Happy Birthday! I mean, Earth Day!

Hey everyone,

Stopping by to say Happy Earth Day! It’s a beautiful day here in Florida and it’s been really nice having the warm weather back into our lives. You can feel the summer stickiness rising in the air, which means a lot of barbecuing, ping pong playing, hiking, swimming, and other outdoor festivities are soon to come. I love this time of year, even if it feels like I’m going to melt.

There is also no better time than Spring to start spending more time in Nature and to STAND UP for Nature. I hope that each of you will do something proactive this week, something that will raise awareness for the Earth and the help it needs. Whether it’s picking up a little trash, bringing your own bags to the store, starting to recycle, building a compost, or planting a tree in your yard. You’ve heard it a million times, but EVERY action counts. If we all do a little something to show our appreciation for the planet we live on, others will see that and will follow suit. So let’s lend a helping hand and get proactive! and have a very happy day!

Love,
Kristie

April, Home of Earth Day

The month of April includes the great celebration of our planet Earth. This means lots of events and causes going around and lots of staying busy! Personally I will be taking this time to refocus and spend more time than usual outdoors and doing what I love. I must say the Spring weather is a great motivator too!

Us Floridians had a winter like no other and I found it hard to step out the front door let alone go hiking and shoot some footage. It was just far too cold for my thin Florida skin! As a result, I spent a lot less time working on my blog than I would have liked. I’m determined now to spend some more time on this personal project of mine

I’d like you to join me this month in reflecting on this great planet we live on. Take some time to show appreciation for it and acknowledge it throughout each day. Dedicate a little more time outdoors each day, even if that means a little less time staring at the computer screen or watching t.v. Take photos, read a book, go for a walk, play with your dog, fish, stargaze.

There are endless activities that are free and simply enjoyable that we can incorporate into our everyday. I know I’ll be doing some of those things and hopefully more to welcome this great, warm season! I’d love to hear what you are doing or plan on doing to celebrate earth this month.

What great activities do you have in store?

Volunteers

This past weekend was my monthly event at Big Tree Park in Longwood and I’d have to say it was a great success. When we arrived at the park, I realized after about five minutes of walking around that the air potato removal I was expecting would not be happening. It had rained a whole lot the night before, the ground was muddy and the potatoes themselves were buried deep into that mud. Realizing that we weren’t going to find what we were looking for, I decided to switch it to a litter clean up. Let’s just say it wasn’t hard to fill up our bags by the end of our two hours.

There has to be something said about flexibility, but I think there REALLY has to be something said about flexible volunteers. It’s really an amazing thing to see a group of people get together and so willingly participate in the unappealing acts of picking up litter and removing invasive weeds. And you see no sign of disinterest on their face when you change the days’ mission. They seem to always pick up and go on with the job even on days of freezing temperatures the night before, rain, and pestering mosquitoes. I often leave events with a sense of wonder at how great of a time everyone just had~you expect people to be complaining, miserable, or at the very least bored! But they don’t and they aren’t. Instead they come together with a feeling of goodness and togetherness, a combination that leaves me driving away with a feeling of joy at the end of each event.

It reminds me of how connected we all really are and it reminds me of how much we all need to get outside in nature. I believe that something opens up within these families, couples, and individuals when they spend time together in the outdoors. The feeling of being in the sun, getting a little dirt in your hands, and fresh air in your lungs may or may not be a rare experience for some, but it’s like food for the soul and the affects can always be seen.

Why else would so many volunteers who’ve never done an event like this tell me they’d love to come back? This happens EVERY TIME we have an event. I wonder if they realize what makes them feel this way. Why they volunteer to be sweaty, dirty, and put in physical labor they might usually cringe at. I believe it is that feeling of togetherness, of purpose, and of spending time outdoors that a light goes off in there head (ding!) and brings about this new sense of interest. It just makes you feel good.

My awesome volunteers at the Big Tree park event on 3/13/2010

UCF volunteers for their Knights Give Back event

Another set of awesome volunteers at my Big Tree Park event on 2/13/2010 ~ it was a cold one!

Spring Hammock Preserve

Finally my first video is up! It took me quite some time to gather footage and edit footage for this video clip, but I’m happy to be learning something new and I have a feeling this mission will be a real experience.

This was my first time ever shooting with a camcorder and editing video and I must say I have a much greater respect for movie editors. What a job! Even though I experienced even more during my adventure at Spring Hammock Preserve, it’s hard to get it all in there. Maybe I’ll add some footage later.

For now, I hope you will enjoy!

Jon Rawlinson: Now this guy knows how to shoot!

Simply amazing video that I had to share. It really creates a feeling of peace and awe for me and I hope it will for you too.

(Allow to load fully before watching)

Kuroshio Sea – 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world – (song is Please don’t go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Carl Hiaasen, my fiction hero

I’m on about my seventh or eighth Carl Hiaasen novel. If you have no idea who Carl Hiaasen is, I highly suggest you check him out. He is said to be the greatest satirist in Florida, or even in the U.S. All I can say is satire or no satire, Hiaasen knows how to write a book full of dark humor that provides many laughs. His great twists and awkward situations keep me highly entertained, but it’s his unbalanced characters and environmental message that make me love his books so.

I’m often surprised with how much I relate to the lead characters, often times environmentalists who are fed up with the destruction of Florida. Although that may not seem farfetched, if you knew his characters you’d know what I mean.

Take for instance one of the lead characters from one of his most popular books.This is a person whom most people would probably not think twice about throwing in jail. Someone whose actions go way past extreme. Though I don’t agree with the way he chooses to fight for his beliefs, I did relate a little. I could understand his viewpoints on wildlife habitats being diminished and his frustration with the whole situation. Seeing this displacement of wildlife and road kill just breaks my heart. I can’t help but feel compassionately towards these fellow critters and that passion isn’t always understandable by others.

What it comes down to is this: I love Carl Hiaasen’s characters and their courageous acts. I love that they live boldly and stick up for what they believe in, whether it’s conservation or love, without reservations. I love that these characters (the ones I like) seek out a different way of life. And I love that I learn a little about how Florida government really operates in the process. Not to mention the beautiful imagery I have when reading about the different parks and waters that are characters in themselves.

I promise I don’t work for Carl Hiaasen’s publishing company, I just figured a fellow reader may get as much of a kick out of his books as I do. And I think for the Florida residents, it’s a must. If you do decide to pick up one of his novels my favorites would have to be: Nature Girl, Skinny Dip, and Lucky You. That should be enough to get you started. And of course, let me know what you think if you do decide to pick one up!

Here’s a link to the books he has written and their descriptions. Another one of my missions is to read all of them, so I don’t think thiswill be the last you’ll hear of him from me. Besides, how can I talk about Carl Hiaasen without mentioning Skink??

The Big Three for Me

Hello all,

I just wanted to update you on my Spring Hammock Preserve post. Let’s just say that since it’s my first time doing any sort of videography or editing, it has taken me a little longer than I had anticipated to get the video up. It’ll be worth it though I can say for sure that it has been quite a learning experience already and I am looking forward to researching and becoming more knowledgeable about the whole video process.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a little about how I got to where I am today. When thinking about my love for nature and why I feel so passionately about it, three events in my life pop into my head. Or three factors, should I say. I’m sure I may be simplifying things, but these three factors have influenced me in a way that just can’t be ignored:

One:

My hometown of Jensen Beach. I was very lucky to have grown up there, where from the ages of 3 to 18 I was the resident of a beautiful beach town surrounded by the Indian River, Atlantic Ocean, and a US1 that was barely developed. (Difficult to imagine, I know). I would feed ducks at a pond with my mom and brother, make trips to Bathtub Beach (the greatest beach ever for kids), went boating with my family to sandbars, and spent A LOT of time at the beach.

It wasn’t until around my high school years that I started noticing a change. Buildings were being developed every which way and natural lands were replaced by a high school, car wash, bank, an unnecessary through road, and a new shopping center filled with unique stores like Best Buy and Linens and Things. Ha! Yeah, right. By my college years, I could hardly recognize the place I grew up in and it has been a huge source of frustration for me ever since. I came to Seminole County and thought, now here’s an area that can still be saved. Let’s just hope I’m right.

( I swear it gets less depressing from here. ha! )

Two:

During my college years I spent a lot of time outdoors and at one place in particular: Playalinda refuge, part of Canaveral’s National Seashore. I was introduced to migrating ducks, alligators, wild hogs, sharks, and bobcats during my adventures there. I was able to capture some of the most beautiful sunsets and enjoy beaches where there was no one else in sight. I still to this day get an adrenaline rush searching for alligators and after seeing 80 in just one day, that says a lot about how crazy I really must be.

Three:

During my college years I thought several times about how I would love to go into the environmental field; do something that would put me in that world so I could learn and make a difference. I had an image of this perfect job, but could never quite explain what it was I would actually be getting paid for or find a title for this so called position. I still haven’t quite figured that out, but the closest thing I’ve come to it was with Keep Seminole Beautiful, a non profit organization here in Seminole County. It was here that I learned about non native invasive plant species, spent the summer doing litter clean ups, coordinated volunteers for fundraisers, and helped plan an Earth Day event. I still volunteer for the organization and can’t even begin to describe how much of a difference it has made in my life. Although I am no longer a paid employee, I’m a board member and I hold a monthly event removing invasive plants from Big Tree Park. I was truly blessed to find Keep Seminole Beautiful and the Executive Director of it, Mike Barr.

These three influences in my life played a big part in who I am and what I’ve become. I couldn’t be more thankful for having them.

In the end, I do what I do for:

Them

These

and

This

What inspires you to do what you love?

2010 Annual Air Potato Raid

So I’m here to tell you why I chose Spring Hammock Preserve as my first natural land to cover on my blog. Can you guess it? Well, it starts with a 2010 and ends with a Raid. Yup, you got it! The 2010 Annual Air Potato Raid. This is an event hosted by the Environmental Studies Center here in Seminole County in order to raise awareness on the HUGE air potato problem we’ve got going on.

I’ll back up and little to talk to you about what an Air Potato IS. It is a non native invasive plant species that just so happens to be my worst enemy. It grows as a vine and wraps itself around plants and trees, restricting them from sun and growth, essentially killing them. This species is my absolute least favourite invasive species because it is so hard to get rid of. The vines are strong and grow little (or in some cases huge) potatoes which will then sprout more vines allowing the cycle to continue. Here is a picture or two for a visual:

So now you know a little more about the air potato and I can talk about the awesome event I attended this past Saturday. There were an estimated 1000 people volunteering at the Environmental Studies Center on the Spring Hammock Preserve Lands removing these and other invasive plants. That is a whole lot of people! And this isn’t easy work~ very rewarding and crucial yes, but easy no. We were so lucky to have amazing volunteers and ended up with bags upon bags upon bags of air potato. We were able to prevent many trees from dying that day, and that is a GREAT feeling.

We usually attack invasives in much smaller numbers, but it’s that continued attention that will help show a difference in the long run. It is great events like this though, that are critical to raising awareness. Plan on being there next year to be apart of it all Until then, if you are interested in becoming involved in this effort and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty, I do a invasive plant removal every month and there are many more offered across the county. If you need more info, please contact me. We need EVERYONE to help fight this air potato takeover and if you are interested we’d LOVE to have your help!

Stay tuned for my video log of Spring Hammock Preserve and be prepared for peacefulness!

Any questions or comments? Please feel free to write them here or email me at Kristie@thenaturejunkie.com

My mission

Whoah there super close camera! I’ll be sure to zoom out a little more next time

A little intro…

I am a Nature Junkie. What exactly does that mean, you may ask? Well, it’s all in the name. I am addicted to the outdoors, especially being in nature. I thrive on
exploring undeveloped lands, I love the feeling of the fresh breeze blowing in my face, and frankly I don’t think I could live without the thrill of being in the wild and seeing
its amazing creatures. This has become my passion and that, my friends, is why I am so desperate to save it.

I only hope you can understand where I am coming from. I am well aware of the insane number of people who fail to see the importance of the natural world and of those
who even disrespect it, but I don’t let that discourage me. I’m here to educate and spread the word and be personally proactive in the cause, with the hope to wake people
up or at the very least convince them to care.

One way to do this is to show people what they are missing out on. So I’ve given myself a mission: to visit each local park and natural land listed in Seminole County. I’m
looking to gain a better understanding of the areas’ issues and inform locals on what they can do to help out. I’m also looking to take footage of some of Florida’s most beautiful habitats that will be so hard to resist, even the biggest of outdoor detesters will be rushing out to see them and be compelled to protect them (one can
dream right? )

For when you do decide to visit all these great locations I will be documenting, remember to “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints” as the old saying goes.

Stay tuned for the first “Start Seeing Seminole”….