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On the morning of Monday, August 19th, 2024, some strange development plans were leaked to the people of Florida detailing some new introductions into some of Florida’s most beloved state parks. These plans were proposed by the Executive Office of the Governor in the form of nine different amendments to the current management plans for these state parks. Very soon after, these leaked plans were publicly announced by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). After issuing a press release containing the new management plans for nine state parks (that were titled “The 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative”), some commotion began among the nature-lovers of Florida because these plans all included developments of new 9 to 18-hole golf courses, resort hotels, pickleball and disc golf courses, and many more expansions that would be built into these natural areas. Johnathan Dickinson State Park, found in Martin County, was one of the most impacted parks. These plans included the construction of an 18-hole and a 9-hole golf course expanding to roughly 550 acres of land and another 18-hole golf course encompassing roughly 500 acres of land. If this development were to be completed, over 1000 acres of natural land would be paved over in this state park. And that is just one of nine.

Below are some links more information on the development plans of each state park and some other resources on how to help:

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/environment/2024/08/24/heres-what-to-know-about-proposed-development-plans-at-florida-parks/74901488007

Florida State Parks Threatened by Development

https://floridadep.gov/parks/public-participation

Many native Floridians quickly became outraged at this advancement and the FDEP received an influx of backlash against their proposal. This was not only due to the nature of the construction plans, but also because of the timely manner in which they were announced. After the initial documents were released, the FDEP announced the scheduling of public meetings discussing the management plans with only 1 week’s notice. With the wording of the FDEP’s initiative announcement vague and potentially misleading, the people of Florida decided to act. Hundreds of thousands of emails were sent in disagreement with the plans, and many Floridians took to peaceful protest at the parks themselves. After all the uproar, the FDEP announced on Sunday, August 25th that they would be withdrawing the development plans for Johnathan Dickinson State Park from agency review. This acted as a great representation of the power of the people’s voice!

If you would like to learn more ways to help speak out about this initiative, check out the link below!

UPDATED: How You Can Help Protect Nine Florida Parks from Proposed Development

Here is a link to a portion of the initial leaked plans:

https://floridawildlifefederation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-Overview.jpg

Here is a link to the “2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative” Announcement:

https://floridawildlifefederation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DEP-Announces-2024-25-Great-Outdoors-Initiative-to-Increase-Public-Access-Recreation-and-Lodging-at-Florida-State-Parks.pdf

 There are many things that Florida is known for: its hot summers, beautiful wildlife, vast wetlands, sunny beaches, and most of all, its erratic and rainy weather. The wet season in Florida runs roughly from mid-May to mid-October according to the National Weather Service. For those who have grown to know Florida’s personality like the back of their hand, the random rain and intense heat don’t seem to phase them at all. But those folks also know the importance of properly preparing for a natural disaster. One kind being the most common disaster of the Florida rainy season that the locals know all too well: hurricanes.

https://www.weather.gov/media/mfl/news/RainySeasonOutlook2024.pdf

               As we slowly approach the end of the wet season here in Florida, it is important to keep all of your family’s hurricane supplies well-stocked and up to date. Just because we are nearing the end does not mean we are invincible! In fact, almost all the major hurricanes to make landfall in or near Florida in the past two decades have occurred during the months of August-October. Hurricanes Wilma, Ian, and Michael were all very intense hurricanes and proved the importance of hurricane preparedness. Hurricane Andrew, occurring in August 1992, was one of the most dangerous ones in United States history and remains the seventh-costliest hurricane to hit the U.S.

               One of the foremost things to do to prepare for hurricane season is to stay in the know. Knowing what storms have been spotted in the Atlantic Ocean and which ones are at risk of making landfall is going to give families plenty of time to prepare. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides great updates as the hurricane season continues. Here is the latest update on how our current hurricane season is turning out:

https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/highly-active-hurricane-season-likely-to-continue-in-atlantic

               Many people will prepare for a hurricane by having a constant supply of materials in case a storm was to hit at any point. It is important to make sure these items are necessary and non-perishable. Although a hurricane kit can look very different to different people, especially to those living in different parts of Florida or different states, there are a few essential items that should be included in every preparation kit. Some of those items being batteries, non-perishable foods, water, flashlights, battery-operated radios, and much more. It’s also critical to note that animal and pet safety is just as important! Many people would agree that their pets are part of their family, so it is necessary that, during a hurricane, their safety is prioritized too. Make sure to add non-perishable pet food, extra water, and maybe some of your critter’s favorite toys to your hurricane kit. Here is a great link including all kinds of lists, tips, and tricks to create your own hurricane kit.

https://www.stateofflorida.com/articles/hurricane-preparedness-guide

               Although nothing major has hit us south Floridians this season yet, there is always time to prepare for a hurricane at any moment to keep you and your family safe! Here at the Sawgrass Nature Center, we hope you stay up-to-date, prepped and safe this hurricane season!

It’s that time of year again! The start of a new season filled with new friends, new teachers, and new knowledge! With another new school year comes another school supply list with new notebooks, new pencils, the latest trendy backpack, and more shoes for all the growing feet! Although the materials for a new school year are necessary, the costs can start to add up, and not just financially, but environmentally too!

According to the Environmental Paper Network, the production and disposal of three 100-page spiral notebooks (about 3.6 pounds of paper) would represent about 10 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.  Multiplying that by the number of spiral notebooks used in the U.S. in one school year equals out to a pretty substantial carbon footprint. Although totally outlawing the use of paper notebooks is not feasible, many families can try to reduce their own carbon footprint by using less paper and focusing on electronic solutions. In this article, one Standford University master’s student calculates the comparison between the carbon dioxide emissions and environmental impacts of three spiral-bound notebooks and one Macbook laptop.

https://stanfordmag.org/contents/should-i-ditch-my-spiral

               For many young students, switching from paper to electronic notetaking is not exactly possible, especially at the elementary grade level. However, this is not the only way to prioritize the environment when going back to school shopping! Rather than settling for the usual name brands of spiral and composition notebooks, there are countless eco-friendly brands that sell similar products that can be utilized. Some of those brands include Honeyoung Notebooks, Notely Stationary, Decomposition Books, and many more! The key is finding a brand that can be made from zero-waste, sustainable, and recyclable materials.

An eco-friendly paper notebook is not the only shift in back-to-school shopping. There are many other ways your family can reduce waste and live sustainably. Decreasing the dependence on plastic products can have a huge impact on the environment. Almost every standard school supply required for student participation in a classroom is manufactured with some kind of plastic. Making the switch to reusable lunch containers, recycled pencil pouches, staple free staplers, and other plastic free items may have a positive effect on the environment. Have you ever had to wait in a long pick-up car line? It might seem nice to be first in line to pick the kiddos up from school, but sitting with the car running for an hour burns about one-fifth of a gallon of gas and produces about 4 pounds of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. For an entire week, that’s 20 pounds of carbon dioxide added to your carbon footprint! As an alternative, save on gas and wait a bit to join the pick-up line! For more information on easy environmentally friendly back-to-school switches, check out this link:

https://ecolunchboxes.com/blogs/news/great-green-products-for-an-eco-friendly-back-to-school

Here at the Sawgrass Nature Center, we wish you happy sustainable shopping and good luck in a blooming new school year!

As a docent, you gain many beneficial skills to apply to your future. We learn how to better interact with people and advance our public speaking skills. In addition, we were able to form many friendships with people from different ethnic backgrounds, deepening our understanding and appreciation of their cultures. You can learn what it means to have true discipline by coming here every day on time. If learning about animals is your passion, then this is the volunteer opportunity for you. After coming here, our knowledge of different species of animals as well as the environment has grown exponentially.

In the beginning, we were all timid and reserved.

 “I’ve always been very introverted so when I thought of volunteering, I wanted to do something where I wouldn’t have to work with others. When I heard of this opportunity, I was excited because I am very passionate about working with animals, but working with a group of people scared me. My mom encouraged me to take the chance and I’m glad I did. Our volunteer counselor, Abby, is very kind and welcoming, she didn’t put pressure on me and allowed me to work at my own pace. The other docents here are also very kind, they all had the same concerns as me so we were able to get along quickly. Overall, this was a great opportunity. Don’t let being shy stop you from doing this program if you want to because it is an experience that I believe will continue to benefit me in my life.”

-11^th grader Anesha A

By Ian Brundrett

For decades our awareness of the harm plastic production and its wasteful byproducts produce have drastically increased. The most recent revelation is that the degradation of plastics into microplastics that cannot biodegrade are invading our every day lives. They end up in the ocean, in our waterways, in our soil, in our food, and eventually, our bodies. A study as recent as March 2024 shows that people with microplastics and nanoplastics in their arteries are much more likely to have fatal health conditions.

What about all the plastic we recycle you may ask? The reality is that most of the plastic we put into our recycling bins ends up in a landfill anyway. Excess food waste in the plastic will cause it to be dumped. Plastic degrades after only 1 or 2 uses and it becomes more toxic the more it is reused. There are also many different types of plastics and none of them can be melted down together and unfortunately it’s very expensive to collect and sort. New plastic, on the other hand, is cheap and easy to make and not many businesses are in the market to spend extra money to sort old plastic when they could just make more of it. Therefore, only about 5% of the plastic we recycle actually gets reused. The rest all gets dumped into landfills or gets exported to countries that we pay to accept garbage, where it also just gets dumped or burned.

Because this material has become so commonplace and there is no effort to stop its production, scientists and companies have been researching ways to more effectively recycle and reuse plastic to reduce its production. Currently, plastic is mechanically and physically recycled. It’s sorted and broken down into granules which is then used as raw material. As stated previously, this method is highly ineffective at maximizing how much plastic can actually be reused. Therefore, 3 new chemical methods are being researched and attempts to implement them are underway.

Chemolysis recycling – this method begins with a mechanical process of sorting plastic. Then, using different chemical solvents and heat, the plastic’s building blocks, called polymers, are broken down into smaller building blocks called monomers. Then, contaminates are identified and removed from the monomers. The decontaminated monomers are then fed back into regular plastic production.

Enzymatic recycling – enzymes are proteins that are commonly used in chemistry to speed up chemical reactions. In this case, enzymes are used to break down the polymers into momomers. Enzymatic recycling is an exceptional breakthrough because using enzymes to break down plastic’s polymers has no limitations on the types of plastics that can be recycled, meaning that they don’t need to be sorted and that we don’t need to dump the plastics that can’t be broken down mechanically. Also, it doesn’t compromise the structural integrity of the plastic, meaning there is no loss in quality and it will not become increasingly toxic between uses.

Pyrolysis recycling – this method involves melting plastics at extreme temperatures, usually around 500° celsius, or 932° fahrenheit, in the absence of oxygen. It is vaporized in a reactor and turned into oil. The oil is then used to make new plastic products.

These new chemical methods of recycling bring a positive solution to the issue of overproduction, waste, and overall health problems associated with microplastics. However the long term effectiveness of these chemical processes are not fully tested yet. There could be high energy costs, toxic byproducts, or unsustainable labor to operate them. Unfortunately, humans have irreversibly altered the state of the Earth by introducing this man made material and it will never go away. The only way to truly stop plastic waste is to stop producing it all together! That’s why it’s incredibly important for all of us to be more conscious of what we are buying and where we are sourcing our products from. Invest in reusable materials, repurpose things you use instead of throwing them away, buy products with biodegradable packaging, and properly disposing of waste are small efforts we can make individually to try and reduce our impact.

https://www.covestro.com/en/sustainability/what-drives-us/circular-economy/innovative-recycling?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7O0BhDwARIsAC0sjWNGk8Rc9baRg1kbosgmcZoW34LoXg2XZnwrlF9kfZYWBGkHzf6cWt8aAp5MEALw_wcB

https://cefic.org/a-solution-provider-for-sustainability/chemical-recycling-making-plastics-circular/chemical-recycling-via-depolymerisation-to-monomer/#:~:text=The%20depolymerisation%20process%20%E2%80%93%20often%20referred,the%20monomers%20to%20remove%20them.

Chemical Recycling – A Key Technology for the Circular Economy

https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/new-life-waste-plastic-2023-08-03_en#:~:text=The%20new%20bio%2Dindustrial%20process,with%20no%20loss%20of%20quality.

https://www.miltonroy.com/en-us/resources/blog/overview-of-advanced-recycling#:~:text=What%20is%20Pyrolysis%20Plastic%20Recycling,waste%20in%20the%20pyrolysis%20reactor.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/health/plastics-food-wellness-scn/index.html#:~:text=Apples%20and%20carrots%20were%20the,also%20the%20least%20contaminated%20vegetable.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120305703

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/health/nanoplastics-heart-attack-study-wellness/index.html

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1131131088/recycling-plastic-is-practically-impossible-and-the-problem-is-getting-worse

Enzymatic recycling

By Ian Brundrett

There is no greater way to show appreciation for the country we live in than by keeping it clean, beautiful, and healthy for us and our animal neighbors.  As you get ready to celebrate Independence Day and our beautiful nation of opportunity and freedom, remember the animals that roam free around us.  Florida has an abundance of wildlife and is one of the most biodiverse states in America.  As Floridians it’s our duty to respect and care for the wildlife that makes Florida so great!  So we’ve listed a few helpful tips so that you can have the most fun while protecting our beautiful country.

• Try to plan your activities in an urban area like your backyard or somewhere that has a denser human population where less wild animals live and could be disturbed.  If an area like that is not an option for you, the best place would be a local neighborhood park that is still surrounded by human traffic.  Fireworks are especially loud and scary for animals and if disturbed by loud bangs and flashes of light, they may flee their nests and habitat for extended periods of time or indefinitely.
  
• Avoid using disposable products.  Using reusable items and containers that you’ll be taking back home with you reduces the chances of accidentally leaving litter and reduces the amount of waste you produce.
• Clean up after yourself! Do not leave trash and litter behind.  Not only is litter an extremely harmful pollutant to wildlife, but it’s also disrespectful to the community you live in.
  
• It’s especially important to properly dispose of fireworks.  Fireworks have harmful chemicals in them that bleed into the soil and vegetation.  They are also choking hazards to local wildlife.  Make sure you safely retrieve used fireworks and follow the EPA’s guidelines for disposing of hazardous waste.  Use the links in the website below to find out more:
  

Safe Handling, Storage and Treatment of Waste Fireworks | US EPA

By Ian Brundrett

For multiple decades climate change has been a relevant topic in public debate and political agenda.  As scientific evidence continues to mount it is more evident now than ever before that it is affecting us in unprecedented ways.  A particularly important side effect of climate change is how it is affecting our agriculture.  The long-term effects of a warming planet may impact our farming techniques and what types of food are available during the seasons throughout the year.   

As the average temperature of the globe rises it tends to stay warmer for longer during seasonal changes.  This prolongs the growing season for certain crops and reduces the growing season for others.  This means that some produce and crops may have a shortage of supply and could be hard to find at your local markets.   

Increases in temperatures may increase the likelihood of wildfires in states that are already susceptible to them. This can devastate farmland and forests alike and wipe out crops in an instant.  

Precipitation and the water cycle have a massive impact on agriculture and our growing methods.  With warmer weather comes a possible increased rainfall and more violent storms.  Insects that eat crops may increase in number along with weed growth. This could lead to an increase in pesticide use which in turn increases the potential for harmful runoffs associated with pesticides.  Additionally, more water is not always a good thing for crops and plants as too much water can actually harm them and possibly lead to disease and decreased yield. 

Precipitation also affects natural pollination and may change the behavior of pollinators like bees and butterflies. The combination of warmer temperatures and increased precipitation can change the behavioral pattern and timing of when crops and plants bloom and when bees and butterflies emerge.  If there is a mismatch between plant flowering and the emergence of pollinating insects, pollination will decrease, and crop yields may decline. Heavy rains and violent storms can also cause increased soil erosion and produce more runoff.  When this happens, beneficial nutrients in the soil can be lost. 

Farmers, agriculturalists, and government bodies like the EPA have been hard at work for many years producing techniques and adapting their methods to the changes in our climate. However, we cannot always rely on them as the weather and our impact on the Earth is unpredictable.  Therefore, it is important to take matters into our own hands and educate ourselves about agriculture.  You can learn how to grow things in your own home no matter where you live.  Getting hands on practice and finding useful techniques to grow your own vegetables is healthy not only for you but for the environment.  Eating home grown vegetables is better for you than the highly produced and transported ones from the store.  Additionally, it reduces the impact of greenhouse gases produced from shipping produce and it will lessen the use of pesticides that get trapped in runoff and end up in our oceans.  It’s also important to shop at your local farmers’ markets! If you have access to locally produced crops, eggs, and meat, you’re benefiting your community as well as eating ethically sourced foods with much higher nutritional value. 

Here are some links that can help you get started growing your own food! 

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/tips-for-urban-gardening

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/vegetable-gardening/5069.html

 

For those who have lived in dense urban areas or big cities, integrated green spaces may not seem so bizarre. Pictured in some futuristic utopian movies, many people are familiar with sustainable green spaces like green roofs. Even without living under one, most people have heard of a green roof. The looming question is whether or not we as a society can work towards true green, sustainable living.  

A green roof is just one of the many examples of urban sustainability and it is a term that is used to describe the roof of a building that has been transformed into a garden or habitat that increases the environmental integrity of the space. Green roofs are not the only form of environmental integration into the urban world. There are many other ways a neighborhood or city can incorporate nature and greenery into an area. The catch is, however, that these green spaces cannot be considered environmentally conscious unless they are both sustainable and useful. Planting a row of random trees down the middle of a sidewalk may be aesthetically pleasing, but it is not actually helpful for the environment. Workable greenhouses, however, can be implemented throughout a space to grow food and generate heat and electricity for a population of people. Natural plant and animal life can be incorporated to increase the diversity of wildlife and maintain species survival. Green spaces can be created to help absorb air pollution and reduce erosion. These are just a few examples of how the natural environment can be incorporated into the urban world.  

Urban sustainability may sound enticing at first glance, but to most city planners, it sounds like a questionable way to spend their money. Nevertheless, there is a wide range of benefits to these green spaces. Not only can they encourage the betterment of the natural world through increased biodiversity, pollution control, clean air and water production, noise reduction, and energy generation, but there are also social, aesthetic, and economic benefits as well. Education opportunities and neighborhood socialization can increase. With more green space around, the mental and physical health of the population nearby may increase too. The aesthetic appeal of an urban city will certainly increase with the inclusion of green spaces. Lastly, property values and business activity can increase with increased sustainability, while also reducing money spent on infrastructure.  

Much of the sustainability knowledge we have today is not widely known. Because of this, it is important to advocate for the benefits of sustainable urban development, spread the word, and get out and vote for our environmentally informed leaders! 

For more information on sustainable places around the world, check out this article! https://earth.org/how-sustainable-cities-like-singapore-succeed-in-green-urban-development/  

            Living in Florida, it is easy to look outside and see aspects of the natural world all around. Planted in the ground, nestled into the crevices of trees, hanging from a balcony, planted in someone’s garden, and sprouting through the cracks of a sidewalk, Florida’s flowering plants can be seen almost anywhere you look. Although some of these beautiful flowers may be non-native to Florida (meaning the plant species did not originate in Florida), there are also plenty of native Florida flowers that grow naturally here. Bright beach sunflowers can be seen on the coastal lands, showing off their yellow color. Luscious coral honeysuckles can be seen all throughout Florida, maybe with a butterfly or hummingbird indulging in the flower. The peculiar swamp lily can be found in Florida all throughout wet, swamp-like habitats. There are even countless flowering trees native to Florida like the Lobolly Bay and Flowering Dogwood. These are just a few off the long list of Florida’s flowers. They are all exquisite and essential in their own way.

Florida is not the only place in the world with thousands of beautiful flowering plants. Almost every corner of the world has its own set of magnificent flowers that range in shapes and colors, all performing the same duties of a flower. That essential task of a flower is to carry the offspring of the plant so that more individuals of that species can be planted. Although the details of this process change with each kind of flower, they all carry the same basis of this job. In order for a plant to survive so that it can produce healthy offspring and exquisite flowers like this, it needs a few basic things: water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide. These are the substances that a plant needs to perform one of its most important functions, photosynthesis! Photosynthesis is defined as the process of a plant taking in water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen as a byproduct. A long chemical equation is used to show exactly how this reaction happens, but the basis is that the plant consumes water and carbon dioxide, uses sunlight as a catalyst, and creates glucose as the main product and oxygen as a byproduct of the equation. All organisms must consume some form of glucose to produce energy and go about their normal functions. This includes humans too! Humans and other animals have the ability to search for their glucose and consume it that way. Plants, however, cannot walk around and find glucose, so they must make it for themselves. This is the purpose of photosynthesis.

 Photosynthesis is a largely beneficial process because, not only does it create glucose for the plant to use as energy, but it also creates oxygen for other organisms around the plant to consume. This highlights the incredible significance of plants in the lives of humans.

Because of that, it is the duty of humans to protect these plant species and advocate for the integration of more native plants into the land. May 30^th is National Water a Flower Day, so it is the perfect time to go out into nature, appreciate the beauty of the flowers around you and all that they can do, start growing some native flowering plants, and water your garden!

Do you know what plants are native to Florida? Check out this list from the University of Florida for more information on all the native plants you can grow right in your own backyard!  https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/native-plants.html

American alligators are very well known around the country; however, they are highly recognized here in Florida because they are the state reptile. There are a few unique characteristics about the American alligator. Here in the Everglades ecosystem, they can be seen basking in the sun or in action as they move through the water. Sometimes, they are camouflaged so well, they may not even be seen in their environment. American alligators are also known for their characteristic gray/black color. This helps them hide in plain sight below the surface of the water so they can sneak up on their prey.  This action is very similar to what larger predators like lions and tigers do when hunting. This process of waiting and watching to sneak up on prey is what characterizes these animals as ambush predators. Ambush predators are more efficient hunters than others as they are often waiting and expending less energy than other animals.

While alligators are well recognized animals, their importance to the Everglades ecosystem is not as well known. American alligators are a keystone species here in the Everglades. A keystone species is defined as an animal species that plays such a vital role in the ecosystem that, if removed, it would entirely change the ecosystem. Other examples of keystone species here in the U.S. include the gray wolf, beaver, bison, and the gopher tortoise. The American alligator was discovered to be a keystone species when Florida scientists noticed a change in the ecosystem after some drastic decreases in Florida’s American alligator populations during the 1960’s. With more research, it was discovered that the alligators provide something commonly known as “gator holes” in their ecosystem. During the dry season, the alligators dig holes in the ground that are often several feet deep. In the wet season, as there tends to be a lot of rain, these holes fill up with water. These new water holes serve as habitats for many other organisms, besides the American alligator. Animals like fish, birds, turtles, and even small insects utilize gator holes during the dry season when the water levels are lower. These “gator holes” classify the American alligator as a keystone species.

Due to this discovery, scientists and conservationists have been working to improve alligator populations all over Florida. The species was placed on the endangered species list in 1967 which allowed for access to federal funding and resources to help protect this species. The populations have since made a recovery and have been listed as “least concern”. Although this is a positive thing for the American alligator, there are still problems that threaten the survival of this species today. Hazards like wetland drainage and urban development have led to habitat loss for the alligators. Invasive species like the Tegu lizard and Burmese python have also caused harm to the species. Currently, lots of work is being done to remove threats like these and protect the habitats for these essential native Florida species. Maintenance of wetland habitats in the Everglades and protection of private and public lands in south Florida are just some of the ways this species is being protected.