Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

I am blown away by Florida's beaches. The most positive quality of living in this subtropical paradise is the neighboring oceans. I realize a pleasant place to relax in, this coast bordering the Atlantic, as I toil in the hot sun engaging the magnificent view. How the sunlight reflects off the surface of the water and into the bright blue sky so perfectly. Ouch! I accidentally walked into a sand spur!

I looked down at the sandy beaches. Here, while the Florida natives and tourists sunbathe in the soft white sand, I am trudging through the sand dunes and sea oats with a trash bag and bright yellow gloves. I've collected an impressive amount of garbage, enough to fill a tall kitchen bag of cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and potato chip bags. I tighten the gloves on my sweaty palms and dig up an empty beer glass half buried in the sand. It was a hot day but I am proud to leave my impression locally, on Holmes Beach in Bradenton.

My name is Ashley Ann Valentin, I am a dedicated student at the State College of Florida, enlisted soldier of the National Guard, and future Ecologist and Marine Biologist. I found the Nicodemus Wilderness Project through a search on VolunteerMatch and feel excited to lead an example to a healthier, happier world. I value the same principles that the Project set forth. The Apprentice Ecologist Initiative inspired me to think globally and to lead selflessly toward a cause that benefits the environment. As a result of all this, many people in my local area get to enjoy a seamless view of the best that Florida has to offer: neat and pristine beaches, as well as healthy and happy wildlife. I think it's a problem when people don't see that the trash they throw on the beach can get fatally ingested or tangled by the local wildlife. Now marine organisms like the sea turtles can nest in their own natural environment, unmarked by man.

This has been an amazing experience and one I will never forget, because to this end I've searched for an initiative to help rebuild Florida's beaches. I discovered OceanHour, a program that enlists locals from around the world from the beaches of Taiwan to New Jersey and everywhere in between to come together and clean up the beaches for an hour of their time. I am greatly surprised to know how much fortitude people have to restore their environment to those lengths and realize how much respect I have for them. I highly recommend them to people who are unfamiliar with their cause. I extend my gratitude to the Nicodemus Wilderness Project for encouraging in me good stewardship and environmental awareness, because just one person will make a small difference, but it takes a community to make a world of difference.

It doesn't take very many words to state an issue in the environment. Much of what can be visibly seen is much of the issue. A lot of the ecology of human interaction with the wild can be likened to a virus. There is evidence of a range of problems caused by people and not a whole lot of good, and while the effects are gradually becoming more visible, we still have time to change it. To that effect I am forever devoted, because this is my world, and I feel I am responsible for it.