Six Mile Cypress Slough

Gator Lake

The Six Mile Cypress Slough is a conservation land that has man made lakes. The picture to the left shows the largest man made lake within the conservation grounds. The water seen in the picture is rainwater that has collected into the lake. At one point all of the land in this area were woods, though within the last twenty or so years there has been a major build up of the areas around the slough. With the build up many people do not remember what it was like in the area and some of the younger generations have never seen it as anything other than an area with pavement, stop lights, or stores. This knowledge extinction greatly affects how we all treat the wetlands, and without teaching the youngest and future generations there could be more development on wetlands destroying the ecosystems that do so much to help us. 

Yellow Rat Snake inside of a hole in a tree

Six Mile Cypress is home to many species and the biodiversity of the area itself is amazing without including the animals that live in it. However, the animals that live in it also work to control the population of other species that live there as well. Yellow rat snakes help to control the population of other animals within the cypress slough. They’ll eat rats, mice, some birds, but also bird eggs. When they eat birds and bird eggs they are helping to control the bird population but also help to keep the fish population growing as some of the eggs they may eat could be those of water birds. The slough has luckily not been a victim of habitat fragmentation. Coming up to Six Mile Cypress Parkway there is a bridge that allows water, animals and foliage to pass under. This allows the water to continue on its way out to the rivers and ocean, while also allowing animals to breed in different gene pools so that they do not breed with their relatives, much like the panther population once Alligator Alley was built and cut off the Everglades from the rest of Florida.

Campus Trails and Sustainablity at FGCU

Sustainability at FGCU is shown by the way that they wisely use their resources and the natural resources that are able to grow naturally in Southwest Florida. During the field trip we discussed the use of cypress trees on campus and how they work with our waterways. We also discussed the use of native plants, buildings and machinery and how if affects labor and maintenance costs. The animals around campus were also discussed as a part of FGCU's sustainable development through the years. Everything sustainable at FGCU ties into the "What is sustainability?" chapter by Margaret Robertson in Sustainability Principles and Practice.

One way that FGCU practices sustainability is by planting cypress trees in areas that receive a fairly large amount of water and may hold it, this is because the trees will take in the water that the ground may not be able to hold at the time. These trees are more effective than paying for a sea wall, which also gives a little more resilience to the areas around it by giving animals a little more habitat. Robertson's resilience is about environments being able to withstand changes which works with the areas behind Whitaker that have undergone some changes with the new building being built.

 

The combination of native plants, how buildings are made and angled, and the types of machinery used affect Robertson's environment section of the triple bottom line. Environment is affected by the native plants around campus, all of the plants need little to no fertilization, and can go long periods without having to be watered, the fire bushes give insects and birds places to live but also provides food for them. The buildings affect the environment portion as well due to taking away habitats from animals. However, the way the buildings are build and placed there is a large amount of wind the is funneled between them, as in the picture below. The machinery, such as compacting trash and recycle bins, makes it impossible for animals to get into the trash, spreading it around and eating it.

The ospreys that live around campus and near the beaches use the lakes on campus as a feeding ground. These birds often nest in places like the monument at the main entrance to the school or in tall trees near bodies of water. This helps with the biodiversity and carrying capacity within the campus. Robertson mentions that carrying capacity could leave to an overshoot of the population, which for the fish in the lakes around campus this could be a major issue, however with osprey, alligators, and river otters around campus the fish population is kept in control.