University Colloquium: Six Mile Cypress Slough

Ben, our tour guide and fellow FGCU student, took us on a journey through the Six Mile Cypress Slough. There, he enlightened our group that there is over 3,400 acres of wetland in Fort Myers, Florida, that measures approximately 11 miles long and 1/3 mile wide. The Slough was amazing, almost breathtaking, and truly exceeded my expectations, I liked the fact that the walking trail was elevated so that we didn’t have to step on all the marshland, but more importantly the first step you take feels like you have stepped into another world. Once inside, not only was the landscape tremendous but there were numerous and a diverse amount of trees, plants and animals. I remember coming across turtles sunbathing on the rocks in the lake, a momma wild hog and her two babies eating in the wild and the most beautiful flowers I have seen in a long time.

It is very important to preserve the Six Mile Cypress Slough because this ecosystem is home to a range of wildlife, including a few considered to be endangered, and serves as a passage for them by providing a safe route of travel. The Slough is a natural drainage-way, collecting, filtering and cleaning moving water especially during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. Furthermore, the Six Mile Cypress has positive influences on the community and environment because it provides environmental education, deters flooding, renews shallow wells, and protects the health of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Six Mile Cypress promotes environmental sustainability by being accessible as a low impactful recreation to people. While on this trip, I contemplated my own ecological footprint and realized how much I actually use and waste on this earth. I usually drive my own car everywhere that I go, even though my car is considered a good mileage automobile, I avoid public transportation as much as possible as it is more of an inconvenience for me. This made me understand my sense of place on a whole new level by opening my eyes to my own selfishness and inconsiderateness about the outcome of the environment. However, during the excursion, I did feel my ecological footprint going down by partaking in the walk as walking does not consume any gas or electricity as well as I did utilize the bus transportation that the school provided; thereby saving gas and miles on my own vehicle.

When I want to relax, the first thing on my mind is to binge watch shows or videos through my TV, computer, phone or tablet which all wastes electricity in one way or another. I don’t really think about going outside, taking a walk or enjoying the outdoors like I should, but now that I have been on this tour of the preserve, I want to change that. Ever since that day, I have been taking strolls to clear my mind in times of stress, lap swimming instead of using the gym for exercise and limiting myself in terms of electronic usage.

References

Maravilla, Marissa. 2015. JPEG File.