Archive for year: 2015
Downstream from Waste Water Treatment Plant
These pictures were taken under the Iron Horse Trails bridge off of Magic Mountain Parkway. It is downstream from the picture in the last blog. There were larger pools of water here but I did not see any stickleback. This was a known location of unarmored stickleback in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Review from 2009. The pictures shown below are of the stream and as I moved closer to the waste water expulsion area there was a strange orange growth in the water and some parts had oily bubbles on the surface as well.
12/6/15 Blog
While browsing FreePress, I found two interesting points on how “powerful interest” want to censor the internet’s freedom of speech, and block the sharing of information. I have mixed feelings in regards to this topic. Last year I was a victim of identity theft, and it was a nightmare, which made me torn between agreeing and disagreeing. For example, blocking and sharing of personal information may diminish the chances of individuals accessing your personal information, which may prevent identity theft. However, I also feel that it’s important that we have freedom of speech because there’s a lot to fight for in our country, and if we get our voice taken away, I feel like martial law will be in full effect.
Moreover, I found it interesting after the 9/11 attacks U.S. intelligence agencies implemented an array of spying programs, which has access to our phones and any form of electronic communication device for the American people. In addition, this is a violation of the first amendment which states freedom of speech, and the fourth amendment guarantees these rights are safe from warrantless search and seizure. Additionally, it’s scary to think that our phones are linked and wired to a database where the NSA has access to all of our information. Furthermore, I’ve learned that FreePress has been fighting against this, and in 2015, congress passed the U.S.A. Freedom Act, which eliminates surveillance of our personal phone records and aids in our privacy. Lastly, it’s mind boggling to think how far we’ve come in terms of technology, and how it can be easily manipulated for the worse, but luckily there’s are individuals fighting for us, and our rights.
Furthermore, In reading It’s sort of a free country, I found it interesting how they mentioned that media doesn’t have control, but it has been deeply imbedded into our society. Additionally, the article discussed how TV affects politics, which is relevant to our current presidential race. For example, the presidential debates gain an immense of attention, in particular Donald Trump. In addition, Donald Trump is currently notorious for his comments on certain topics. Additionally, his comments are greatly stretched out by the media, which has an affect on his appearance, and may later affect his polls.
About Me
Welcome to my world! Here’s me with a very nice Hawaiian girl I met while on the Big Island…
Hey, that’s my wife!
But really, here’s my story:
Born on a chilly January day in Los Angeles County, I came into the world right in the middle of a city that is globally known for three things – “reality show” celebrities, miles of Baywatch-infused raked beaches (leave the wrack, people!), and some really bad, if not the worst at the time, air quality on earth.
Perhaps that more than anything led me to the realization that environmental damage is one of the worst aspects of modern society – and although major strides have been taken (thank you NEPA!), there is still much work to be done.
Enter: California State University, Channel Islands. From all the institutions of higher learning on earth, I found myself at CSUCI, majoring in ESRM, Environmental Science and Resource Management. And over the years I have studied at CI, I have learned so much that I kind of laugh when I think about how little I knew about the workings of the world before I started in ESRM. Every choice we make has consequences – but not all of the consequences have to necessarily be negative. Recycling is a choice; not creating the product in the first place is another choice. How we as a species weigh the myriad choices presented to us everyday will decide our collective future, and the future of all life on earth.
But I digress; this is about me, not the planet and all of its intricacies.
I was born in SoCal, but raised and introduced to things in the SF Bay Area. The Bay is a great place to grow up. Although most people today will tell you it’s full of nothing but tech entrepreneurs and indigent people, there is a culture there like no other.
All my experiences have led me to the present day – in many ways I see the future as a battle between the light side of the Force (natural living, free from pollution and environmental degradation), and the dark side (exploitation of all resources, poor air and water quality, and loss of species and diversity).
I know where I stand – I will always fight the dark side; now where’s my lightsaber??
Education Opportunity
Throughout the semester I have been increasing my knowledge of the Torrey pine through my research and first hand experience with my field study. An opportunity has presented itself where I can give back to the local community and take part in a teaching opportunity at R.J Frank Junior High School in Oxnard on December 10. This will allow me to give a brief 10-15 minute presentation and share my knowledge with a younger generation. Hopefully to show them how fun research can be and inspire some to pursue an education in the sciences.
Research Update 12/6/15
Research is continuing smoothly. The initial field research is nearing an end on Santa Rosa Island. I have made two 3 daytrips to the island and completed two of the four groves involved with the demography plots completely. I am returning over the break for a week long research trip where I will complete my field demography studies.
Onset Data Logger
The next step in my lagoons capstone project is to deploy the Onset HOBO salinity reader. SRIRS has purchased one, and NPS purchased one as well. We have been debating putting both in the same lagoon, or one in each. We are also figuring out how often the meter needs to be calibrated and cleaned to make sure it doesn’t get fouled up.
This is a link to the logger we purchased. http://www.onsetcomp.com/products/data-loggers/u24-002-c
More poster presentations
This week for my capstone I went to Frank Intermediate School to listen to the presentations about the Santa Clara watershed. Students at Channel Island High school did the same project you can read about in the “unit 2” blog post. Again the presentations were on invasive species Arundo, endangered species Bell’s Vireo, water quality, and urban runoff. Students needed to take notes and answer some questions about each presentation. Even though the students were nervous about giving their presentations they were done really well. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the posters. This will be our last class visit for now. We will return to the schools in February to start unit 3. From this point on my capstone partner and I will be working on lesson plans and tests to give to the students which will be our main data collection for our project.
My Favorite Thinking Place
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates
Weekend Trip to Santa Cruz
I was able to spend a couple days out on Santa Cruz Island this weekend with a fire crew that is on a two-week tour. They were busy cutting down eucalyptus trees in a grove that’s above the Main Ranch in the Central Valley. It was really interesting seeing the crew working and getting the eucalyptus piles ready to be burned later this winter!
