Introduction
Hi everyone, we are the Tree Gang and we are very excited to be working on the EACAP project. We are a group of sophomores consisting of Natalia Williams, Mary King, Derek Jopp, and Conner McCaffrey. We all find environmental science really important to us and are very passionate about issues involving it. This semester we plan to plant trees for our service project and research loss of biodiversity. We hope we can better inform ourselves as well as others about these issues. Derek is a sophomore at berks studying management information systems. Natalia is a sophomore at berks studying hospitality management. Conner is a sophomore at Berks studying Agricultural Sciences with a minor in Horticulture. Mary is a sophomore at Berks studying Psychology with a specialty in business.
Research
For our research, we chose to look into the loss in biodiversity on our planet. Biodiversity is the variation of animals, plants, and all living things that make up the environment. Scientists believe we are going through a sixth mass extinction due to the loss of biodiversity with different species and plants dying off and becoming extinct. We found that most of this loss is due to human advancement and increase in pollution. Things like dams and irrigation cause disruptions and changes in waterflow around the world, affecting species everywhere. The simple solution would be to do things like restore areas of the environment that need help, practice sustainable development, and overall do our best to prevent biodiversity loss as a whole moving forward.
Poster and Presentation
Click on the Image above to view the presentation
Service
For our service, we took part in planting trees in our local area. We all went to Cacoosing Park by the Body Zone to help. When we arrived, another service team had already planted most of the trees, so we could only plant a couple. Our main task was to put plastic guarding around them, and to support it with a metal stake. The plastic guard is to stay there while the tree establishes its roots in its new soil and grows bigger, it is to protect the tree from deer, insects, and weather. The stakes are put there just to add some extra support for the plastic guard, and even the tree from bending in heavy wind. Finally, we just topped it off with a little more soil to keep the soil moist underneath during dry seasons.
Service Video
Click on the image below to watch the video
Reflection
Summary/reflection on your thoughts about the EACAP project (as a whole), what you gained from it, and message to other youth or individuals
We had the pleasure from Dr. Kazempour of joining berks nature and being able to have the wonderful experience of planting trees. This experience has shown us how easy it is to devote just a little bit of time to help at the environment. The little things go along way, so in a few years when these trees grow we are able to see our work flourish and how much it’ll help out the community around and nature all around. Through our service work at cacoosing creek, we gained a whole new knowledge and fundamentals now that we have volunteered and gave back to the community. We can all successfully say that we have volunteered to give back and proudly enjoyed this wonderful experience. This went perfectly along with our research on loss of biodiversity and will slowly start to help solve the problem. The little things go along way!