Share and Voice: Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Hey everyone! I was watching T.V the other night and came across this documentary on sea turtles. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is an organization that protects sea turtles based on their injuries. "Every year 100,000 sea animals are killed due to plastics in our oceans. Humans are directly affecting the lives of thousands of sea animals by inaccurately disposing of plastic and other ocean litter."(Sea Turtle Restoration Project).
Many sea turtles are injured due to fishing practices, pollution, and even light pollution. Improper outdoor lighting is one of the biggest problems affecting sea turtles. To get a better look, check out this link to see the youtube video where they show a rescued turtle being released back out into the wild. It's a very inspirational thing to see.

Interesting Facts:
When sea turtles consume the plastic bags, they often get lodged in their stomachs making it seem like they are not hungry, and eventually causing them to die of starvation. Sea turtles also get caught in plastic floating in the ocean causing them to drown. What is it going to take for people to quit littering in the ocean? Littering can also cause infection on sea creatures since plastics that are littered carry pathogens that affect sea turtles.

"Through sea turtle rehabilitation, research and education programs, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will increase awareness of habitat and wildlife conservation challenges, promote responsibility for ecosystem health and empower individuals to act locally, regionally, and globally to protect the environment."

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center also allows you to become a member or their organization and offer helping hands. I think that it would be an honor to help out these magnificent creatures that are near extinction. Hopefully we eliminate these problems before it's too late for these sea turtles.

Reflections: Weeks 5 and 6

Hello Bloggers! Wow, I know I say this a lot, but time is flying by! Can you believe that we’re about to start our 7th week of class? Our blogs are looking better than ever, and we’re all keeping up with our share and voices that are very informative for the rest of the class to view.

Weeks 5 and 6 have been very informative. I’ve learned so much from reading people’s posts to watching the documentaries shown in class. I’ve made changes to my everyday behaviors by conserving more water, energy, and driving a lot less. Dr. V showed us a neat coffee mug that demonstrates the result of melted glaciers. I bet everyone wanted a mug like that. I know I did. Dr.V also shared a story about a blog that she’s been following. The blog showed a cheeseburger that had been kept for 12 years with no mold or rotting of any kind. That is disguising! It just goes to show how many preservatives there are in fast foods.

Diet for a New America:
I didn’t know the effect that animals manure actually makes. I was shocked to hear that the manure that polluted water actually caused defects in children. These movies really made me second guess my diet and how much meat I consume on a weekly basis. The United States’ portion sizes on meat are more than double the amount that other countries consume. This makes a lot of sense! Whenever I go to a restaurant and order a chicken breast, it completely covers my whole plate. If you times that by the 6 billion people, that adds up very quickly.



Food for the Future:
We also watched the movie “Food for the Future.” This movie showed us that the ecosystem can act as a chain of events. Increased fertilizer = cost increase = pollution increase. It also showed us a story about a farmer who lost everything he had because of a corporation called “MONSANTO.” Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto has been a perfect example of what Monsanto has done to farmers. Percy had lost his whole crop and his retirement fund due to the roundup canola oil patent. Another intersting thing discussed in the video involves the amount of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) that are present in the United States. I never really checked labels to see the ingredients involved. I usually look at the calories and % of fat like most people. I was suprised to find out that genetically engineered foods are not included on labels. How do we know what we're eating? About 80-90% of people want that information on the label. How will we know if we're really in danger? Babies have allergies to their formula and other health concerns. If it was labeled, we could relate this technique to the causes of health conditions.

Christen’s Thoughts:
These two documentaries really made me think outside the box. Since I'm from a farming family, I thought I would've understood a lot of these concepts before watching the movies but I didn't. I really enjoyed the films and am going to pay more attention about the foods I eat to know if they are genetically enhanced.

Eye Opener: Summary of Reading #7 Hostile Beauty

Before reading the chapter, I tried interpreting what “Hostile Beauty” meant. I didn’t know what it dealt with or what I was preparing myself for. Well, after reading the article here’s what I figured out.
This chapter discusses the Red Desert, its resources, and the dangers headed its way. The Red Desert, known as the heart of the Great Divide Basin, has large reserves of coal, uranium, oil and gas. With our nation currently in need of these resources they are considering digging up the resources in the Red Desert. Tom Bell, a wildlife biologist, defended the Red Desert against those who dig up its minerals, wipe out its wildlife, or string power lines. He believes that the Red Desert is “one of our very best wildlands, and one of our last.” This is a very scary thing to think about.
Bell discovered that plovers, sage grouse, and other species are declining to the east as the Great Plains are fenced and cultivated for agriculture; to the west, energy development and exotic species have invaded and compromised their habitat. If we install oil reserves in the Red Desert, we have a lot of problems headed our way. Oil is only a temporary resource! Oil spills are another risk we would face if industries were built. The natural ecosystem would cease to exist if these actions take place. It’s almost as if they would be changing nature to industrialization.
Wyoming’s has a reputation as the nation’s energy breadbasket since they have large reserves of coal, uranium, oil and gas. What will become of it if we take over and industrialize this landmark?

DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS:

"Green River Resource Management Plan (approved August 8, 1997) - The Green River Resource Management Plan (GRRMP) provides management direction for resources contained within the Rock Springs Field Office area. The objective for management of oil and gas resources is to provide for leasing, exploration, and development of oil and gas while protecting other resource values."

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has decided to give priority to oil and gas development over these rare and irreplaceable resources. The BLM's plan would allow several hundred new oil and gas wells to be drilled in sensitive wildlife habitats.

CHRISTEN’S THOUGHTS
I think that building these industries in the Red Desert is an insane idea. Ya America is in need of these resources, but this is not the right action to take. What if we used all of the resources provided, then what? All that's left is destruction for the remaining desert and animals. We will not only be hurting the environment, but ourselves as well. We have already been the cause of glaciers melting and other destruction related incidences of nature. I don't think that any of these programs should be implemented. Even if you limit your usage, you're still damaging the terrain and wildlife living within the area.

Discussion Question:
Now that I've told you what what my beliefs are about the topic, now it's time for you to tell me yours. Do you think that digging up these resources is a positive or negative action? Are you more concerned about getting these resources or the future of wildlife in the Red Desert?
Let me know what you think!

DEFINITIONS:
Red Desert
Oregon Trail
Great Divide Basin
Plovers
Sage grouse

Share and Voice: Earthsave

Hey Bloggers! I found a really neat sight that I wanted to share with you all! After watching the movie Diet for America, I noticed a website at the end called Earthsave. I looked this up in curiosity and found some really neat information. It offers tips improving your lifestyle choices in regards to the environment around you. Here are a few of the links I found interesting, hope you enjoy them!

The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook showed a variety of recipes and cooking methods to cooking a vegetarian diet. Some of these recipes sound pretty tasty to me.

The Factory farm alert was another interesting site that showed how animal factories are laying wastes to our environment and to public health. Pfiesteria is something that really caught my eye after reading this article. Something I found interesting is that Al Gore has been involved for federal help in dealing with pfiesteria problems.

The last article I checked out was called “How our food choices can help save the environment.” It basically talked about beef and all the harmful factors that go along with it. I hope you find this table interesting. I found it on the website and thought it would give you better insight

By not eating beef– and other farm animals as well–you:
•Save massive amounts of water – 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of water for every pound of beef you avoid,
•Avoid polluting our streams and rivers better than any other single recycling effort you do,
•Avoid the destruction of topsoil,
•Avoid the destruction of tropical forest,
•Avoid the production of carbon dioxide. (Your average car produces 3 kg/day of CO2. To clear rainforest to produce beef for one hamburger produces 75 kg of CO2. Eating one pound of hamburger does the same damage as driving your car for more than three weeks);
•Reduce the amount of methane gas produced. (I imagine the next bumper sticker: stop farts, don’t eat beef);
•Reduce the destruction of wildlife habitat, and
•Help to save endangered species.