The Trail Volume 13, Issue 3 February 2021
Photography by Micah Gartenberg
Rutgers University Department of Human Ecology
To Our Readers… Thank you for continuing to follow the winding ways of The Trail. We are hard at work bringing new articles and designs to our forthcoming issues, but for now, enjoy the vast array of topics covered within this issue. Read about reefs in Australia, how plastic bottles can be repurposed, and more, along with poetry and some fun activities in the Trail Mix. As always, we appreciate your continued support. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns at epibtrail@gmail.com.
Best wishes, Micah and Marissa
The Trail Staff… Editor-in-Chief: Micah Gartenberg Head Graphic Designer: Marissa Guzik
Authors:
Editors:
Gayatri Anguloori
Micah Gartenberg (lead)
Sarah Arif
Natalia Binkowski
Natalia Binkowski
Rebecca Bright
Sarah Ekẹnẹzar
Carina Hawryluk
Anna Forsman
Basil McQuade
Sucheta Gandhi
Angelica Rojas
Jeremy Lewan
Angelica Rojas Mia Weinberg
Marissa Guzik (lead)
Olivia Woodruff
Sarah Ekẹnẹzar
Carina Hawryluk
Designers:
Table of Contents * Tip: For quick access to an article click on the title of the article.
Food Insecurity in Mexico. Sucheta Gandhi ….……………………………………………………………………………………….……………………...……...………… 1
Meet This New Type of Meat! Natalia Binkowski ………………………………………....…………………………………………………………………..…….………... 3
The Next Frontier: Joe Biden, America’s Climate Pioneer? Sarah Arif …..…………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………….….. 6
Urban Jungles, Green Spaces, and Environmental Justice. Gayatri Anguloori ..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……...….
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Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in Danger! Angelica Rojas …..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….…….....…. 11
A Flooding Country: Bangladesh’s Battle Against Sea Level Rise. Mia Weinberg …..…………………………………………………………………………………….……………………..………………...….
13
Bucket List for the Traveler: Belize. Jeremy Lewan ………..….……………………………………………………………………..……………………………..….…...…….… 16
Saving “JAWS.” Olivia Woodruff ..………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………….…….....….22
Boat of Many Bottles. Sarah Ekenezar ..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..….....…. 25
Poetry. Anna Forsman ..…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..…….……...……….. 28
Trail Mix. ……………….………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………...…...…. 32
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Food Insecurity in Mexico By Sucheta Gandhi
“F
ood insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources” (“Food Insecurity”). Food insecurity is most common in the poorest regions of Mexico, specifically the southern states. The causes of food insecurity are often separate from food availability. “This means that, even in regions where food is available in stores or from farms, families still exper ience food insecur ity because they cannot afford to purchase nutritious foods on a consistent basis” (“What is Food Insecurity?”). The problem is that many families lack access to adequate and nutritious food in Mexico. As a result, some people are undernourished. Alternatively, many turn to unhealthy foods, which are more affordable or
available, to make up most of their diet. Therefore, obesity can be connected to food insecurity. “Processed foods that are high in fat and sugar are often cheaper or more readily available to lower income families” (“What is Food Insecurity?”). Factually, “seven out of ten Mexicans are overweight, and more than one third of the population is clinically obese” (“What is Food Insecurity?”). Furthermore, a large
Four Levels of Food Security Table of Contents
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wealth disparity between the richest and poorest residents of Mexico, and a lack of education are factors which can predict food insecurity. In Mexico, more than ten percent of the population lacks access to adequate food. To aid families in Mexico that are experiencing food insecurity, there have been important initiatives. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States has promoted school gardens as a way for children to learn about food and nutrition, while providing families with fruits and v e g e t a b l e s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e government has started to fund re s e a r c h t h a t i s re l a t e d t o biotechnology, water, and other industries related to keeping food available and affordable. “Households
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with high food security and marginal food security make up the food secure category, and households with low food security and very low food security m a k e u p t h e f o o d i n s e c u re category” (“What is Food Insecurity in America?”). Food insecurity is a major issue that is faced by many families aroun d the wo rld. In Mexic o specifically, many families have members that are employed by the labor force. Although they are employed, they lack access to nutritious foods because of the higher cost in comparison to foods that are high in fat and sodium. This is a cause for diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Possible solutions to this issue include increasing access to farms and gardens and increasing the pay of employees in the labor force because it would ultimately reduce rates of diseases and food insecurity in Mexico overall.
References ICFDN. “What Is Food Insecurity?” International Community Foundation, 16 Mar. 2018, icfdn.org/what-is-foodinsecurity/. “Food Insecurity.” Food Insecurity | Healthy People 2020, www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/ social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/ food-insecurity. “What Is Food Insecurity in America?” Hunger and Health, 2018, hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/understandfood-insecurity/.
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Meet This New Type of Meat! By: Natalia Binkowski
P
eople have been eating meat for ages. In the last few years, vegetarianism and veganism have been on the rise, as climate change worsens and as industries are getting exposed for the cruel ways they treat animals. What if I told you that there is a way to produce meat that will be less harmful to the environment, will be able to satisfy our growing population, and will not involve killing animals? What if I told you that this meat will be grown entirely in a lab? Would you be willing to try it?
meat (GFC). To be more precise, stem cells are taken “from the muscle of a live animal and [are grown] in a nutrient-rich brew, which contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and salts — all from non-animal sources” (Kusmer). Using these methods, scientists can even determine if the tissue produced ends up more like a burger or more like a steak
Well, there is a new method of producing meat that involves taking cells from an animal (without causing it any harm) and using those cells to create this cultured
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Here is an interesting video on how lab-grown meat is made! (Wilke). Essentially, scientists only grow the edible portion of animals like cows or chickens, which means fewer resources are needed to grow the meat, and it takes them weeks to grow it instead of months or years (GOOD Meat). This also means that less of the final product is wasted whereas, with a whole slaughtered animal, there are many byproducts that end up going to waste. A company, Eat Just, has been working to create this type of product for almost four years now. There are other companies working on similar projects too, but Eat Just is the first company
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to get regulatory approval to sell the meat it has created (Sky News). Currently, the first lab-grown meat they are selling is cultured chicken, and it is only available in Singapore. Eat Just started out by making egg alternatives that quickly grew in popularity. JUST egg, another one of their animal-free products, is very tasty and I highly recommend it! The company has since branched out and started a new company called GOOD Meat. It claims that GOOD Meat is nonGMO, made “without tearing down a forest or taking a life”, and that “one single cell can produce an unlimited amount of meat” (GOOD Meat). The company focuses heavily on sustainability, saving the environment without slaughtering animals, and human/ animal health. For more information, you can check out their website at https:// goodmeat.co. The site is laid out in an immersive and creative way and explains the company’s goals
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in great detail. I highly recommend taking a look! Currently, GOOD Meat products cannot be sold in the United States, as the FDA and USDA are still in the process of building a framework for regulatory approval of cultured meat in the U.S. (GOOD Meat). It is still a strange and new concept to most people, and many people, especially those in the agriculture industry, are opposed to lab-grown meat because they do not consider it real meat. However, it could be key to helping us deal with our growing population while maintaining sustainable practices.
This article is just an introduction to the topic of labgrown meat. I will be going more in-depth about it in a future article. In my future articles I will be comparing traditional meat to lab-grown meat in terms of sustainability, discussing how lab -grown meat can help with our rising population, explaining whether or not there are negative health effects from this meat,
talking about the ethics behind cultured meat, providing any new developments/updates on the technology, and much more!
SOURCES: Good Meat: The Future of Meat. goodmeat.co/. Kusmer, Anna. Is Singapore's Approval of Lab-Grown Meat a Win for the Climate? 27 Dec. 2020, https:// www.theweek.com/articles/956660/singapores-approval -labgrown-meat-win-climate. The Now: What Is Lab-Grown Meat? edu.gcfglobal.org/en/ thenow/what-is-labgrown-meat/1/. Sky. Singapore: Lab-Grown Meat to Go on Sale for First Time AFTER Landmark Approval. 2 Dec. 2020, news.sky.com/story/singapore-lab-grown-meat-to-go-on -sale-for-first-time-after-landmark-approval-12149059. Wilke, Carolyn. A New Spin on Lab-Grown Meat. 24 Feb. 2020, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/new-spin -lab-grown-meat.
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The Next Frontier: Joe Biden, America’s Climate Pioneer? By: Sarah Arif
As
a new administration hits the ground running, as of January 20th, millions of Americans breathe a sigh of relief. A significant amount of policies that Obama enacted were reversed during Trump’s presidency, and Biden is dedicated to aggressively instilling them back. Biden has declared that he wants to go beyond the Obama era and “ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches netzero emissions no later than 2050” (Biden 2020). With an aspirational goal such as this for the U.S, Biden needs a strong team and effective policy-making to make this future a reality. As of today, America’s three biggest emissions come from the
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automobile industry, methane gas leaks, and fossil fuel plants. In 2018, the automobile and transportation sector contributed to 28% of greenhouse gas emissions within the country, thereby making it the country's greatest CO2 emitter (EPA 2018). Achieving lower emissions from cars is critical to changing the projection of warming by 2050 and could be Biden’s most successful policy implementation. Although Obama set forth policies in 2010 to achieve higher fuel efficiency in cars at around 54mpg by 2025, their implementation was impermanent. After Obama’s presidency had concluded, Trump had rolled back over 64 environmental rules and regulations, including ones
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relating to the transportation sector of emissions. With climate change becoming more dire by the day, Biden will need to be even more aggressive than Obama and will need all hands on deck. The most uplifting news from car manufacturers in the U.S., such as General Motors, is that they are on board with reimposing strict fuel economy standards that were previously applied. Before, General Motors was avidly opposed to creating electric vehicles, but has completely made a U-turn and wants to commit to ceasing production of combustion engines and pivot to 100% electric vehicles. By 2035, every American can be driving an electric car that is more than just a high-end Tesla or Prius–the commodity of electric vehicles may become the standard for cars. The auto industry being on board to lower their emissions is
a game-changer that we did not see present a decade ago (The Daily 2021). Next, one carbon-emitting sector with lots of contention and debate is power plants. Biden understands that in the process of trying to shrink the fossil fuel industry he will be costing people their jobs and livelihood for generations. However, climate change is already costing Americans lives and money, from forest fires to sea-level rise. Defunding and shutting down coal plants has proven to be ineffective within the Supreme Court during the Obama administration and will be even tougher with a conservative majority today. While the legal prospects of a policy aren't concrete, the intent to invest in clean technology is present. Economists support Biden’s power plant agenda because while unemployment will decrease in the fossil fuel industry, they should compensate by an increase in environmental energy job replacements. Finally on Biden’s agenda is to address is methane gas leaks from improperly sealed up natural gas wells within the country (Biden 2020). According to the IPCC, methane is 84 times more
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potent than CO2 emissions and will only grow as America shifts towards fueling the country with natural gas (IPCC 2021). The solution to addressing this issue is relatively straightforward, as there were previous regulations in place created to control methane. Similar to cars, Trump had rolled back methane regulations, so now Biden just needs to reverse what Trump did. But the issue with going back and forth with this is that the next administration can carry out the same exact reversal, rendering the policy temporary to whichever party is in power and their agenda. With an extremely slim majority in Congress and Senate, the chances of passing a law to control methane are highly unlikely. Targeting methane gas leaks is a simple fix with political obstacles barring it
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from creating meaningful life-long laws that can extend beyond the limitations of a presidential administration.
Sources Plan for climate change and Environmental Justice: Joe Biden. (2020, October 29). Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https:// joebiden.com/climate-plan/ Carbon pollution from transportation. (2020, November 20). Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/ transportation-air-pollution-and-climatechange/carbon-pollutiontransportation#:~:text=%E2%80% 8BGreenhouse%20gas%20(GHG)% 20emissions,terms%20than%20any% 20other%20sector. Barbaro, M. (2021, February 02). Assessing Biden's CLIMATE PLAN. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https:// www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/ podcasts/the-daily/biden-climate -agenda.html
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Urban Jungles, Green Spaces, and Environmental Justice By: Gayatri Anguloori
A
s a native of Jersey City, urban spaces have always felt like home to me. For many, grid style cities, densely populated neighborhoods, and bustling traffic are not the most comforting aspects. However, the community and convenience that cities foster has always been admirable. Unfortunately, one of the major setbacks of urban communities, especially in the United States, is the lack of green spaces in middle- and low-income communities. Red-lining
Aerial View of Central Park in NYC
and the lack of park spaces for communal mixed-use purposes are not only prominent in economically disadvantaged communities, but also disproportionately affect communities of color. One of the best examples of environmental injustice in urban green spacing can be observed in New York City. Although Central Park is a worldrenowned urban green space that continues to beautify the island of Manhattan and act as an urban sanctuary for wildlife, the history of its construction is deeply rooted in racism. Due to the demand from white New York elites for green spacing in the city that would be comparable to those in Europe, the city decided to build Central Park at the expense of a thriving Black and immigrant community known as Seneca Village. So, although Central Park was built to beautify the urban jungle of Manhattan, it was done so at the expense of minority and low-income communities that are essential to the city.
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asthma is so apparent in the South Bronx that it has been dubbed as “Asthma Alley”.
View of the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge Park
In reference to urban planning in New York City today, many architectural designers and environmental planners have been looking to the South Bronx as a focal point for green space introduction. The lack of green spaces in urban environments has not only been associated with the rise in heat islands that have negatively affected the health of residents in these areas, but it is also associated with a prevalence in environmental pollution. Overcrowding, industrial developments in residential areas, and highways near neighborhoods have excessively contributed to air pollution in the South Bronx. Areas like Harlem in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx are notorious for harboring some of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country as well as some of the highest rates of death and disease from asthma in the nation. The prevalence of youth
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The need for green spaces in urban areas goes beyond aesthetics and has become a matter of public health. Growing up in Jersey City, I could not help but notice that I had to travel to the most affluent areas of my city in order to visit a park that was spacious enough for large groups of people. The social and racial divide between green spaces in urban environments has made itself apartments over the growth of cities in America and it’s time for city governments to invest and plan for green spaces in all neighborhoods. Works Cited Gordon, A. (2020, April 22). The fight for new york city's green spaces is a matter of life or death. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https:// www.vice.com/en/article/884z9g/fight-for-bronx -green-spaces-coronavirus-death-rate-airpollution
Urofsky, E., & Parks, R. (2020, August 25). Public Green Spaces: Racism, Heat, and Barriers to Access. WE ACT for Environmental Justice. https:// www.weact.org/2020/08/public-green-spacesracism-heat-and-barriers-to-acces/ Kondo, M. C., Fluehr, J. M., McKeon, T., & Branas, C. C. (2018). Urban Green Space and Its Impact on Human Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(3), 445. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph15030445
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Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in
DANGER By: Angelica Rojas
C
oral reefs have been increasingly dying across the ocean around the world. Unfortunately, Australia's Great Barrier Reef is one area experiencing the biggest decline in its coral system. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) extends more than 2,3000 kilometers (or 1,429 miles) in the Pacific Ocean; it is so large that it can be seen from outer space. For over 30 years, GBR has been infamous for being a global treasure and a national icon according to the World Heritage site. Since 1975, it has been a marine park for people to explore, however it has been protected from fishing (Knowlton 2). From 1986 to 2021, more than half of the living coral has been lost due to natural phenomena and human practices. If these harmful events continue, 90 percent of the
living coral reef from the central and southern parts of the barrier will be gone in 10 years. The northern part of the reef is the only area that is still alive and untouched by human impacts. However, there is a high risk that it may be negatively affected very soon if practices continue to affect marine life (Knowlton 4). Forty-two percent has been lost due to predation of the crown of thorns seastar, 48 percent damage resulted from typhoons, and the rest from coral bleaching. Additionally, sea stars have sharp toxic spines that feed on living coral. Recently, there has been an outbreak of these marine stars that have been linked to increased nutrient runoff that includes organic sources like sewage, fertilizers, and sediment from agriculture, deforestation, and discharge in rivers that lead into the ocean (Mah 5). Coral bleaching has
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become a widespread detriment of draining the color and life out of coral reefs. It leaves behind huge amounts of ghostly reef skeletons at the bottom of the GBR. This has been compounded by the government's failure to protect coral-based ecosystems by ignoring past warnings. Global warming has been affecting the Pacific Ocean because the water temperature has been increasing, which is also a leading cause for the imbalance of a healthy marine ecosystem (Berwyn 3). Fortunately, scientists have discovered a new way to help the dying reef. The solution is called coral transplanting which has been used to transplant hundreds of nurserygrown coral fragments onto the GBR. It has helped tremendously, however, it does not change the climate pressures that are intensifying every year. Coral reefs are not only being confronted by rising heat and acidity, but also declining oxygen levels,
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intense storms, and predators that remain a threat to the GBR (Warne, 5).
Works Cited Berwyn, Bob. “Latest Bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef Underscores Global Coral Crisis.” Inside Climate News, 30 Nov. 2020, https:// insideclimatenews.org/news/13042020/ great-barrier-reef-coral-bleachinggreat-ocean-global-warming/ Knowlton, Nancy. The Great Barrier Reef – Going, Going, Gone???, 10 May 2018, https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/coralreefs/great-barrier-reef-going-goinggone Mah, Chris. A Plague of Sea Stars, 11 May 2018, https://ocean.si.edu/oceanlife/invertebrates/plague-sea-stars Warne, Kennedy. “Can New Science Save Dying Coral Reefs?” Environment, 29 Nov. 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/ environment/2018/11/great-barrierreef-restoration-transplanting-corals/
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A Flooding Country: Bangladesh’s Battle Against Sea Level Rise By: Mia Weinberg
B
angladesh, a country known by Americans for its multi-billiondollar textile industry and abundance of rich ecosystems, is facing a climate catastrophe that could displace millions of people. Worldwide, humaninduced climate change is causing sea levels to rise at an unprecedented rate due to the melting of polar ice caps and the thermal expansion of water in the ocean. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels. Its average elevation is only 30 feet above sea level, and during the rainy season, up to one-fifth of the country can flood at once. Characterized by its relatively flat landscape, abundance of low-lying
rivers and canals, and extremely dense population, the coastal region of Bangladesh will soon see countless homes, businesses, and communities devastated by flooding. Further inland, millions of Bangladeshis rely on biodiverse freshwater sources, including the largest mangrove forest
The southern coast of Bangladesh is characterized by terrain just feet about sea level Image by Kabiur Rahman Riyad on Unsplash
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in the world, in order to Overcrowding in Dhaka, the nation’s capital make a living. Climate Image by Niloy Biswas on Unsplash scientists fear that within the next few decades, increased sea levels will result in all temperatures regions of Bangladesh to face and salt water massive losses in biodiversity, homes, continue to harm and livelihoods. shrimp Bangladesh is made vulnerable populations, laborers to climate catastrophe because of its many geographical positioning. The nation have switched to slopes slightly from its northern harvesting mud region to its lower-lying southern crabs.
coast and consists of dozens of north -south running streams and rivers, which empty into the Bay of Bengal along the southern border. This means that when sea level rises above land, soil and freshwater sources are flooded by massive amounts of salt water. This poses problems to those who rely on freshwater remaining fresh: about 5 million aquaculture farmers and millions more working in other agricultural sectors. Salinization of freshwater–that is, the contamination of freshwater by salt, has already wreaked havoc on shrimp farmers, whose industry was almost obliterated by high levels of salinity in the mid-90s. Today, as high
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The everworsening desperation that people are facing is reflected in a particularly terrifying trend– the frequent kidnappings of aquafarmers by others struggling to make a living. Once they have kidnapped a victim from the depths of the forest, the kidnappers hold the victim ransom until they are paid off by the victim’s family. These kidnappings have become increasingly calculated and common.
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Back on the southern coast, hundreds of thousands of people are forced out of their homes every rainy season by flooding. The problem that they are facing now is that they will not be able to return at the end of the season; climate change means that the increased sea level will remain permanent. As climate refugees rush to resettle in the country’s capital of Dhaka, chaotic urban sprawl has led to ill-built infrastructure and grave overpopulation. So how can this problem be mitigated? Bangladeshis say that the government should be taking more
initiative, whether that be funding disaster relief programs, conducting research on salinity-tolerant species, or subsidizing affordable housing projects for climate refugees. The difficulty with climate change related issues is that solutions rarely involve the reversal of the problem; rather they involve mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
Works Cited Csanyi, C. (2017, April 25). Ecosystems of Bangladesh. Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https:// sciencing.com/ecosystems-ghana-13438.html FAO fisheries & Aquaculture National AQUACULTURE Sector OVERVIEW (NASO): Bangladesh. (2005, January 01). Retrieved February 04, 2021, from http:// www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/naso_bangladesh/ en Lamb, K., & Joyce, A. (2019, October 18). The Bangladeshi CRAB Farmers battling climate crisis – and pirates. Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https:// www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/18/thesundarbans-crab-farmers-battling-climate-crisisand-pirates-bangladesh McDonnell, T. (2019, January 24). Climate change creates a new migration crisis for Bangladesh. Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https:// www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/ climate-change-drives-migration-crisis-inbangladesh-from-dhaka-sundabans/#close Sarwar, G. M. (2005, November 21). Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the Coastal Zone of Bangladesh. Retrieved February 04, 2021, from http:// fs.wa4.lucklaboratories.com/placemarks/files/225/ golam_sarwar.pdf
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Belize A tiny speck on the map, Belize remains an unknown destination to many. But despite being smaller than the state of New Jersey, Belize is home to a rich confluence of culture and ethnicity. Belize is unique and completely different from its neighbors: it is the only country in Latin America whose national language is English! The territory of Belize was actually called “British Honduras'' until 1973, as it was the last British colony on the American mainland
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(Bolland, 2020). Many of the approximately 400,000 inhabitants are trilingual, fluent in Spanish, English, and Creole (Bolland, 2020). Due to its British influence and its position on the Carribean Sea, 25 percent of the population is Creole, composed of descendants of African and Jamaican slaves brought to the region to cut mahogany, logwood, and other trees for the British. Roughly half of the population is made up of Mestizos, a mixed race of Mayan and Spanish ancestry. Also present in Belize are Dutch and German Mennonites, religious migrant traditional farmers. With horses and operating without electricity, they bolster a large sector of the Belizean economy with their goods, producing most of the country’s eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables (Bolland, 2020). Belize is home to over 900 precious Mayan archeological sites. In fact, the name Belize is said to have originated from the Mayan word, “belix” meaning “muddy water.” It is also speculated that the name of the country came from another Mayan word, “belikin” (meaning “land facing the sea”) for which the country’s most popular beer is named (“Origin,” 2019). The view from the top of the Jaguar Temple, portions I was lucky enough to visit one of Belize’s most treasured Mayan sites: Lamanai (Mayan “submerged crocodile”). It is renowned for surviving through three millennia: the Pre-classical, Classical, and Postclassical eras. It is hypothesized that its long lifespan can be attributed to the fact that it was built adjacent to the New Belize River, a source of water, food, and livelihood (“Destination Belize”). Table of Contents
of the New Belize River visible
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Deep in the jungle, the ruins are only accessible by a 25-mile, 1-and-ahalf hour boat ride on the river. The ride was a time machine, cruising us back 3000 years to the height of the Mayan empire. Along our time travels, we spotted an orange male iguana, osprey, turtles, termite nests, anhingas, proboscis bats, little blue herons, boatbill herons, javils, and wood storks. Belize is a biodiversity hotspot; its ecosystems support over 550 species of birds, 150 of which are migratory. When we arrived at the site, we first climbed to the top of the great Jaguar Temple. From there, we could see the sprawling expanse of the Belizean jungle and the river flowing endlessly towards the horizon. After descending, we explored the rest of the area, visiting and climbing the High Temple and Mask Temple. Before long, it was time for lunch and time to go back to 2020. On the way back, our boat driver put it in overdrive and we sped back into the present. The next stop was the Community Baboon Sanctuary in the Lower Belize River Valley, a 20-square-mile sanctuary providing a habitat for the indigenous black howler monkey. Founded in 1985 by National Geographic American primatologist Dr. Robert Harwich, the innovative and sustainable ecotourism project creates a volunteer sanctuary on privately held or leased lands for over
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Me with the High Temple in the background!
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Playing with a wild howler baby monkey.
My mom, Robert, and me in front of the welcome center of the Community Baboon Sanctuary
5000 howler monkeys (“The Community,” 2018). So far, over 200 private landowners in seven villages have voluntarily pledged to conserve their land for protection. The sanctuary also assists landowners and community groups in developing alternative livelihood projects, such as farming, gardening, jam-making, and sewing, that generate income for citizens while limiting negative environmental impacts. Finally, the project plays a key role in basic and conservation research in the region. Extensive research has been conducted on the black howler monkey and other species in the region, providing critical information that informs management and highlights the need for stronger conservation efforts (“The Community,” 2018). Privately guided by a knowledgeable ecologist, Robert Panting, we headed into the jungle to spot the wild howlers. Along the way, Robert pointed out several other notable Belizean species, including the agouti, tapir, and gibnut. Coming upon an area with a dense canopy, Robert spotted a howler family and began to call them, using a special selection of words uttered in a special tone of voice. Down they came from the trees: a mother, father, and baby howler. The baby was especially inquisitive, playing with the rings on my fingers. It was incredible to have the opportunity to interact with one of the largest wild monkey species in the new world.
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Traveling from the jungle to the beach, our last destination was Caye Caulker, a limestone-coral island about 20 miles northeast of Belize City, only accessible by high-speed water taxi. There, we went on a snorkeling expedition to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere (“Hol Chan”). The reef is a crucial ecosystem for marine life and for reducing wave energy from hurricanes. Our expert guide took us to five snorkeling sites within the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, each of which was unique. The first was the Coral Gardens, an area densely occupied by elkhorn coral, brain coral, and purple sea ferns, and frequented by green sea turtles. We spotted trumpetfish, blue chromis fish, sergeant major fish, and a barracuda.
My mom and I, swimming with the nurse sharks
From there, we moved on to a shipwreck, a 50-year-old sunken barge converted to a marine condominium. Moray eels, starfish, black sea urchins, and purple sea ferns spotted the exterior of the barge, and all sorts of colorful fish weaved in and out of the holes in the interior.
The next stop was my favorite: Shark and Ray Alley, a shallow sandybottomed area inside the reef, serving as a hangout location for nurse sharks and southern stingrays. As we approached the Alley, a myriad of nurse sharks and stingrays gathered, and we jumped off the boat to swim with them. The sharks were docile (I was relieved to discover) and the stingrays gracefully soared through the water around and underneath me. It was exhilarating to be in such close proximity to them.
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A tarpon, expanding its mouth to take a sardine from my hand.
After bidding adieu to the sharks and stingrays, we zipped around to the other side of the island to see the Seahorse Community and the Tarpon Community. Under the mangroves, we saw an orange baby seahorse and an adult with black and white stripes, both holding on to tree roots by their tails. Also present was a school of young tarpons, which are large prehistoric fish with shiny, silvery scales. Everyone on the tour had an opportunity to feed the tarpons: we dangled sardines between our fingers and watched them jump out of the water to eat them. Their speed, agility, and accuracy were astounding. As can be seen, though of miniature size, Belize is a country brimming with a variety of ecosystems to be explored, historical sites to be studied, and a diverse group of animals and people to interact with. It is a unique and unmatched Latin American destination, certainly worth a trip.
References Bolland, O. (2020, January 02). Belize. Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/ place/Belize Destination Belize. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2020, from http://www.destinationsbelize.com/tours-andattractions/mayan-ruins/152-lamanai-mayan-ruins.html Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley - Snorkeling and SCUBA diving at San Pedro Ambergris Caye Belize. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://www.holchanbelize.org/ Origin of the Name Belize. (2019, October 5). Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https:// caribbeanlifestyle.com/origin-of-the-name-belize/ The Community Baboon Sanctuary. (2018, July 24). Retrieved December 23, 2020, https:// belizeresortandspa.com/blog/community-baboon-sanctuary-in-Belize Table of Contents
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SAVING
“JAWS”
By: Olivia
S
Woodruff
ince the 1970s the global shark and ray population has dropped more than 70 percent. Out of the 31 species of sharks and rays, 24 are facing possible extinction and three are labeled critically endangered, according to Christina Larson, a science writer (2021). The immediate assumption is that the cause is related to the ongoing climate crisis or possibly overfishing. I wanted to know why sharks and rays were being targeted the most. Why are people so
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enamored with, and yet so afraid of, sharks? Where did this idea of hunting sharks originate from? Let’s look at the movie Jaws. If you were ever in a lake, by the beach, or even in a pool, images of being attacked by sharks probably flooded your mind at least a handful of times. When this movie came out in 1975, the response from viewers was understandable yet terrifying. In Laura Allan’s article about the incredible impact Jaws had on human interaction with sharks, she writes:
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“between 1986 and 2000, in the Northwest Atlantic ocean,
hammerhead shark populations declined 89%, great white sharks declined 79%, and tiger sharks declined 65%” (2020). This drastic and fast
reaction was only the beginning. Due to limited information about sharks and their behaviors, the character Steven Spielberg had created for Jaws was copy-pasted onto all sharks- every species, no matter that sharks tend to be bottom feeders and find humans to taste bad. Fishermen wanted to be seen as heroes (Allan, 2020); fishing contests soared after the movie’s release as shark populations plummeted. Governments didn’t rush to implement rules regarding shark fishing because of the money that came from the animals’ deaths. Sonja Fordham, a scientist who helped with one of the first global assessments of shark and ray populations that was released this year,
states “we have volumes of scientific studies now about how you might avoid catching sharks to begin with, and certainly a lot about the best practices for releasing the shark safely and making sure it survives” in her New York Times interview (Einhorn, 2021). Despite there being many ways to help fisherman implement new strategies to lessen their impact on the dying population, the money incentive weighs higher. Fordham agrees there’s clearly a lack of communication and information being shared by conservationists and scientists at fishery meetings. This lack of connection between environmental agencies and fisheries is an increasing concern in almost every country. Sharks and rays have no concept of country borders, making the need for there to be global agreement about limitations on killing these animals imperative .
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While sharks are incredible creatures who can sense any change in their environment from miles away, this sensitivity tends to be their downfall, too. When fishing boats use long nets and pounds of bait to catch tuna or swordfish, sharks sadly fall for it. Their sense of food makes them go right into the trap. Despite fishing boats not intending to catch these sharks they have more monetary reason to keep and sell them rather than letting them swim off. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel-- with growing support of a global movement to conserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030 (Einhorn, 2021). With more attention being brought to the true nature of sharks and more momentum in legislature to slow the climate crisis, sharks and rays are bound to make a comeback. Sources Allan, L. (2020, May 15). 'Jaws' made us believe some Ludicrous SHARK Myths-and it had Devastating real-world effects. Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://www.ranker.com/list/howjaws-affected-sharks/laura-allan Einhorn, C. (2021, January 27). Shark populations are crashing, with a 'very small window' to avert disaster. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https:// www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/climate/sharkspopulation-study.html Larson, C. (2021, January 27). Empty seas: Oceanic shark POPULATIONS Dropped 71% since 1970. Retrieved February 03, 2021, from https:// www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2021-01-27/ empty-seas-oceanic-shark-populations-dropped-71since-1970 Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C.L., Kyne, P.M. et al. Half a century of global decline in oceanic sharks and rays. Nature 589, 567–571 (2021). https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-03173-9
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The Boat of Many Bottles By: Sarah Ekenezar
A
nnually, there are around one million plastic bottles sold per minute (BrightVibes). Said bottles often end their short-lived journeys into the oceans or other bodies of water, instead of being recycled or reused (BrightVibes). Ismaël Essome Ebone from the Kibri region of Cameroon wanted to find a way to address the serious plastic pollution problem in his community by taking plastic bottles and using them to build canoes (BrightVibes). This allowed him to redefine the traditional fishing methods (BrightVibes).
Initially, the idea came to him in 2011, when he sought shelter from heavy rain, as a student studying Environmental Management and Natural Resources at the University of Douala (Dokosi). As Ebone waited for the rain to pass, he noticed many plastic bottles floating past him and decided to test his theory by collecting several plastic bottles from the bottleclogged drains in the capital city of Douala (BrightVibes). Later, he spent a week arranging the bottles in rows of ten and tying them together with wire (McKinley) (BrightVibes). After the canoe was finished, he
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Ismaël Essome Ebone with plastic bottle canoe
took it to the water to test its buoyancy, or its ability to float, and was able to convince some local fishermen that it was a “seaworthy vessel” (BrightVibes 1:36-1:39). Each canoe is constructed with 1000 plastic bottles that would have otherwise been thrown out and can support three adults weighing 270 kg or ~600 lbs (BrightVibes). Ebone says, "There is a real lack of canoes for fishing here. Many young people would like to fish, but it's too expensive" (BrightVibes 0:30-0:37). He elaborates by explaining that a traditional wooden canoe has a price
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range of 150 to 750 euros (BrightVibes). By recycling the bottles, people have a more affordable canoe alternative and can join the local fishing industry, rather than having to leave their communities for job opportunities (BrightVibes). Later, Ebone used his savings to create the non-profit, Madiba & Nature (McKinley). Through this organization, he works with young people to create more of these canoes to help encourage ecotourism and “sustainable artisanal fishing” (Dokosi). Through the organization, he made Cameroon's first “EcoBin” which is used for “collecting,
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sorting and recycling waste materials” (McKinley). He hopes to create an accessible medium for transportation and collection to encourage more people to send their bottles (Dokosi). A few years after its launch, Madiba & Nature collaborated with a small community of 250 people in Kribi, who currently use the plastic canoes in everyday life (Dokosi). Ebone is simultaneously working on other projects as well, like furniture and tourist homes made mostly from plastic bottles, with the ultimate goal of allowing working-class Cameroonians to be able to build houses from discarded products (BrightVibes). Works Cited McKinley Corbley. “Cameroon Man Uses Wasted Plastic Bottles to Build Canoes for Fishermen in Need.” Good News Network, 26 Nov. 2019, www.goodnewsnetwork.org/cameroon-man-uses-turnsplastic-bottles-into-canoes/. Michael Eli Dokosi. “Cameroonian invents boat made from plastic bottles to offer poor fisher folks chance to earn a living.” Face2Face Africa. 29 Nov. 2019, https:// face2faceafrica.com/article/cameroonian-invents-boatmade-from-plastic-bottles-to-offer-poor-fisher-folkschance-to-earn-a-living N/A. “Bottle Boats Made in Cameroon with Used Pet Bottles.” Youtube, BrightVibes, 11 July 2018, m.youtube.com/watch?v=s26jP2FyGpY
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<a href='https://pngtree.com/so/plastic'>plastic png from pngtree.com</a>
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Poetry By: Anna Forsman
On the emptiest of days, I tie my shoes and fill the space with a long walk between two towns, Parallel to the water, Parallel to the city, Under a blue sky, An open, midwinter walk.
1
Like an automaton, I put back what I took out Unfeeling, not noticing, Not stopping to wonder about the ways in which you will thank me, I just do, when I forget you are sentient, too.
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I sing of an enchantment Marked by arrows Bent and slanted, They keep me lost, wandering and alert Where not to go, Where ambiguity lurks Just to confirm, I read it first. No sense of new, Or fields to feel moved, Alone with the truth, Unending hues, electric blues, symphonic views, in a circle we move.
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I invite the wind to dance around an idea we’ve had forever Releasing notes in its motion Steady, unpredictable movement Rapid transformation through constant patterns of change We can be anything But we will lose everything If we don’t stop to move with the wind Once it is over, it won’t begin again Rewinding film, I’ve forgotten where I’ve been All things are stopping, as I wonder where we’ll live, We are the walking embodiment of a critical entanglement.
Images: 1 <a href='https://pngtree.com/so/running-shoes-clipart'>running shoes clipart png from pngtree.com</a>
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Trail
Start here
Mix
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ALTERNATIVE
FRONTIER
BANGLADESH
JUNGLE
FOOD
PLASTIC
JAWS
AUTOMATON
MEAT
BOTTLES
SKY
HUNGER
AUSTRALIA
JUSTICE
BELIZE
REEF
“AlwAys RemembeR, you hAve within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the woRld” -Harriet Tubman See you Again— Design by: Sarah Ekenezar