Author Archives: shapirok

Nature Inspiration

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I feel very connected to the natural world. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, there were not many opportunities for me to get out into nature. As a child I would watch Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and be completely engrossed in whatever places and animals were out in the world. Despite growing up with very little nature, I felt a deep connection, especially towards our oceans. Being without an ocean for me was difficult. I had always felt a deep connection with it, even though I was 900 miles away from it. The closest thing I could do to experience the ocean was visiting the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I would beg my parents to go to the aquarium so I could watch the dolphins and tropical salt water fish swim around. I would spend hours completely lost in the big blue tanks. I believe it was the Shedd Aquarium that truly ignited my passion for sea life and conservation.  As I grew older, my love for nature and the ocean continued to grow and I knew I wanted my life to be centered around the natural world. When I was choosing where to go to college, I knew I wanted my major to be one where I would get to experience as many of these intricate ecosystems as possible. Thus, I moved to Charleston to study Marine Biology and my life has never been the same.

For one, Charleston has so many intricate ecosystems that are just begging to be explored. I remember my first experience in Charleston like it was yesterday. My mother and I had booked a kayak tour of Shem Creek through Coastal Expeditions. During this tour we got to paddle through the salt water estuaries that make Charleston so diverse and eventually ended up in Charleston Harbor. During this tour, the guide was very knowledgeable about all of the natural processes that occur in the estuaries and the history of the salt marsh and low country. This really got me excited to be living in such a cool place. Not even a week later, I had filed a job application for a kayak tour guide through Coastal Expeditions. Since working for this company my love for nature has grown exponentially and with each tour I give my love deepens.

It is very important to be connected with nature because when you know a lot about it, you start to care for it. Before I started giving tours, I didn’t much care for birds of prey or oysters or marsh grass but as I learned more about it I saw the importance each one has in the ecosystem and started to care more. Its very special for me to take people who have never been immersed in nature like an estuary before and watching the awe that I can inspire by telling them about the pelicans, the oysters, the plough mud and other keystone species and why its all so important in maintaining the health of the area. This is my biggest driver while on a tour because if I can get people from all backgrounds to sit back and be immersed in nature, their minds are expanded and they start to care a little more for the flora and fauna that make the estuaries so unique. This in turn can make people more open to policies that protect our natural environment.

I did three hours without my phone in the middle of Folly Creek. During this time, I saw a pod of dolphins strand feeding (which they only specifically do in the low country), pelicans diving into the water to catch fish, some Eagles circling, and many many many Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Blue Herons, Tricolor herons and sandpipers walking the creek banks looking for a bite to eat. Being immersed in these ecosystems really makes you think about the connections between completely different species and how important it is to conserve these areas, not only for the creatures, but for our own well being. Nature has truly inspired my life and I cant think of anything else I would rather be doing than trying my best to preserve it.

How Coral Bleaching Threatens Caribbean Communities

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University of California-Berkeley. “How Coral Bleaching Threatens Caribbean Communities.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 21 Feb. 2019,

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190221110425.htm

 

 

  • Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean is caused by warming ocean temperatures.
    • Coral polyps expel zooxanthellae bacteria when temperatures rise causing animal starvation
  • Bad news for the reef ecosystem and communities that depend on them
  • Bleaching events have become more common and will only worsen
  • Independent Island Nations are less vulnerable to the effects of bleaching events because they are less economically dependent on the reefs.
    • Better equipped to adapt to environmental changes
  • Island territories have high economic dependence on the reefs due to reef tourism, so vulnerability is higher
  • Findings of the study will help decision makers and resource managers take action to reduce the negative impacts of bleaching events on island communities
  • Actions could include implementing fishing regulations (protect fish species), enacting land use policies and farm practices (improves water quality), establishing environmental monitoring programs, and promoting economic diversification
  • This article combines environmental problems with economic and sustainability problems in the Caribbean.

 

 

Working SEWE

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This past weekend I had the privilege of working for an ecotourism booth in Marion Square during the South Eastern Wildlife Exposition, often abbreviated as SEWE. During SEWE, many organizations based around wildlife rehabilitation, ecotourism, and government funded ecological projects set up booths and host events pertaining to nature. Some important organizations to note are the Center for Birds of prey, Coastal Expeditions, and many rescue societies for dogs. It is a place for nature lovers.

Coastal Expeditions is a kayak ecotour company that specializes in environmental education and community outreach. During my time working with this company, they have completed many projects including the Save Crab Bank project and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Sea Turtle Project. The Save Crab Bank project benefits nesting shore birds who are at risk of habitat loss due to hazardous weather patterns and harsh erosion from the disrupted longshore drift in Charleston Harbor. Crab bank is one of the largest bird rookeries on the South Carolina coast and an important nesting sight for Brown Pelicans, Black Skimmers, Terns, and twelve other bird species. The funds raised for this cause went to renourishment of the small island so that birds can nest there once again. The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Sea Turtle Project benefits the sea turtle volunteer team and Cape Romain employees during the summer.

Working for this booth required community outreach and talking to people about the various projects Coastal is partnered with. I learned what impacts ecotourism can have on the local economy and how it can touch the lives of many people, inside and outside a community. There were people constantly coming up and asking about the projects and camps and telling us how much they enjoyed being outside with the company. It was very cool to see how much a community cares for its ecosystem and surroundings.

SEWE was very empowering to work because there were so many people from different backgrounds working together for a common cause of conservation and environmental knowledge. Seeing all the booths and events centered around nature really puts things into perspective. Definitely worth going.