Urban Ecology Center

This park isn’t just for the animals either, It's a good way to bring the community together and to enjoy nature (and not look at your phone all day). I have well over 100 hours of volunteer work at the park, helping with charity events, the construction of structures, and caring for some of the animals. I live in a town that has various problems (like every town), and if you live here, you know what I mean. I would like New Richmond to be known more for positive things like the new aviary & wildlife center than for its drug problem. So I go and work down there almost everyday.

Positioned in eastern Tallahassee off the Apalachee Parkway, it offers an ideal location that is in close proximity to shopping centers, the Capitol, and within walking distance of both Lincoln High School and Swift Creek Middle School. Of greatest importance to this proposal, it borders the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, which features two trails, one that heads east and follows the edge of Piney-Z Lake and one that heads west that leads to Tom Brown Park following the Upper Lake Lafayette. So our “neighborhood” will be a triangle of land that spans from Piney Z to Lafayette Heritage Trail Park to Tom Brown Park and for the sake of this proposal, we will call it the “Lafayette Neighborhood.” We chose this neighborhood because we feel, due to its location, it’s a prime spot to invest in the promotion of healthy living through a variety of outlets stemming from the trails that link to the numerous amenities of Tom Brown

Duerksen, C. & Snyder, C., (2005). Nature-friendly communities: habitat protection and land use. Case Study for Austin, TX; Washington, DC: Island Press Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/lib/apus/Doc?id=10149942

Kings city conservation area has been donated to Seneca college by a family. The is covered with dense trees and huge lake. Variety of outdoor recreational activities have been offered by the management looking after the area.

During my time at West, I have participated in Ecology Club, National Honor Society, and the INSPIRE engineering courses. Most recently, I have been appointed as a Project Manager for the Kenya Water Solutions Team, as well as an Administrator for the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam - under the INSPIRE program. I am currently a leader in initiating an Activism Club for our school. Following graduation, I intend on pursuing Civil Engineering and Sustainable Design. I have yet to decide on a college. Go STEM!

I boarded the Amtrak the early morning of November 5th, 2016 from Davis, California to the Peytonia Slough Ecological Reserve (Peytonia Reserve) in Suisun, California. The trip to this brackish and saltwater reserve was to help me analyze the relationship between humans and wildlife in urban settings. Urban environments depend on the rehabilitation and protection of small natural areas like the Peytonia Reserve. At the Peytonia Reserve, both humans and native/non-native species live in cohabitation, which paints an accurate representation of reconciliation ecology. Humans use these natural areas, the Peytonia Reserve in this case, for recreational activities like hunting and fishing. This, in turn, benefits the wildlife that lives in the area because hunters and fishers want the environment to be well maintained in order to support their activities. I came up with the conclusion that even though humans have more to benefit from wildlife, wildlife also depends on humans to help protect and conserve their habitats.

On Saturday, April 9th 2016, I volunteered at Golden Gardens Park as part of the ESRM 100 Project. Golden Gardens Park is a public park located in Ballard, Seattle that is well-known for its wetlands, beaches, hiking trails and play areas. The volunteering event was organized by the Green Seattle Partnership. Formed in 2004, The Green Seattle Partnership is a collaborative effort between the city of Seattle, Forterra, community groups and non-profits, businesses, schools and volunteers that aims to restore and maintain Seattle’s forested parklands (Home: The Green Seattle Partnership).

Imagine taking a relaxing walk in the bright warm summer air and all you can hear is the birds chirping around you. The Lime Creek Nature Center could provide this very opportunity! Lime Creek is a site in Mason City that informs visitors all about native plants and animals. The Lime Creek Nature Center is an old site in Mason City that is still thriving today, providing education, and fun activities for those who lives in Mason City or chose to visit, with numerous activities to do such as hunting, fishing, and many more things as well.

With experience volunteering at the Oki’Yanahli and Pontotoc Preserves, as well as working outside of the environmental setting, I have a diverse background with much to offer. The Oklahoma Conservation Leadership Academy will provide me with another experience that will better my skills to benefit and educate the public on the environment. By tuning my problem solving skills, I can identify solutions my community faces in any environmental crises. I find that informing and educating the public over environmental concerns is one of the best ways to give back, either by catchy slogans displayed where the public can see or having local seminars or workshops on how-to’s. Purcell, Ok has a sign when you enter town that has a catchy phrase, “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute.”, and during my time volunteering at the preserves I heard the slogan from Jona Tucker, “Be a Leader, Kill a Cedar.” These little phrases stay with individuals and get passed along to others. These are solutions, although they may seem small can have a lasting impact on multiple communities. Workshops and seminars are equally as important in helping educate the public. I would like to give back by conducting these events to help people in towns and cities know the importance and how-tos of tasks such as recycling, using bird feeders, planting non-invasive plants in gardens,

There are two ways to deliver services in the organization. The organization has launched some programs for students which usually collaborates with or are sponsored by external organizations. The Jane Goodall Institute actively invites students to engage in the environment through workshops, field trips and other activities. Besides, young people can register as members of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots. Members can prepare and implement their own projects with professional support and funding from

Audience Hook: Increasing community gardens and green spaces in urban areas can help decrease crime in some neighborhoods, revitalize neglected industrial areas and create healthy, livable neighborhoods (Kuo & Sullivan, 2001). Increasing trees in urban areas has been shown to lower asthma rates in resident

Urban parks are defined in their comparative and contrastive relationships to the urban environments surrounding them. Although frequently conceptualized as natural landscapes, the physical and social uses of parks give

History has shown that humans and wildlife always come in conflict for territory and resources, and a majority of the time humans emerge victorious. Humans have drastically and permanently altered the environment to suit their needs, usually creating negative consequences for the native fauna. But, as of late, we as a society are coming together, recognizing these effects and working towards restoring ecological balance. Even so, places on UC Davis, a school that emphasizes and teaches the importance of ecological balance and sustainability, like the Quad are limited in supporting wildlife due to fragmentation by buildings and heavy traffic. However, at locations like the Arboretum and Putah Creek Reserve, the environmental needs are put above humans’ and as such, the native fauna are returning. Wildlife will thrive and remain a part of UC Davis’ future if administration, faculty, and students designate and maintain areas such as Putah Creek to be fit for the ecosystem and its species.

The number of people living in urban areas is dramatically increasing across the world. Currently, 75 % of people live in cities in the developed world, (Bernhardt E.S. and Palmer M.A, 2007) despite such high percentage many do not get access to the green and blue spaces available, in other words cannot interact with nature. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency green spaces are ‘land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs or other vegetation’ (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) This includes community gardens, parks as well as cemeteries. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) On the other hand, blue spaces include rivers, canals and lakes. (Sally, M, 2010) As urbanisation increases, it will pose a greater threat to nature such as pollution, habitat destruction, erosion and colonisation of native species. There are various ways to engage with nature. However, one reason for green and blue spaces not being utilised effectively by people may be due to people being unaware of the values that these have and the crucial functions they undertake in the ecosystem such as recycling nutrients and controlling the hydrological cycle.

They have assumed responsibility and evolved solutions to their existing environmental problems. Besides the core network of 30 NGOs, thousands of school teachers and several other citizens’ groups like RWAs, parents fora, local business associations and youth clubs participate actively in the activities. The programme covers various aspects pertaining to our environment like water, air, trees and medicinal plants, waste management (composting, waste paper recycling), checking for food adulteration, bird watching, energy conservation, eco-consumerism.