RNR 200 by Ysabella Zammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce en-us 2017-06-04 23:40:45 UTC 2024-03-13 17:22:46 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Planets.png ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175142461 On Sunday June 4th, 2017 Ysabella Zammit began the online summer session of RNR 200 - Conservation of Natural Environments instructed by Jonathan Derbridge at the University of Arizona.

Topics Learned Today:
  1. Course syllabus + Exploring the UofA online data bases (Google Scholar, Web of Science Core Collection, Academic Search Complete)
  2. An introduction about myslef to my classmates and Jonathan.
  3. A discussion about my future career and what I imagine it to be.
]]> 2017-06-04 23:48:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175142461 Thanks for starting your Padlet Ysa. See if you can add a photo ..perhaps of an elf owl :) even better, a calling owl! derbridge https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175239518 2017-06-05 16:14:43 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175239518 Because Jonathan and I share a liking for Owls! https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175621202 This is the Elf Owl:
the world smallest owl (about the size of a sparrow)
  • they have excellent night vision and don't make noise when they fly
  • they live in the saguaro desert in riparian habitats or where there are plenty of cactus to live in
  • they are threatened by habitat loss in Tucson as more development occurs
  • they eat invertebrates
  • when captured they will play dead until the threat has passed
  • they migrate to Mexico for the winter
(Photo by: Greg Lasley, Google)
]]> 2017-06-07 19:07:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175621202 Dog and Javelina https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175632988 I took this picture of a golden retriever keeping an eye on a Javelina eating bird seed in our front yard. My interpretation of this image is the unity that man has with nature still and our ability to coexist. However the irony of it is that the dog and myself are shielded away from the wild animal by the glass door indicating that we can coexist, but under our terms.
(Photo credit: Ysabella Zammit)]]> 2017-06-07 20:55:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175632988 Ethics https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175633395 Something I found really fascinating were the definitions of ethics in the reading Hunter. 1995. Conservation and Conservation Biology.
  • John muir’s viewed nature by cherishing it as a temple and not abusing it for its resources. I believe that communication with nature binds some kind of spiritual feeling and thoughtfulness within us and nature. = Romantic - Transcendental Preservation Ethic
  • Gifford Pinchot’s knew that nature was a great use for harvesting goods through its natural resources for future generations (but this contradicts Muir’s view). Yet it is true that abundant land is there for the taking and is the reason for sustainable living. = Resource Conservation Ethic
  • Aldo Leopold meshed these two ideas together with his ideas that all species in nature come together to make a whole ecosystem. While Muir identifies nature religiously, Leopold identified nature  equally through an ecological standpoint to help government understand the values of nature with the help of Darwin's ideas as well. = Evolutionary-Ecological Land Ethic 
  • I think that these three ideas are important for understanding the values of nature and why it is important to coexist with it!

]]> 2017-06-07 21:00:24 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175633395 The Tragedy of the Commons... https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175908432 I found this image as something I thought illustrated Hardin's article and I thought this was also a good read!]]> 2017-06-09 17:56:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175908432 Beef Production https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175909465 Since we looked at how the cattle industry has been overexploited, I thought it would be interesting to read into the process in which beef is produced!]]> 2017-06-09 18:07:23 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175909465 Saguaro National Park https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175909737 Take a look at the National Park right in our back yard!]]> 2017-06-09 18:09:40 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/175909737 Good work Ysa! derbridge https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176042822 You're doing a great job on your Padlet.  Keep going like this and I think you'll have a really nice result at the end.  Try experimenting with as many of the potential media as possible.]]> 2017-06-12 05:29:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176042822 What is Conservation? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176296118 This week we learned about what conservation actually means. We looked at this term throught the words and view of three prominent voices of this era - Fifford Pincot, Aldo Leopold, and John Muir. 

I rather enjoy the ideals of John Muir because he believed people using nature for self-healing was moral. He turned to the Bible to define the value of nature and decided that getting rid of a species is undoing gods work and is an expression of human arrogance. We ALL should thank this man for inspiring Teddy Roosevelt for the idea of creating national parks in the effort to protect the beauty of natural lands!

(Photo Credit: Junior Library Guild)
Teddy and Muir sharing wonderful ideas about why they love nature :)]]> 2017-06-13 18:22:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176296118 What does Conservation Actually mean? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176298414 The other day I asked a friend of mine what she thought conservation meant... She began to say protecting the environment, but hesitated because she couldnt actually figure out what it meant. I told her it basically means DEVELOPMENT! She was baffled. 

Conservation, I told her, means using all the resources available (soil, timber, water, coal, etc.) now for this generation and utilizing them so they will last for generations to follow.  

Another way to look at this is through the Moral Principles of Conservation Ethics:
  • Equity: fair distribution of natural resources for present and future generations of consumers and users
  • Efficiency: a natural resource should not be wastefully exploited (like water)
  • Efficient Resource Utilization: best, highest, and multiple use of resources.
]]> 2017-06-13 18:31:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176298414 USDA - U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region - Cleveland National Forest ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176300935 I am so excited about this post!!!

Yesterday I went on my own little field trip to Cleveland National Forest in San Diego county and made a pit stop at the Ranger Station. While there I collected some pamphlets regarding Ecological Restoration and Forest Climate Change. I also spoke with the local ranger whom gave me some details about how to acquire a job with the United States Department of Agriculture. She told me that extensive knowledge of mathematics and ecological sciences are a requirement for managing ecosystems. 

A little while later I found myself on a 4,005 foot mountain at a fire lookout and learned about what it is like to be a fire lookout. It's a lonely job but the view is amazing and the rewards are beneficial. Yesterday before 1PM there had already been two fires put out.

Attached I have a valuable read on the Ecological Restoration pamphlet!]]> 2017-06-13 18:43:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176300935 ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303219 2017-06-13 19:02:41 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303219 ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303611 2017-06-13 19:06:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303611 ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303847 2017-06-13 19:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176303847 The Dust Bowl ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176494957 The dust bowl is an example of over-exploited land and a tragic chapter in American agriculture during the age of the Great Depression (1930's - 1940's)

Lesson learned:
Respect the land and listen to what it tells you... don't put things in places it doesn't belong.]]> 2017-06-15 04:20:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176494957 Lessons of the Dust Bowl ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176495304 Climate changed and wheat was not' worth much. Selfishness in making money made a unsustainable environmental error -> combo of drought and extreme temperatures coupled with economical needs and over population = reason for dust storms in the great American plains.]]> 2017-06-15 04:24:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176495304 Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176495678
  • American folk singer-songwriter
  • Known for is experiences in the Dust Bowl era
  • Known for "This Land Is Your Land" song


    • ]]>     2017-06-15 04:29:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176495678     David Brower & Paul Ehrlich ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176496164 Both men are influential figures and pioneers in the environmental movement of America.

    Ehrlich was know for addressing the worlds population issue and how it's links to overexploitation.

    Brower is know for advocating why saving natural beauty is important for future generations.]]>     2017-06-15 04:34:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176496164     Creating Silent Spring ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176610973 I am not an artist, however I did create my vision of Silent Spring.]]> 2017-06-16 00:05:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176610973 Pollinate and DON'T use PESTICIDES!!! ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176611116 This coming week is pollinator week! I found this on the Fish and Wildlife website. I think it's a cool way to bring life to your own back yard where ever you are and to follow up on Anti-Pesticide use!]]> 2017-06-16 00:07:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176611116 Silent Spring ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176611195 Rachel Carson is the author of the celebrated book, Silent Spring. She was a scientist and writer and managed to combine both of her passions as a scientific writer. One of her best attributes was her ability to poetically write about science in a way that anyone could understand!.

    (1907-1964)
    (Photo Credit: Illinois State University)]]>     2017-06-16 00:09:05 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176611195     What does the EPA mean to me? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176889365 Protect Human health from Human induced impacts on the environment through study, education, and regualtions... Ironic don't you think?]]> 2017-06-19 17:19:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176889365 Learn more about Dioxin from the EPA ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176898241 The Love Canal caused quite the controversy in the 1970's, which began a political, environmental, and social movement promoting the health of people from the environment. ]]> 2017-06-19 18:54:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/176898241 Endangered Species Act and the Mexican Spotted OWL ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177027377 The purpose of the 1973 Endangered Species Act is to protect and cover species and their habitats for which they depend on.

    Endangered vs. Threatened:
    Endangered = risk of extinction
    Threatened = likelihood of endangerment in foreseeable future

    Mexican Spotted Owl:
    Threatened in 2 regions
    - One of the largest Owls in N. America
    -  Predicted to decline 25 - 50% in the long-term
    - Affected by: loss of habitat via timber management, urban and suburban development; agriculture and water development in riparian areas; and mining

    (Mexican Spotted Owl (U.S. National Park Service)." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 20 June 2017. )]]>     2017-06-20 20:45:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177027377     Yellowstone Grizzlies loose endangered protections ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249203 I found this article on The Guardian. It's about how for the first time in years, Grizzly Bears are finally fruitful enough in size to be taken off the endangered species list. The FWS is mentioned about future management plans.]]> 2017-06-22 23:34:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249203 Spotted Owls vs. Barred Owls ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249479 In the northwest, Spotted owl are threatened by the invasive Barred Owls. The Spotted Owl is on the threatened species list according to the Endangered Species Act. The Forest Service has allowed for an anthropocentric habitat change to take place through logging, which is what introduced the Barred owl into the area. The only foreseeable solution to saving the Spotted Owl is to kill the Barred Owls. Is there any justice?

    Spotted Owl (Photo Credit: Rick & Nora Bowers/Vireo)

    ]]>     2017-06-22 23:38:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249479     Adopt a Mustang! Unbranded ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249798 This is one of my favorite documentaries (found on Netflix) about four best friends whom just graduated from Texas A&M and adopted wild mustangs to prove that you can tame the wild. In the film they guys describe the business of the BLM and the controversies lying between the supporters of the agency and its right for population control and those advocating for letting the horses roam free

    ]]>     2017-06-22 23:45:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177249798     Natural Resource Conservation Service ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324467 The NRCS is an agency that brings farmers and the government together to conserve the land with long-term projects. 

    It began in 1928 when Hugh Bennett saw the need for soil conservation. ]]>     2017-06-23 21:49:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324467     USGS ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324494 This is a cool video from the USGS about how scientists work under the surface in the worlds oceans.]]> 2017-06-23 21:51:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324494 What is Ecohydrology? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324572 I am interested in a career involving water management. I ran into a field of study I was not sure about: Ecohydrology. It means, an interdisciplinary field studying the interactions between water and ecosystems.
    Here is a link from UNESCO describing why it's an important field of study for the future.]]>     2017-06-23 21:54:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177324572     Cienega Watershed Partnership ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177579669 In the Brian Powell Interview he mentioned volunteer opportunities with Cienega Watershed Partnership. Getting involved is an important part to gaining experience for our futures and involvement with CWP helps to preserve one of the last natural water resources in SE Arizona.

    Education, Science, Conservation and Restoration, and Heritage are 4 important aspects of this program!

    Here is a link to the website! Find the volunteer link!]]>     2017-06-27 18:14:16 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177579669     List of NGO's ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177580413
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Sonoran Institute
  • Audubon Society
    • non-profit groups operated by member and donations to develop the practice of conservation outside of the government.

    ]]>     2017-06-27 18:24:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177580413     Sonora Desert Conservation Plan ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177580756 I really like this plan and the idea that urban planning in Tucson is enforced with the idea that the environment is why people choose to live there. ]]> 2017-06-27 18:29:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177580756 What's your global footprint? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767173 In light of learning that we may be in what is called the "Anthropocene"  - the epoch of human development on earth - I was curious to know what my own global footprint is and how I am contributing to pollution...

    calculate your own footprint!]]>     2017-06-29 19:27:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767173     The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767349
  • an international treaty designed to protect the earths ozone layer
  • signed by 46 countries since 1989
  • scientists predict with this treaty that ozone will return to what it was like in 1980 by 2050.
  • goal is to eliminate Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)  
    • ]]>     2017-06-29 19:30:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767349     Kyoto Protocol ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767582
  • an international treaty designed to reduce earths greenhouse gasses
  • signed by 192 parties since 1997
  • known as the "who's to blame" treaty between developing countries and developed countries.
    • ]]>     2017-06-29 19:34:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177767582     Desertification ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847758 The process of depleting a lands natural resources or changing the nature of the land for farm use until it dramatically changes in landscape becoming desert and near to uninhabitable. ]]> 2017-07-01 02:04:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847758 Deforestation ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847760 Conversion of forest land for urban use. Affects habitat loss and rise in CO2 levels. Deforestation mostly occurs in tropical rain forest areas.]]> 2017-07-01 02:04:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847760 Urbanization ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847763 The process of making an area more urban and changing the environment for consumption of food, energy, water, and land. This creates polluted environments effecting health and overall quality of life.]]> 2017-07-01 02:05:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/177847763 What is Biodiversity? ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178068988 I like this website from the National Wildlife Federation because it breaks down biodiversity into many aspects. 

    Fun Fact: there are between 3 - 30 million species on Earth and we have only discovered 1.7 million of them!]]>     2017-07-05 01:54:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178068988     Citizen Science ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178069207 Citizen Science is a olunteer based program deigned to let citizens participate in collecting data of a wildlife species or gaze at stars. We, for example, can monitor frogs and collect data to submit to scientists to help them better understand a species withing a vast landscape. ]]> 2017-07-05 01:59:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178069207 E.O. Wilson ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178069305 E.O. Wilson is an American Biologist and optimist! He is optimistic about saving the worlds ecosystems because he believes that we are the key in connecting our human-bond back with nature. I found some cool TED Talk videos with him sharing more of his ideas! ]]> 2017-07-05 02:01:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178069305 Carl Sagan ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178125629 Carl Sagan was an astronaut and communicates very well about astronomy and natural resources. Like E.O Wilson, Sagan has a very optimistic view on respecting our planet because it is home for us. ]]> 2017-07-05 17:25:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178125629 My Future in Conservation ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178125976 This course taught me a lot about conservation - one thing being the definition of it. I saw real world examples and the history of how humans expanded the role of natural resources and created terms ideas about how to better protect them through conservation, preservation, and environmentalism. Many movements have taken place over the past 200 years creating change for farmers, city-dwellers, animals, and all ecosystems to better regulate how we develop our landscapes for future generations.]]> 2017-07-05 17:30:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178125976 In my own backyard... ysabellazammit https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178126263 On the final day of the course as I was watching the Pale Blue Dot video, I looked out my window and started thinking about the natural landscape I live in and what I share it with. Coincidentally the sun was setting perfectly and a family of Javelina's were coming out for dinner. Our pale blue dot is like a marble of organisms thriving off of each other. It is a wonder as to how we have created and live in such an amazing planet... We Need to protect its beauty!]]> 2017-07-05 17:36:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ysabellazammit/gvnxb8ybudce/wish/178126263