catrinaaaj
Registered: November 2016 City/Town/Province: Santa Ana Posts: 2
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In 2015, I joined the Global Sustainability Project (GSP) at my school. This project aimed to create a sustainable environment at the school and preserve the wildlife at a state park. As a part of the project, we volunteered at the Bolsa Chica State Beach and Wetlands alongside the Amigos de Bolsa Chica. There, we learned the various bird species and the various types of plants present in the area. However, we did not just sit in a classroom learning about conservation and sustainability, we actively participated in projects that enhanced our communal ecosystem for about nine months. We began our contribution with the construction of a pathway to stop erosion on the side of the headquarters building. Then, we replaced invasive plant species with native plants in order to revert the ecosystem. We also acted as citizen scientists; we collected plankton samples from the tidal inlet and the estuary to identify the various phytoplankton and zooplankton found in the water and tested the water's salinity, pH levels, and ammonium levels. After all our tests were complete, the data was sent to a local laboratory. On Earth Day, we operated a booth, along with other wildlife conservancies from Orange County, and we, the GSP group, educated the public on the importance of keeping the environment clean and why it is important to conserve the wetlands; seeing as California has only 10% of its wetlands left.
Our sustainability efforts did not stop there, we brought the ideas to our campus. We began by planting seeds of bladderpod and sunflower into pots and once they passed the seeding stage, we transplanted them into designated areas around the campus. To inform the school of the importance of ecosystemic conservation, my group and I presented to the Santa Ana Unified School District Board. The tremendous support from the board and students served as an epiphany to the group and I; we had made a change in our local community.
Not only did we improve the ecosystem, we educated a community. We were able to get people to care about the environment. This experience with the Amigos de Bolsa Chica has opened my eyes greatly and sparked my interest in wildlife conservation and the wellbeing of animals and their habitats.
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