Fort Myers

Our last fieldtrip with the Colloquium class was to Fort Myers Down Town. I think it was my favorite trip after ECHO. Most of the students became friends during colloquium experience and it was much more interesting than our first trip. I found out a lot of interesting information about this great city. I live in Port Charlotte and it is far from my house, so it was my first time in the downtown area.

Fort Myers has a population of about 65,000 people.  The city is one of two major cities in the area. Established in 1886, Fort Myers is the historical and governmental hub of Lee County. It is a major tourist destination in Florida. The winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, which are both primary tourist attractions in the region, are located on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. There are many things to do in the city: variety of restaurants, bars, parks, museums and so on. The city is alive even after 10pm. Professor Coventry took us to the local theater. We even got to go backstage. It was a fascinating experience since I love drama. I am currently teaching a drama class of teenagers so I liked that part of the trip the most.  

This is my favorite place in the city. I think it is really creative. After we fished with our little tour, we all divided in groups to go some place to have coffee and discussion. Jackie, Trini and I went to this cute little British café called Matisse. We had a very good time. They are nice girls so we had a very good conversation and a very good coffee.  

They have a book for comments. We left a little message and drew some funny picture. Thanks to this class, I was able to make some good friends.

Out Golfong

This time we decided something new. My dad’s good old friend from Russia came to visit. While my dad is at work there is nothing for him to do. So instead of just going to the beach we decided to go golfing. We bought 36 holes. It was a long game. Our friend and I have never being golfing before. This fact made it just more interesting.

What I liked about it the most is that it is outside where we could get some fresh air. And also it is on the beach right next to the Punta Gorda Bridge. It has an amazing view. It first I really socked, but then I learned some hints and at the end was able to raise my score and become the second worst J

I took this last stunning picture. It looks just like a postcard. It made me think about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place and enjoy such pretty sceneries every day. Florida is beautiful. As all states it has down sides to it too. We do have a high rate of unemployment and it does get too hot in the summer, but despite the negative sides, there are more pluses. Some people pay big money just to come here ones a year. And we live here all the time!  My dad't friend took this picture with him to Russia so that he can show it to his friends and make them jealous

Marine Environment

I will be honest with you, before fieldtrip I was a little skeptic. Where can they possible take us for the marine environment? I thought we probably are just going to go the beach; it will be hot, humid and nothing new. But our professor surprised us all as usual. We went to this interesting place I never knew even existed on the Fort Myers beach. It is called Matanzas Pass Preserve. First I got to learn a lot from this lovely lady who told us about rich history of the Fort Myers. She is extremely nice. She gave us to try her own jam!!! It was delicious.

Then we went on the short board walk though the marine environment. The Matanzas Pass Preserve has the last maritime oak hammock community on Estero Island. A hammock is an elevated area surrounded by wetlands or different vegetation. This change in habitat provides for a diversity of birds and animals.

There were a lot of Mangrove trees: red, white and black. We also saw the resurrection fern.  

What I liked the most is the time when we got to just sit and enjoy the view of the lake. It is being preserved so there is not fishing allowed. We could see how fish was jumping out of the water every few minutes.  That lady said that unfortunately a lot has changed since the time she was young. The water is not as clear as it used to be. Human development since 1940 has resulted in alteration of the natural landscape. We are building so many bars and other building that people do not come to simply enjoy the sunset as they used to be. Despite that beach is amazing. If I had a chance I would come there every day for a walk. It is so calming a peaceful there.

Service-Learning Project

Report analyzing site research for University Colloquium Service learning project

Young children learn from their experiences. They use their senses to gather information about the world around them. That’s why field trips play an important role in the curriculum for young children involved in school. After visiting and evaluating the Peace River Wildlife Center, we concluded that it is perfect organization to establish partnership with. It will educate children to cherish birds and animals and how to rescue them. Youth Conservation Center will help children appreciate the Florida nature and its habitats. Guided tours are available all year long from volunteers, who not only describe the story behind each resident, but also share advice about what individuals can do to help conserve rare, threatened, and endangered species. There is no admission charge, although donations are gratefully accepted. Topics for additional consideration include transportation, volunteers, liability and lunch opportunities.

We were astonished by two American Bald Eagles. The female is 20 years old and the male is much younger. The female, whose name is BilFred was found by a woman who saw her injured at the Punta Gorda garbage dump. The male Eagle fell out of his nest, along with a sibling. The sibling died from the fall and this male survived but he was badly damaged and cannot fly anymore. It's a very sad story but at least they are cared for.

There were two kinds of Vultures here - the Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture. Two of them are actually blind. Those birds ruin your roof tiles when they walk all over it but do serve a purpose by cleaning away road kill. Both Vultures are protected under Florida law.

As you walk through, you see Seagulls, Cormorants, Sandhill Cranes, Gray Herons, Hawks, Vultures, Egrets, Night Herons and so many others. Near the end of the center path is the Pelican pool and habitat. This area is open and often has bird visitors dropping in for a swim or some free food. The white Pelican was amazingly huge and friendly.

It's a beautiful place and a great fieldtrip opportunity for kids. We would befinatly recomend it for Your Conservation Program.