Jairo's Adventures

  Babcock Ranch Solar Farm I am someone that is obsessed with solar energy and sustainable energy all in all. Babcock Ranch seems to have this same obsession as I do as the area has its own solar field. This field powers the entire town and whatever extra energy is produced is sent to the grid. Energy is a lucrative and essential resource that we use. One of the most frequent arguments that anti-green energy people use is that green energy, especially solar and wind, would never be sufficient to actually power anything. Babcock Ranch takes this argument and proves it wrong. " We live at the beginning of an energy transition, from a world powered by fossil fuels to one powered by sun and wind" and Babcock Ranch is one of the first places to prove that it is possible for that transition to take place (Robertson, 179). A Rain Garden Babcock Ranch also takes a novel approach to handling South West Florida's water quality problem. Unlike traditional infrastructure which uses c...

 Rookery Bay There is no greater experience than visiting the place where freshwater and salt-water meet. When I was in high school I was blessed to go on a field trip through Rookery Bay. We did some net fishing to see some of the local populations of sea creatures. I was able to hold and touch a batfish during this time and it is such a unique memory that I will never forget. Rookery Bay is an essential part of SWFL's ecosystem. The vast stretches of mangrove trees provide habitats for birds and fish. Here, birds can migrate to raise their young, which is why it is called a rookery. The roots of the mangrove trees provide hiding spots for the sea creatures too. Finally, the mangrove trees themselves prevent storms and hurricanes from eroding the inland soil (Marine and Coastal Field Experience document). So, all in all, the mangroves really do the bulk of the work in maintaining the ecosystem.  In fact, it would not be incorrect to call mangroves a keystone species: "A keyst...