Guana Tolomata Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve

Emma Glover

November 13, 2015, was the date of my second day trip to the GTM Research Reserve near in Ponte Vedra, Florida (near St. Augustine.) Last time I was there, my friends and I were bonding over building oyster rakes for the American Oystercatcher, a keystone species of bird in the region. 

This time, we were here for another reason: to establish a protective barrier of oyster shells in front of the native Spartina grass. Oysters don't just occupy a space in human diet; they serve as a shelter and nursery habitat for many species of fish, protect the shorelines from erosion, and lessen water pollution by feeding on nearby phytoplankton. The gradual degradation of the oyster reefs in the area have created a plethora of issues, chief among them being the loss of the Spartina grasses, which protect the shoreline. If the shoreline degrades, rising tides will most likely harm upland habitats as well.

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Our group set off in the early morning on November 13th, stopping first in St. Augustine to get lunch and briefly visit Vilano Beach. It was another rare instance where I got to miss my classes, and as I sat in the sand eating and taking in the warm salt air, I couldn't imagine a better reason to miss class. 

After eating we jetted off to GTM, and it felt vaguely like coming home. I had been there before, and remembered so many aspects of what it was like. But with another trip, I got to see so many new things, like the view of the estuary from behind the welcome center, or the small aquarium the researchers have in the building. 

However, I quickly found out the I could always rely on one thing to remain constant: my clumsiness combined with overall bad luck. As we were trekking out to where we would deposit the bags of oysters, I was one of the first to get stuck - waist deep, mind you - in mud. Not even like the pleasant, exfoliating Dead Sea variety. This mud reaked of sulfur and other natural decay. I did get it on my skin though and it was an excellent moisturizer. As I sat there and my life flashed before my eyes, people cautiously made their way over to me to help pull me out. After all, this mud was thick, and violent thrashing (my M.O.) wasn't going to cut it. My friends laughed and pointed and after a few seconds I couldn't help but laugh also. Only me, I suppose. 

But it wasn't only me. Soon after, when we reached the spot we would deposit the shells, I occupied a safer, higher spot on dry land, while my friends navigated the dense, muddy shoreline. It quickly became my chance to laugh at them when they got stuck, experiencing the same kind of panic I did. Revenge was sweet. 

Luckily, they soon figured out that if they stayed on their knees and crawled around with the bags of oyster shells, they wouldn't get stuck. Thank God they figured this out or we might have been there until the next day, without having helped at all. The job consisted of lying the bags of oysters against the shore, so they would prevent the waves from thrashing back further into the Spartina grass. While the grass was thick and fairly strong, it still needed some protection against the rising tide. We then secured the bags with rods and hooks, which we pushed deep into the mud. Occasionally, we would use the small drone we brought with us, to fly above the site where we working, take pictures, and monitor our activities for research. When we were satisfied with our work, the sun was beginning to go down and we made our way back to the welcome center. 

It occurred to me sometime on the drive home that this would be my last experience at Santa Fe College. To say I was sad would be a bit of an understatement, and that was strange for me. I came in really wanting to get out and go to UF, but I ended up sinking my roots in there. I made so many friends, both through my classes and at my job, and they had become like a second family to me. And while I was certainly excited about my future and edging ever closer to medical school, I couldn't help but feel a little sad on my way home. But, if there was ever a 'last trip' to have, it would be this one. Both times I've been at GTM have been so unique and exciting, and I always feel so rewarded upon leaving. All in all, I know this day is one I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Gator Plunge:  Make Alachua County Beautiful Again

Valeria Laguna

Gator Plunge is an event that promotes volunteerism throughout the community of Gainesville. It is a single day service project where volunteers spread out to different areas of Gainesville and participate in various community projects. The projects can include working with animals, art and culture, youth development, elderly community care, and so on. I got to be a part of the Make Alachua County Beautiful Again campaign, which I wasn’t too excited about to be honest. I personally enjoy volunteer work that involves a connection with another person whether it is youth or older individuals. When I found out about the event and went online to sign up, nothing in the realm of my interest was available and the only thing left was Make Alachua County Beautiful Again. At first, I wasn’t too excited about picking up trash on a Sunday, but after the event I actually came out with a big lesson through the experience.

I woke up early that morning and went directly to Reitz Union where the volunteers were meeting up and getting organized. When I got there I had to sign up and go to the group I was assigned to be in. As soon as I found my group I was immediately welcomed and everyone introduced themselves. Being that we had to wait some time until everything was set up, we all got a chance to talk and get to know each other before getting started. Finally, when everything was ready we were each given a small bucket before heading out. Our job was to pick up cigarette butts around University, making sure we counted them along the way for records. As we walked to University from campus we began to pick up cigarettes we found on our way to the site while talking, laughing, and actually having a good time. When we got to our assigned area our buckets were already half way full, and by the time the event was finished everyone’s bucket was filled all the way to the top. Now, I wasn’t expecting this. Seeing this made me realize the ignorance individuals’ hold when it comes to maintaining our environment clean and healthy. I got to speak about my reaction, which I don’t normally do, when my group came together for a reflection of the day during lunchtime.

During reflection time, I realized other volunteers came with the same attitude that I had in the beginning of the project. No one really believed that picking up cigarette butts would actually make an impact. It turns out that we made more of an impact than most people know. This group of people, including myself, were in shock to see the disrespect our community receives from its own residents. We were in disbelief at the amount of cigarettes we picked up for two reasons. One being that it was sad to see that people cant take two seconds of their time to walk to the nearest trash can and throw their trash away. Two being that we realized the amount of people, especially from the ages of 18-25 because of Gainesville’s student population, are still smoking and ruining their health. After talking thoroughly about what we had just experienced, we all came out of there knowing we wanted to do something more about the problem. Gator Plunge made me remember, which I sometimes tend to forget, that one individual person can have a great impact. It also gave me the opportunity to meet awesome people who genuinely care about making our world a better place one way or another. This was also a lesson for myself to be more open minded to different activities and for that I am extremely glad I participated in this event!

Caps of Love

Rene Castro

When I first moved to Gainesville, Florida at the beginning of Fall Semester in 2015, I realized that my life would no longer be the same. I would no longer have my parents to watch out for my every step and make sure that I was fed every day or take me to the doctors when I got sick. It was my turn to grow as a person and learn how to take care of myself and essentially grow up. Even when I lived in Miami, I was very eager to always give back in any way that I could. I had a team at Relay for Life every year, and I was always eager to volunteer in any way that I could, like making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless shelter, or collecting school supplies for schools in Colombia. It became more aware to me that it was going to be more difficult to find a place to get involved in Gainesville because I didn't know half as many people much less organizations to throw myself into at any moment. Thats when I began to research something that I could do out of the comfort of my own home. I came across this fundraiser called Caps of Love. Caps of Love is a Non-Profit Organization out of Palm Beach Florida. The head of the organization (Valerie Matheiu) recylces used bottle caps and uses the funds to buy wheelchairs for children with disabilities and cannot afford the wheelchairs themselves. I knew this was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to get into. 

I emailed Ms. Matheiu right away and set out a plan to collect as many caps as possible, starting right in my own apartment. I then spoke with my professor Bobby Hom and together we started a collection right at the Santa Fe honors lounge. Over the course of both semesters, I was able to collect over 4 thousand bottle caps. The caps travled with me 6 hours back home, and into my garage where I sorted them and set them up for recyling. I took them to a recyling company in my hometown of Miami Dade and there the money was sent over to Caps of Love. It was fun collecting and sorting the caps and even getting my friends in on it and making them aware of how they can help out a cause. I want to specifically thank Professor Bobby Hom for allowing me to collect in the honors lounge because without his help I would not have successfully collected as many caps as I did. Doing this project made me more aware of how I can give back to my community without having to make a huge effort, because I can do it by just simply saving a bottle cap from the water bottle I was drinking that day. It makes you think of how many things you have lying around your house that can simply make someone else's life better. This project was an eye opening experience and although my time at Santa Fe has ended and I no longer have to do a service learning project, I still look forward to giving back to my community in the future. 

For more information on the Caps of Love organization please visit : www.capsoflove.com 

Don't hesistate and become a collector today!