The sand is warm.
Actually its hot.
Hot enough to burn your feet, I realize. I am on an Ecology Maymester study away program. Right now, we are at a beach in Florida near Apalachicola Bay (one of our field sites). I walk out of the water, feeling hot and itchy and ask my friend Marley if I have a bug bite on my back. She replies, “No, it honestly looks like you have hives.” Turned out it wasn’t hives but a serious case of sunburn.
Should have packed more suntan lotion.
In addition to getting sunburnt, we learned about the role of oysters in the ecology (and economy) of Apalachicola Bay. This was a small part of the broad ecological connections this class taught us in the water wars between Georgia, Florida and Alabama. We spent considerable time in middle Georgia to learn more about the Flint river and the entire Apalachicola-Chattahoochee- Flint river basin.
“Chancey! Marley! Hold your oars correctly!” a colleague shouted to us from the river bed, as we drifted down the Flint river in a canoe. We spent six hours floating down the flint river on this particular afternoon. The water felt cool and we got up close to the aquatic life of the river. The river guide explained to us the impacts of damming on the river, and how important connectivity was for a river system. After getting out of the river and returning the canoe to the river center, I noticed my legs were nearly purple with sunburn.
Yep, I had clearly not learned my lesson from Apalachicola.
Should have packed more sunscreen.
Looking back, I learnt so much during that trip. Yes, I learnt the hard way about how often I need to apply sunscreen. But there was much more-- I gained an understanding of the role of water in a complex ecosystem. Specifically, connectivity within a river system is important for many organisms, such as sturgeons who need to travel upstream for spawning. Structures such as dams inhibit these fish from migrating, and their population sizes are decreasing from a lack of spawning spaces.
Building dams also impacts the salinity of Apalachicola Bay. When the water is too salty, it affects oyster health and morbidity. That in turns impacts the local ecosystem and the entire way of life of the local population and everything they do--drinking, farming, recreation, and employment.
Everything on Earth is connected to each other in some way, including humans and the environment. We are part of the environment, and we have strong impacts on it caused by our activities. It is important to understand how each person impacts the ecosystem environmentally, economically, and ethically.
