Last Tuesday at approximately 5:41 AM I was getting ready in our room when I heard a tapping on our basement window. Obviously, I was freaked out and couldn't check to see what it was. I yelled for Ryan who was all the way on the other half of the apartment to come see what was out there. Heroically, he pulled up the blinds to discover it was merely a raccoon who had fallen into our window well and was trying to escape. Initially, I felt bad for the raccoon because he was stuck in our window and his attempts at jumping out were unsuccessful. However, I was also hoping that the raccoon would remain stuck in our window well because I knew that would be the closest thing I could have to owning a pet. Seconds later, the raccoon mustered enough strength to jump out of the well, and I haven't seen him since. Ryan and I got a free month trial of Netflix, so we have started watching The Office from the beginning! I think we started watching it a week ago and we are now almost done with season three! When we have breaks on campus, we find an empty spot near an electrical outlet and watch as many episodes as we can until one of us has to go to class. Sure, it takes away some studying time, but I would also consider it quality bonding time-We both dislike the same characters and laugh at the same things. Since we've been married, we don't hear too much of the single-life drama, and The Office has filled that void for us- yay for entertainment! Last week we also had our car die in the parking lot after having been on campus for 15 hours. After several attempts to jump start it, it remained in the parking lot for two days. We thought we were going to have to get a new starter, possibly a new battery, maybe some fuses had blown... nope. It was the alarm. All we had to do was flip a switch to reset the alarm and the car started right up...cars? After not having to pay for a visit to the mechanic, we decided to treat ourselves to a radio for our car! We have had this car for six months without a radio, it was time. We love listening to music while we drive and the stereo came with a sweet remote. All in all, things are pretty good :)
I hate when you are leaning down, about to take a drink from the water fountain and all of a sudden, the water pressure changes and the water shoots up, splashing you in the face. It is even worse when there are people waiting in line behind you to share your humiliation and are slightly annoyed that you are taking so long. On a separate note, but still related to humiliation, I will never run to class with a book bag on. Although one of my biggest pet peeves is being late, I will never run to class if I am late. These kids look so cool while they do it, and some people, like Ryan, can pull it off. But as for me, I feel like I personally look more like the goofy guy at the end. It feels so awkward to run while wearing a backpack, and everyone can see my awkwardness as I run, drawing more attention to myself. I have vowed to never run with a book bag on ever again.
It is the hope and work of J.R. Shute and Pat Rakes to bring about great changes in the American Southeast. These modern day Noah’s of Conservation Fisheries, Inc. (CFI) are “trying to keep some of the rarest species (of fish) alive.”1 This is no easy task in an area of the country that is rich with freshwater animals, “nearly half the 573 animals on the endangered list are freshwater species.”1 A few of the fish aboard the CFI Ark include the diamond darter, the Conasauga logperch, and the highly endangered Alabama Sturgeon.The fish are threatened by “sediments from human activities”1, chemicals, pollution, and the very fact that they are of “no economic importance.”1 It is for this reason that Shute and Rakes are relocating these endangered fish to a brick warehouse in Tennessee. This facility is filled with 600 aquariums and a “maze of pipes”1 that flood the tanks with water daily. This is a difficult task that they have undertaken but their goal is “to have seed stock ready to restore the fish to a river, if and when society restores that river to its clean, free-flowing state.”1 These two determined men will stop at nothing to see this dream become a reality.
What a remarkable story of dedication through conservation! Their methods used for conserving have undoubtedly saved thousands of fish and many entire species from extinction. However, by removing the fish from the pollutedstreams and rivers they are still only solving half of the problem. While temporarily safe in their new homes, the rushing rivers are still contaminated and will continue to be so until something is changed. I suggest taking a proactive approach to cleaning up the environment that the fish inhabit. This goes much further than protests, activism, and service projects. As Theresa Woody puts it “Complex environmental problems often require complex solutions; complex solutions call for an integrated approach, tying together science, resource management, and politics.”2 This is the solution that I call for in this situation, a blending together of lobbying to congress, legal litigation, and environmental education. The following articles show how this is done and how difficult and time consuming this can be.
Like the struggles that face CFI, Catostomids, more commonly known as Suckers, are facing similar problems due to “migration barriers, flow regulation, environmental contamination, habitat degradation, and exploitation.”3 In addition, these fish are thought to be of “little social or ecological value”3 therefore they too lack the funding and a lobbying group they need. Therefore, the authors of this article from Biological Conservation recommend increasing “outreach and education.”3 “Similarly, any legislation or policy that directly reduces alterations to critical habitats or water quality degradation would also directly benefit suckers.”3 A great example of this plan in action is the Sierra Club and their contributions in restoring the Kissimmee River in Florida.
Journal of the North American Benthological Society reports that “the Sierra Club is currently developing a long-term conservation agenda and funding strategy based on the ecoregion well known to ecologists.”2 Additionally, team work and a multi-faced approach has helped this the “largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States”2 achieve enormous success, largely being that of the “Save Our Everglades”2 program. This inspirational story gives hope to the thousands of environmentalists fighting the governmental red tape. It shows how difficult it is to obtain funding and support, but also the priceless rewards that can be attained through persistence and applied knowledge.
Noah’s Ark photo taken from Solarnavigator.net
Alabama Sturgeon photo taken from Outdooralabama.com
Ryan and I got a free month trial of Netflix, so we have started watching The Office from the beginning! I think we started watching it a week ago and we are now almost done with season three! When we have breaks on campus, we find an empty spot near an electrical outlet and watch as many episodes as we can until one of us has to go to class. Sure, it takes away some studying time, but I would also consider it quality bonding time-
We both dislike the same characters and laugh at the same things. Since we've been married, we don't hear too much of the single-life drama, and The Office has filled that void for us- yay for entertainment! Last week we also had our car die in the parking lot after having been on campus for 15 hours. After several attempts to jump start it, it remained in the parking lot for two days. We thought we were going to have to get a new starter, possibly a new battery, maybe some fuses had blown... nope. It was the alarm. All we had to do was flip a switch to reset the alarm and the car started right up...cars? After not having to pay for a visit to the mechanic, we decided to treat ourselves to a radio for our car! We have had this car for six months without a radio, it was time. We love listening to music while we drive and the stereo came with a sweet remote. All in all, things are pretty good :)
