AWESOMENESS! (tests and research paper)

This class has been one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. Since it was so interesting I was actually motivated to study and do well and I would just like to share this awesomeness... ALL A'S ON MY TESTS AND 100% ON MY RESEARCH PAPER!!!!

Environmental Biology Bio 105

I signed up for this course because I needed a lab science and it fit with my schedule. I have never liked science and I usually dont do to well in science classes. Biology 105 was way different from any other science course I have ever taken. The description of the class says fundamentals of ecology and their relevance to human impact on natural ecosystems with an emphasis on contemporary issues. We started off right away talking about the difference in the environment in the past and now and what things will be like in the future. Lately every company is into more environmental friendly products and packaging and you see all these commercials about what you can do to help out. So anyone with eyes and ears can see that "going green" is a fad right now. I personally never paid much attention to stuff like this. I didnt recycle or care about leaving the sink on while I loaded the dish washer or brushed my teeth. But after sitting in this class and hearing that each person can make a difference and by not caring we are having a negative impact I slowly became more aware of what I was doing. I find myself turning of the water more often, checking all the lights in my house before I leave, doing all my errands in one trip to save gas and just small stuff like this. The funny thing is I just started doing it without even realizing it. Dont get me wrong im not plannin on becoming and environmentalist any time soon but this class made me want to do what small things I could even though it wont help a lot just to be able to know that I am making an effort. I am trying to get my family to recycle more and use less water. Anyway I just wanted to say that this class turned out way better then I expected. It was the first science class I actually liked going to and I learned so much. When I hear people talking about global warming I can actually add my comments and know what they are talking about because in all honesty I really never even know what that meant until this course. I recommend everyone take an environmental class at least once because it really can help!

Roper Lake Kid Projects

As I mentioned before Roper Lake is a state park here in Arizona that is a great place for people to spend time. Due to lack of money it is scheduled to be shut down. Besides volunteering to help clean it up our class did a three week long project to educate third graders about Roper Lake and collect cans to raise money for Roper Lake in an effort to keep it open. For the project we were in groups of about 5. Each group got a topic that they were going to be teaching the kids about such as boating, camping, swimming, fishing, games, picnics and we even taught them about the history of Roper Lake. First we went into their classrooms to talk to them about the project and the can collecting. We told them that our class was going to see who could collect the most cans. Every student was supposed to bring is as many cans as they could and each class got a pizza party even if they didnt collect the most. Then we went to Wal*Mart and bought everything we needed for the projects. The day of the actual project was so fun. Every group put a lot into their presentations. My group which was games, swimming, and picnics played a relay race with the kids, taught them the rules of swimming and picnics. There were about 4 classes 100 kids in all and each one wrote letters to the senator and mayor telling them what they loved about roper lake. The camping group made smores with the kids and showed them the cabins. The project was very succesful and the kids had so much fun. I heard many kids say they were going to ask there parents to bring them to Roper Lake which was a very good sign. All together we raised about $137 with the cans that we donated to an organization called Friends of Roper Lake that was trying to help keep roper lake open. This project was a very fun and important part of the class!

Arcadia

For our last field trip of the semester we went up Mount Graham to the campground arcadia. We stopped in places to look at the damage that major fire had caused a few years back. We also learned aboout different kinds of trees and about the plants in the area. It was a great way to finish of this course.

Me and Mallory up on Mount Graham!

Cluff Ponds

Cluff Ponds in Pima is a place in Pima. There is a pond that has a dock and picnic tables and things like that. It is a great place to spend summer days and you can do things like swim and fish. For one of our field trips we went there to pick up trash and clean it up a little.

Water Treatment Plant

Not every field trip we go on is to do something to clean up the environment. We also go places to learn about topics presented in class. Today we went to a water treatment plant in Safford. We saw the processes that wastewater goes through before it is released back out into the environment. We also got to wear cool goggles!

Cleaning Up Roper Lake

Roper Lake is a state park here in Safford Arizona. It is a nice place to camp, fish, swim, have picnics and spend time together. I have many memories here when I was growing up. Unfortunately it is going to be shut down due to lack of funding. A lot of people are trying to help clean it up and raise money in an effort to save it. For this field trip my class drove to Roper Lake to see what we could do to help. There was a pipe that was clogged with a build up of trees and dirt so my class was assigned to remove the trees into a burn pile and spread out the dirt. Just like the erosion dam it didnt take much time at all. We cleared the trees evened out the dirt and the pipe was unclogged in no time. It was only a small thing to help with but there is not many people on staff and by us doing this for them there staff could use the time to do other things to help save Roper Lake and we once again got the satisfaction of knowing we are helping a good cause!