The fieldtrip to corkscrew was very educational and we saw allot of cool animals. When we entered corkscrew we learned about the Plume bird and how it used to be hunted for its feathers so women’s hats could be made. One of the ecosystems that we saw on the trip was the Pine Uplands where we saw allot of Slash Pine trees and Saw Palmettos. Allot of the trees such as the Slash Pines had burn marks on them from past prescribed burns. Prescribed burns are done every few years so that the vegetation on the floor doesn’t suffocate the trees and disturb their growth; it also allows new vegetation to grow. Another ecosystem that we walked through was the marsh. Then we entered a part of Corkscrew with allot of cypress trees and alligator flag known as the Cypress Forest. In this area the group I was in saw a family of raccoons and many white birds. Conservation is preserving land and stewardship is protecting, watching over the land and making sure that your actions are not doing harm to the land. The role of a private non-profit in these two endeavors is to help protect the land and preserve it by keeping it for the most part untouched by humans so that native plants and wildlife can live and grow. Like minded people can affect change by working together for the same cause to make a difference because they have similar ideas. Civic engagement factors into this because a group of people worked together and opened Corkscrew to protect the Plume birds and preserve the land and if they hadn’t the land would definitely be developed by now. We should not just bulldoze the land and put up condos because the Corkscrew sanctuary is a living machine where waste is pumped with the help of trees, plants, insects, and other animals, the water is reused and pumped into marshes. This is a great way to recycle water back into the environment.
