panther.  During my primary school years, we took several field trips to both the Keys and Everglades National Park.  My love of nature burgeoned with each trip.

On one of those school field trips, a park ranger guided us through the trails of the Everglades. He stopped, probably to give us exhausted kids a break, but it gave him the opportunity to instill conservation methods, of which were the first I had ever heard.  I will never forget the impact of his demonstration; he held a gallon of water in which he opened and started pouring out.  As he gave us facts about the park, the water just kept pouring.  It was hot! I was tired! All I wanted was that water!  Young and confused as to why he would just pour the water on the dirt road, I started to become agitated.  As the ranger noticed the gallon nearing emptiness, he changed his discussion to the limestone aquifer and our water supply in Florida.  Florida had once been submerged under the ocean.  The skeletons of the dead fish, coral, and other sea life formed layers over millions of years.  As sea levels fell, Florida formed.  The limestone is porous and areas of trapped water became ground water. This is our supply of freshwater. As the discussion turned to our supply, the park ranger asked how many of us turn the faucet off while brushing teeth or take baths as opposed to showers.  Guilty.  I never turned the  faucet off and I loved my baths!  But we learned that by turning the faucet off we would save water. Taking showers conserved more water than taking a bath.  The gallon finally emptied and, in conclusion, he told us that once our water supply runs out, there might not be a way to replenish it.  We should do our best to conserve water, even with the simplest of methods.  To this day, I turn the faucet off while brushing teeth and take showers (also because it is more sanitary.)  I was six years old and decades later still recall this lesson.  Ultimately, my love of nature and the desire to conserve resources for the future has led to my decision to further my education in Building Sustainability at the University of Florida.