This past weekend, I took a day trip to Botany Bay on Edisto Island, South Carolina, with the College of Charleston Outdoors Club. Although the trip was only a day trip, it served as yet another reminder to me of the importance of getting outside, in areas that are relatively untouched by humans.

Botany Bay is a wildlife preserve, so there are no permanent residents, no industrialization, and no noise pollution, something hard to come by here in downtown Charleston. Although Botany Bay was just over an hour away, the difference in the geology of the land, and the feeling of the land, was quite remarkable. Beautiful shells and marine life such as jellyfish were washing up onto shore. We found multiple sand dollars and obscure rocks. The fact that the land is uninhabited was profound because the thought of land being as it was hundreds of years ago is a powerful thought.

Leaving downtown Charleston often reminds me how it is truly necessary to get out of the hustle and bustle of a city. Throughout this year, I sometimes have felt a heavy anxiety coming from a source I was unsure of. The busy life of a college student, especially in a city, surrounded by industrialization, thousands of people, and the stress of school can sometimes be overwhelming. Our bodies are not evolved to sit inside and look at a computer all day, after all. This is why it has been so essential for me to leave the peninsula and go to a more natural setting every now and then. When I have put myself in this position this year, I have truly taken note of silence. I grew up in the woods of New York, and there were not many city noises.

Coming to Charleston is exciting because there is so much activity going on. However, I often need to be reminded that silence is curing. Sitting on the beach at Botany Bay was extremely beneficial for my mental health because it allowed me to be centered in a place of beauty. The fact that I was in such a beautiful atmosphere opened my mind up and let me reflect on the things that have been going on in my life recently. It is hard for one’s brain to keep up with all of the busy activity one does everyday, but putting oneself in a place of silence and natural beauty helps thoughts process and flow better.

There is great value, in addition, to sharing this type of experience with others. Although it’s vital that the group spends some time in silence, sharing this experience with other people often times amplifies the experience. Those who share the experience together can converse about the things they see, and the enthusiasm and excitement of being in a natural, beautiful place can easily rub off from one person to another. I have been on many trips with the Outdoors Club this year, and it has served as an inspiring community of people who also want to go back to their roots and experience nature the way our evolution would have liked us to!

In the NPR article “Suffering From Nature Deficit Disorder? Try Forest Bathing”, author Marcelo Gleiser reports on the findings Dr. Qing Li has found about the health benefits of the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which can be described as “forest bathing”. Gleiser explains that in today’s society, approximately 54% of the world population lives in an urban area. While living in an urban area brings employment opportunities, social connections, and cultural experience, it also limits the ability of urban residents to experience nature and make environmental connections. There are widely felt effects of air, noise, and light pollution in urban areas. Gleiser reports a statistic that was found by an EPA study. According to the EPA, “Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where the concentration of air pollutants can be 2 times to 5 times higher than outdoors”.

Dr. Qing Li has found the answer to this issue that more than half of the world’s population is experiencing. In his new book, “Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness”, Dr. Li provides his findings (backed by research data) that spending time in nature, such as in forests, parks, and other green areas, can reduce common health problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. His scientific findings conclude that spending time with trees and in green spaces result in reduced levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Other health benefits that come from spending time in these natural settings include increased energy levels (by more than 30%), sleep improvement (by 15%), immune system improvement, better cardiovascular health, and improved parasympathetic system response. Additionally, practicing shinrin-yoku results in a general better sense of well-being. Dr. Li says that those who live in large cities should not panic though, if their location doesn’t provide access to large forests. He says that even going for regular walks in a park, having house plants, and practicing aromatherapy using tree oils can show the same health benefits. The practice of shinrin-yoku can be done by anyone, no matter their location, and can result in important health benefits for those who make time to connect with trees and nature.

I thought this article was very interesting because it relates to my personal connection with nature. For the past nine summers I have spent my summers on an island in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Being surrounded by trees on the island is very calming, and improves my well-being during the summer. I feel very connected to nature during the summer, and I try to incorporate this feeling into my life in Charleston as a student in an urban area. I have flowers in my apartment and I go for regular walks and runs down to the Battery and around Colonial Lake. Being near the water and surrounded by trees and plants provides a sense of shinrin-yoku during the stressful school year. I think that other students should try to incorporate shinrin-yoku into their lives, because even the smallest connections with trees and nature have great health improvements. It is a simple thing to do to have a house plant or go for a walk, and doing so can relieve some of the stress and anxiety that we feel as students. I believe that if more students focused as much on self-care as they do on school work, we would all feel less stress, and have a greater sense of well-being in the busy lives that we lead.

Link to article: https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2018/04/04/599135342/suffering-from-nature-deficit-disorder-try-forest-bathing

On my weekends here in South Carolina’s low country, I can commonly be found either exploring a new beach or woodlands. It’s my escape from the gradually increasing fast-paced life of downtown; and, as a biology major, a favorite pass time. On my outings, I’ve seen a vast amount of South Carolina’s wild residents from deer to alligators. While these encounters are typical for me, they definitely aren’t for everyone. When I told one of my friends from D.C. that my ecology lab involved us wading in wild swamps, she seemed quite horrified. I didn’t think much of it until I had to read an article on American culture and nature for a sociology class. The article is titled Natures Looking Glass and it delved in to how a pair of red-tailed hawks fascinated city-goers in Manhattan. The hawks chose the ledge of an NYU building to start building a nest to raise a family. The students took notice and set up a camera to capture what everyone felt was “pure nature”. They were all entranced by the hawks’ daily life and a professor took notice of the students’ view of nature. They looked at it as “unspoiled” and “unaffected by humans”. Their bubble was soon popped when the hawk couple began to add human products to their nesting materials. People criticized the choice of material as “unnatural” and disrupted peoples images of the hawks being “natural”. Sociologists went on to describe how people living in more urban setting tend to view nature as separate from humans. They termed this as “asocial nature”. Sitting back for a moment, I realized how odd this sounded to me. Growing up in rural South Carolina, nature was everywhere.  It was totally normal to see white tail deer a few times a week or to see otters around the lake streams. I personally had never thought of nature as separate from humans. After college, I plan on being an ecologist and after reading how some people have an asocial nature viewpoint; I think its even more imperative to educate people on nature. While I don’t think people should go up to bobcats or alligators wanting to “connect with nature” I do think that people should understand that we as humans are also animals and that we should not subtract ourselves from that category given that we share a lot of common needs with the rest of the animal kingdom. Conservation biology would probably go a lot smoother if people accepted themselves as part of nature and thus have even better reason to protect it. I encourage everyone to get to know your local ecosystems.

Source:Angelo, Hillary, and Colin Jerlomack. “Nature’s Looking Glass.” Vol. 11, ser. 1, 23 July 2012, pp. 24–29. 1, doi:10.1177/1536504212436492.

At the beginning of this year I told myself that I would stop eating red meat in hopes of being vegetarian once I reach summer. Although I didn’t start immediately I have been more committed to not eating red meat over the past two months. The biggest challenges that I’ve faced so far is realizing how much red meat I actually ate. I didn’t realize it was in almost all of my daily meals. Another thing I’ve realized is how many things at restaurants serve red meat and it has completely changed how I order food in restaurants. I find myself having to opt for the salad or soup instead of a steak meal. At first it was hard to see all of my families and friends eating meat in front of me and me not being able to have any. I loved eating hamburgers, tacos and things like that but having switched to no meat I can’t have any of these. But, I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything anymore because I think after realizing the amount of suffering that these animals go through my conscious doesn’t let me. Although I am still eating chicken and fish occasionally I figured that weening off of meat little by little was the best option because stopping cold turkey (get it?) would be too much all at once. I think that it is really a personal choice that someone has to make and it is hard to stick to but I feel like its the right choice and I’m glad I did it. I’ve also noticed that this has sort of forced me to eat more vegetables and fruits is always a plus since their healthy. Also, I find myself more energetic and I feel healthier. I have more energy throughout the day and not longer need to nap in the middle of the day! This extra time is great because I get so much more stuff done. I didn’t know that this small change in my diet would affect so many other aspects in my life. Recently my friends have noticed this change and have asked me about it, I tell them I’ve been eating healthier and have stopped eating red meat. One of my friends has actually decided to do this as well which is great and I was glad I could influence her into doing so. For anyone that has been considering it and is on the edge of it I would strongly suggest to just try it for a month or so just to see if its for you. Im actually finding myself trying new meals that involve more vegetables and fruits. Its always fun trying new foods and being creative with meals. I am going to stop eating chicken by the end of next month and that will be a whole other challenge but I’m excited to see what happens. My end goal is to be vegan by the end of the year. I know there are some people in class that are vegan so if you guys have any comments or suggestions I would love to hear them !

The article that I came across was titled “Ending overfishing would stop the population declines of endangered bycatch species about half the time”. The source of the article came from a study conducted by the University of California- Santa Barbra and was published on the 15th of March 2018. The study mainly focuses on the issue of overfishing and the negative affects that come along with it. The article also makes a point to mention what/who is affected. The concept of overfishing is when fishers/fisheries are excessively fishing, which is ultimately causing decline in populations of fish and other species that are caught during fishing. It is an unsustainable use of the ocean! However, overfishing does not only occur in the ocean. Other areas that are affected are ponds, rivers, and lakes. An important question to ask is: why is overfishing happening? Today, fishing fleets are 2-3 times larger than what is actually necessary to catch fish. They are catching fish more than its ecosystem is able to recover/reproduce these fish and other species. There is also a lack of protection for these areas, which could regulate how large fisheries operate. Another problem is the mindset of fisheries who believe in open access, which refers to catching as much as possible neglecting the idea of leaving fish in the ocean. During fishing there are other species such as: mammals, turtles, and birds, that are unintentionally caught. They are known as bycatch. The article mentions that by ending overfishing populations that are on the verge of being endangered have the ability to make recoveries. When these marine species are endangered, it not only effects that population, but the oceans biodiversity as well. The article was very interesting because it had many associations with what we discuss in class. For example, the concept of the ecological footprint. Also, how unsustainable practices, like overfishing, is causing populations to deplete. If overfishing continues there will be several things that will be impacted. Certain species of fish will become endangered or extinct, which will ultimately create an endless trend. Therefore, when one species becomes extinct fisherman and fisheries will venture to other species. Eventually there won’t be anything left to fish for. Once this occurs fishers will go out of business, leaving behind a major problem that could have been regulated and prevented. After learning about this issue, I had other concerns and questions. I wanted to know what areas, city and state wise, are mainly impacted by overfishing. I also question whether these areas had any policies that could regulate the problem. The article suggests that in order to save endangered bycatch populations the fisheries would have to choose between two things. The first idea was that they would have to limit their amount of fishing, however they would be sacrificing profits that they receive. Another idea is to improve their technology that is used to fish with the aim of avoiding bycatch. The co-author of the experiment Rebecca Lewison, stated that, “Recognizing the benefits of rebuilding fisheries to endangered populations allows us to also focus attention on other key sources of endangered species mortality, like egg poaching, invasive species, pollution and habitat loss.” The article wasn’t biased at all, it simply focuses on the effects of overfishing as well as the benefits of ending it.  The article was very informing and eye opening to me.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315155449.htm

The giant panda has been seen as an unofficial mascot of china. They live in bamboo forest, which are threatened by china’s rapid population growth and industrialization. The loss of habitat along side with poaching has caused the panda population to decrease. China’s government is stepping in by creating national park. This will not only help pandas but also the people living in and around the new park.

The Giant Panda is in the bear family and are one of the only completely herbivore bear species. They live in bamboo forest in the western most part of China although historically they could be found all over china. Each panda has a large home range, which makes the fact that bamboo forest is on the decline a major problem. There are only 1,864 pandas left in the wild and 300 in captivity. Due to an extremely slow reproductive rate, it makes every panda very important. China strictly controls all of the pandas in captivity and in the wild. Poachers are a big problem due to them having such a volatile population. The introduction of the new 1.5 billion dollar state park will allow the population to grow. The park will be around 5 million acres, which makes it two times the size of Yellowstone. The park will also provide the 170,000 people who inhabit the land new job opportunities. The area now is struck by poverty and theses new jobs act as another driver for the national park. It is going to be built in the Sichuan Province, which allows gene flow throughout the panda population. They are hoping to be finished by 2023.

I believe that this is a huge step in the right direction. This can help not only the pandas but also the people. I know for governments to invest in state parks there are always alternate motives other than conservation. The 170,000 poverty struck people who will have new job opportunities paired turning a poor area into a tourist hotspot, makes it a better investment for the Chinese government. The addition of the new panda territory will be a long-term success in my opinion. The one question I have is how will the park run when there will be a small population of pandas initially. I understand 50 years down the road that it will be a must visit place once a steady population is present.

This all comes with the responsibility we have as people to conserve species that we have affected. The use of national parks is very usefully for governments and people who live around it. I believe with people focusing on lowering their ecological footprint, lowering the population and establishing designated areas to make sure species are safe from extinction are important if we want our kids to see the Earth as we see it today. The use of national parks have been useful in helping endangered species like the bison and the grey wolf, it will be interesting if the giant panda can also be a success story.

Press, The Associated. “China to Build Massive $1.5 Billion Panda Conservation Area.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/03/08/world/asia/ap-as-china-panda-conservation.html.

The talk I attended was called Race, place, and the de-gentrification of Nature Conservation in the south. The talk I attended was given by Dr. Drew Lanham. He is a professor at Clemson and studies natural wildlife. He studies also include the integration of race in nature. The talk he gave was a derivative of this connection on race in nature conservation in the south. The talk first started off Dr. Drew Lanham playing the song Mercy Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye. I found this to be a successful tactic to get me, as an audience member, engaged and wanting to know the connection between the song and the what the talk is about. The songs lyrical meaning is on the topic of ecology and what the world use to be compared to what it has become. Dr. Drew Lanham explained how this song was interesting because even when it was written, in 1971, it was evident that the world was changing for the worst concerning nature conservation. He then went on to explain how we as people survive and thrive through water. It was explained that we need water to make it through everyday life whether we realize it or not. He asked the question, “what is your water?” What he meant by this question was is the thing you need to survive and thrive every day. He then brings in the topic of race with water by mentioning that we are all connected to water whatever the past may be. Water was and has been the source of life for every race. He states that we must feel our way through this issue of race, “we must work for the wild things, wild place, and water.” He ended his talk with an excerpt from his book that deals with his personal connection to water. He explains the story of remembering his father gathering water from their fresh spring well. After years past his father fell ill and died. He and his mother had to find a new source of water. The pipe they had to put in place to get the water out of had a worst taste and consistency compared to the fresh water his father had gathered from the well all those years. They no longer had access to the main thing that should’ve been provided to them. Instead, he and his mother were left to uses a unnatural source of water. This is the point in his life that he explained him realizing how important water is and its impact of life. The one thing I learned from this talk was the impact that society has on water. I never realized that what we have going on in our society can largely affect the nature surrounding us. To me, nature and societal interactions was two separate ideas. I found his explanation of the two ideas working together very interesting. He ended his talk with a quote I found very important to remember when connecting society to nature. He said, “think about your ties to water and your policy.”

Alexis Waters-Peterson