Downtown Fort Myers

Being Familiar with Fort Myers for about fifteen years now, I was also curious about what downtown Fort Myers contained. I have always been familiar with traveling to various parts of Fort Myers, however, I have been downtown just due to the horror stories I've heard about it growing up. With the typical it's a dangerous place that has a lot of crime and killing, I never really saw the need to go into Downtown Fort Myers. Last New Year was my first time going downtown, but I never really got the chance to explore and see the city.

(Civil War Painting)

(Vantage View of Downtown)

After visiting with my colloquium class, I began to realize a part of living in Fort Myers that I have been missing out on. From hearing rumors to visiting downtown in person during the daytime, it was completely different from what I expected; I felt completely safe. Being up on a the highest level of a parking garage and taking in the entire downtown Fort Myers with an eagle's eye view, my perspective of the city changed completely. Downtown Fort Myers was a very clean place with absolutely no trash on the side walks. The buildings did not contain any graffiti and if a building did have markings on it, it was a Civil War painting that Fort Myers didn't want to reveal to the public. Moreover, downtown Fort Myers had a very city life feeling that I personally love because I have always wanted to live in a city especially after growing up in Port Charlotte where there really isn't much activities to do.

(Downtown Fort Myers Courthouse)

A majority of Downtown Fort Myers buildings were designed with a lot of cameras, mostly for safety especially after the night of shooting at Zombiecon. Some of the buildings also had shops on the bottom floor and apartments on top for people to live. Another thing that I noticed about the buildings during my visit of downtown Fort Myers, was that a majority of them had a sculpture artwork, palm trees or vines on them to increase the air quality, attract customers to their stores, and reduce the amount of heat that are absorbed into the store.

The businesses there were mostly locally owned such as Pizza shops, boutiques, and Italian restaurants. Mostly places where people can get a quick plate of food to eat without going to a grocery store. There were also a few Franchise stores such as: Starbucks, banks, Publix, Blu Sushi, and Good Will.Since my group and I all wanted Starbucks that day, we went inside to get a feel of the atmosphere of the building. The Starbucks was far different than our college campus Starbucks as there were many places to sit, free WiFi, and large tables for friends, colleagues, and more could sit down and socialize. This Starbucks definitely had a city feeling to it.

Assuming that with a downtown city lifestyle, traffic would be packed and it would be dangerous to walk on the road, Fort Myers was different. The traffic was very normal paced and the people in cars were very respectful to pedestrians whether it be on foot or cycling. There were no bike lanes because the traffic only went a maximum of 25 mph. The main forms of transportation used were walking, buses, cars, and cycling.

(The Caloosahatchee River)

The last thing I noticed about downtown Fort Myers was the open space and green designed features. The sidewalks in downtown Fort Myers are very wide and can support many forms of exercising such as running, jogging, cycling, walking, and more. There were also a few benches so that people could sit and appreciate their view . There were many dogs that were walking on the open grass space located by the side walks and good amount of biodiversity that existed as we also saw ducks and birds near the park. Some of the green designed features that exists in downtown Fort Myers were the solar panels near the library and rechargeable car stations. I also saw a giant water basin call the Caloosahatchee River that is used for water drainage within downtown.

(Peer Pressure artwork sculpture)

What I experienced in downtown Fort Myers relates to the things I learned in class about urban environments and land usage because the town was accessible to everyone.The form of development within the area was more mixed-usage and expanded vertically instead of horizontally. This was good because it allows more animals to create habitats within the society as well. There were also a lot of street signs, historic art work, and sustainable features that benefits both the environment and
downtown Fort Myers. The main sustainable features that the area had to offer was the Caloosahatchee River basin, mangrove trees to prevent erosion, solar panels, rechargeable gas stations, and the usage of a lot of palm trees. I also noticed a lot of trash cans located throughout the town, however, there weren't as many recycling cans. This could be more harmful to the area as more people aren't going to want to walk to a recycling bin that is further than a trash can. With that being said, I overall, would consider downtown Fort Myers to be both a eco friendly area and an area that is exciting and fun especially to college students, tourists, and locals!

The Adventure of the Koreshan State Park

Worried about flipping the canoe the entire trip, my experience at the Koreshan State park was more of a personal accomplishment for me.  I have never been canoeing before and experiencing it for the first time was very exciting. I was astonished by just learning the mechanics of how to paddle and maneuver the canoe to avoid tree branches. I was introduced to a new activity that I could not wait to tell my girlfriend and make sure that we would be participating in canoeing for our next date; most likely at the Koreshan State Park.  Even with the minor casualty of two spiders that my canoeing partner Alex and I had, we managed to do a great job not flipping the boat and remaining calm throughout the entire trip.

Moreover I was fascinated by the nature walk and just seeing how the Koreshan civilization lived and developed a town within Estero, Fort Myers. There was a lot of history within the state park and it was fun learning about them. Some of the structures that stood out to me were the houses, fountain, and even the dinner bell that they used to symbolize that a meal was prepared. I was also interested in the forms of entertainment they used within their society. The Koreshans were more of a fancy society and their entertainment would consist of plays, canoeing, gardening, and even painting. The Koreshan State Park is a piece of Fort Myer's history that should be acknowledged and appreciated more often.


(First Koreshan House)

The kind of plants that stood out to me on the trip were the air potatoes, bamboo trees, and a lot of palm trees that are very sturdy during hurricane seasons. Some of the animals that I saw on this trip
were a lot of red herons, spiders, and a few and a habitat for beavers. Although I saw a few of those animals, the most common species that I observed were birds.  I would guess that most of the other animal species that inhabits this state park were probably hiding due to the active presence of a lot of people touring the site. However, I believe that more species would have came out at times people are not present at Koreshan State Park; for example the alligators. Knowing that alligators were probably present in the water that we were canoeing on, due to the active presence of humans we did not see any alligators during the tour.

(Hurricane sturdy Palm trees)

Some of the class topics the Koreshan State Park can be related to are ecosystem services and land usage. The Koreshan used the land very well for developing homes, art museums, and even growing food. The lake was not only used as a form of transportation both upstream and downstream, but also as a canoe drive-in for performed plays. The land usage was sustainable toward their development as a society and very ecofriendly to the environment. Some of the ecosystem services that the land provided them was a habitat, transportation, food, and just development within their advanced society. A lot of the materials they used for building were from nature and the food provided for meals were mostly grown and harvested. For example the sausage tree that was a main part of most of the Koreshan's meals.


(Location used for drive-in plays)

At first, never being to a historic state park before I never really saw the point in going to one. It was after visiting the Koreshan State Park that made me realize that it is important to preserve the park's natural and historic settings. Having this historic park allows not only foreign travelers, but also people who live within the Estero area to learn about how that part of Fort Myers was developed. This historic site has a lot of significant history such as the lake that connects to the Happahatchee center's lake, and just the way they used the land tells a lot about the history and development of Estero, Fort Myers. Preserving the Koreshan State Park can provide a sense of place for residents of the Estero area and visitors as well.

FGCU Food Forest !

(Food Forest Trailer Artwork)

After going through the tour of the food forest with my colloquium peers for the first time, I was amazed by the different medical usages that some of the plants have. I went on the field trip with a positive opened mindset and was ready to learn new things about my environment. Beginning with the Spanish needle plant outside the front of the food forest, I was fascinated learning about the usage of the plant to rub on mosquito bites and it acts as a Benadryl to reduce itching and irritation. Being a pre-med major, this plant made me realize that the environment and certain plants does have an important aspect in  medical treatments and medicine. Moreover, my interest in the tour of the food forest sparked when I found out that certain plants can produce a Holistic approach for treatments such as provide a daily source of multivitamins. I thought this field trip was definitely well worth the experience because it gave me the opportunity to be more a part of FGCU's sustainable environment and be aware of the free organic foods that FGCU has to offer to the students. I was also pleased in seeing how well the students at FGCU have maintained the various plants and food within the garden.

(Hibiscus Plant)

After experiencing the food forest for myself, my opinions on organic grown foods/ vegetables changed. I like the fact that the food forest uses nature, such as insects, animals, and just natural substances to develop their food and plants. They do not use any harmful chemicals or substances when growing crops and this actually makes it healthier for students to eat. This made me realized that by me continuing to buy non-organic vegetables may harm me in the future mostly because they contain many chemicals that eventually can become toxic to our bodies.

Some of the interesting things that I learned about the edible species are their medical and general
usages. Some of the plants that I was introduced to within the food forest could have been used as just a regular snack; such as the elderberries. Another plant that interested me was the growth of plants that could be eaten to get multivitamins, and the hibiscus plant that could be used in different tea. The last edible plant that caught my interest was a plant that could be eaten and used as a peppermint.

 This field trip gave me a new respect for the food that I eat and the environment and resources needed to produce these crops because it made me realize that even though I want to be a doctor, not every symptom a patient may contain does not have to be treated with a drug. There are some holistic approaches that can include various organic plants and can reduces the number of harmful chemicals and drugs that a patient places in his or her body. Also I now realize the importance of eating as a good amount of organic foods to reduce my chances of having health related problems. In order to produce these organic crops, a large space, with a reduced opportunity of harmful animals endangering these crops are needed. The food forest also needs a lot of volunteers and man labor to keep the environment safe, healthy and natural.

A part of FGCU's mission statement is the topic sustainability. The sustainable portion of FGCU's mission statement states that the students must be able to achieve their academic goals and contribute to environmental sustainability, diversity, community partnerships and many more(1). With that being said, the food forest does fit into our mission in sustainability because it is the students at FGCU that are maintain the environment and crops that are growing within the food forest while maintaining our grade. The food forest gives it's free organic crops to the students of FGCU as a token of their appreciation for our volunteering services and tuition that helps pay for the resources needed to maintain the forest.

Some of the main ways we can incorporate some of the practices I learned locally or individually is by creating information packets and pamphlets that explains the importance of service learning and promoting an environmentally sustainable campus. In addition, by helping the food forest out by volunteering to work in their garden, and actually use their resources rather than shopping for organic foods at stores.

The food forest can be related to the Nature Deficit Disorder or Restorative Effects of nature because the food forest can be used as a therapeutic method that students with and without ADHD can use to be calm and distracted. Generally many college students undergo stress due to studying, class work, exams, and the feeling of needing to be the best in college, therefore, one of the resources that our campus has to offer is the food forest that can be used as a therapy to reduce college student's anxiety and stress factors. Volunteering at the food forest offers maintaining the crops, gardening, and just participating within our sustainable environment that can give the students of FGCU the chance to have a break from stress and get fresh air to clear their minds while doing something beneficial within the community. In the same manner, I believe that the more exposure FGCU students have to the gifts of the food forest, the more restored and rejuvenated they will feel. I believe even if FGCU students were to volunteer for two hours a week or visit the food forest to get free organic vegetation crops, this can cause the students to take a mental break, uses the resources of the community, and perform better in classes since they are not always performing under stress. The food forest is therefore a very beneficial factor that FGCU has to offer.

References:
1.) Mission Statement: http://www.fgcu.edu/Provost/files/Revised-Vision-Mission-Statement-2015.pdf

Sense of Place: Living in the Groves

Being a Resident Assistant (RA) for two years in the Groves area of North Lake Village at Florida Gulf Coast University, I gained a sense of pride and ownership of the Groves neighborhood. Known as my home away from home I grew fond over the large nature and beach environment developed within my area. Living on a beach front , my environment consists of a community sand volleyball court, a vast blue lake with a pier doc that can be used for site seeing and taking pictures, and finally a grill for cookouts. The population that surrounds me generally are college students around the ages of 20 and up. Since I've been living in buildings S,R,Q respectively within the Groves neighborhood, my  environment is an apartment complex with 48 residents. The Groves neighborhood consists of many college students that are generally very active at various times throughout the day; therefore, plants and  wildlife are not popular within this area of North Lake at FGCU. A few of the wildlife animals that have appeared in the Groves area of North Lake are alligators that comes from the open lake behind the buildings, black racer snakes, raccoon that often eat out of the trash, and small birds.  Moreover, what made the Groves neighborhood special and unique to me was being an RA for two years within the neighborhood. While being an RA I had to promote the area that I lived in with pride to my residents to make them appreciate all of the good factors that the Groves contained. I often utilized the Groves resources by performing programs within the residential apartments, grilling, and even hosting volleyball programs that were open to my 48 residents.To add to the Groves neighborhood pride, my neighborhood created T-shirts and used the slogan "Started from the bottom now we're Groves," this brought a sense of community to my area and caused me to become appreciative of what the neighborhood had to offer. Next year I am going to be the Residence Life Team Assistant that oversees the RAs in their work and will be providing services that helps benefit the Grove's neighborhood.As a result, it was through the housing position and resources that the Groves offered me that caused me to view myself a member of the community that was born and raised in the Groves and accepted it to be my sense of place.

                   (Volley Ball Court and a part of the beach located in the Groves Neighborhood).