Blog #10 Campus Hike

Our class took a little walk through a small portion of the nature trails that Florida Gulf Coast University has to offer. We were guided by our teacher's assistant, who had a passion for trees and was very knowledgeable of the trees and the different ecosystems that were on the trails. The different kinds of ecosystems located on the trails are marsh vistas, mysterious oak hammocks, pine flatwoods, and pristine popash communities.

There used to be controlled fires in these woods but it isn't allowed anymore. When they did have the fires, the heat could be felt from the opposite side of campus. I'm glad they don't have these controlled fires anymore, because I don't believe fire can be 100% controlled when it is in the woods, and I don't want our school going up in flames. 

Some of the cool things about these trails are that they are a great place to go for a walk, ride bikes, or have a picnic. It's good to get away from the world of technology once in a while. There are some spots you have to watch out for though, like where the water gets really deep, especially during the summer when it's the rainy season. A lot of Florida Gulf Coast University students do clean ups on these trails to keep them looking nice, and also helps the ecosystems that are located there. A few students from our class even helped clean up the trails, too.

Although we didn't go into water up to our chest, we definitely got into some mud, and some girls were wearing nice shoes. I think one of them was wearing heels, it was hilarious! Anyways, I think it's really nice for a change to have a university that has a lot of people who care about the environment enough to do things to help it. With these trails, students get the chance to get a feel of what Florida is supposed to be like. The best way to get someone to be interested in something is to have them experience it for themselves, which is why I wish more universities had classes like Colloquium.

Overall I thought the nature trails were pretty sweet. I'll definitely have to explore more of the trails to see what's out there. It seems like a great spot to just walk around and think about stuff, and look at some beautiful nature while you're at it.