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When it comes to climate, everyone is on the list.
“Everyone has a role to play in one way or another,” said Chris Landaeta, an intern at Current Problems, a nonprofit specializing in freshwater debris removal.
Landaeta was among several educators and organizations at the Young Leaders for Wild Florida Fall Fest held Saturday at the 4th Ave Food Park. The young adults stood at their assigned booths and talked to people about issues that harm the ecosystem, like invasive species, groundwater contamination and education about native species.
The participating organizations all shared the same goal: to maintain and preserve the beauty of North Central Florida.
Young Leaders members Wes Melker, 17, Preston Haller, 17, and UF freshman Alvin Chun, 18, displayed their collective fossils, including dugong bones, bones and stones of ancient manatees, to educate others about the vitality of their help to the local environment.
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“When you start focusing on how to keep your little corner of the world safe and help the people in your area, it becomes much easier to make noticeable changes within your own community,” Chun said.
Haller said an agatized coral geode, a rare type of mineralized fossil, is his “most prized possession.” Melker added that getting involved and finding rocks like this is as easy as getting outside.
“Walking outside is the number one thing you can do to help,” Melker said. “I just go for a walk and check out the trails. This is the first step.
Mira Lemstron, 17, a volunteer with Young Leaders for Wild Florida, is a Gainesville High School student who attended the two-week summer camp to expand her knowledge and field experience on topics such as invasive species.
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Invasive species, such as the ardisia coral, kudzu, apple snails, lionfish, and Burmese python, are primary predators of many native Florida species and pose a major problem in the Florida Everglades because they feed on native plants and animals.
Ardisia coral is found in the woods and forests of Florida and has a germination rate of 80-90%, the average number of seeds that will germinate in a certain amount of time.
“If you pull it and the berries fall off, it’s almost certain that new plants will sprout,” Lemstron said.
Although some animals share similarities with the Burmese python, not all of them pose a danger. In fact, they play a key role in our ecosystem.
As a long crimson serpentine coiled around Ashton Biological Reserve staff member Deborah Martin, she discussed the importance of snakes and how “everything fills a niche in the world.”
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Reptiles play many roles. Venomous snakes are used in cancer research, and copperhead venom is one of the leading treatments for breast cancer.
Despite the general belief that they are harmful rather than good, Martin vouched for the reptiles.
“Snakes are very important, that’s why we’re trying to change that perception,” Martin said. “If you lose one, everything falls apart.”
Besides these slithering creatures, feathered sky acrobats play an equally important role in the animal kingdom.
Zion Szot, a fourth-year biology student at the University of Florida, is an intern with the Alachua Audubon Society and is working to attract more native birds to help all levels of the ecology.
A bird like the American kestrel, North America’s smallest hawk, runs out of places to nest because it depends on nesting cavities left by other birds, especially in forests that are cut down to agricultural purposes, Szot said.
Szot works with the organization to provide conservation efforts, including building nest boxes for the breeding season and capturing and monitoring American kestrels.
“Learning about birds can help you gain knowledge and enjoy the land as well as the environment itself,” Szot said.
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Kathy Degrenier, a member of the Florida Springs Institute, a nonprofit organization that raises public awareness about Florida Springs and what threatens its existence, said she has been involved in conservation her entire life.
She said she began her career working for the International Ecotourism Society, which promotes more sustainable tourism practices. Now semi-retired, she said she’s on a mission to conserve Alachua County’s springs.
“They really are the lifeblood of the state,” Degrenier said of the vitality of Florida’s natural springs, like Ginnie and Ichetucknee Springs.
The springs measure the health of the aquifer, a body of rock and sediment that holds groundwater, and its degree of recharge.
About 90% of the population receives water from the aquifer.
These are sensitive ecosystems, and Degrenier recommends safe landscaping practices and following fertilization rules advised by Florida-friendly yards.
The temperature change caused by worsening climate change could devastate the springs. The constant temperature of the springs is 72 degrees and significant salt water intrusion can occur, making the water undrinkable as salt water mixes with fresh water.
While many feel they can’t do enough to save the environment, these teens and volunteers are demonstrating that the solution starts with each individual.
“At the end of the day, the problem is as bad as you let it be,” Chun said. “As long as we convince enough people that their individual action is not insignificant, they have real influence.”