Backcountry skiing with dad and sis (Mt. Hood in background).
This winter break I took a much needed break from schoolwork and did… more work? I’m not going to grad school immediately after graduating and am applying for a handful of different jobs/internships to occupy my time post-graduation. Therefore, some of my time during break was spent researching, writing, and sending emails. After Christmas, lots of family time, and my little sister heading back off for college I spent some time working at my grandparent’s house. BUT made sure to leave some time to head up to the mountains to snowshoe and cross country ski with family and friends.
When we got back to school we had what someone dubbed “Snowpocalypse 2012”. After a winter break of no snow, we finally saw some white! Followed by lots of ice. With two snow days in a row, all of us Loggers had lots of time to frolic, make snowmen, or go sledding. No classes and no homework made for a very slow start to the first week of classes. But now the snow has melted, and things have started picking up speed again.
Recently, I was able to attend an interesting lecture by Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Captain Moore is the author of the book, Plastic Ocean, which is about his research on the volume of plastic in our oceans. His presentation, “The Great Infection of the
Sea”, talked about the plastic that is accumulating in the North Pacific Gyre, due to oceanic currents and wind patterns. I was struck by his stories of fish, invertebrates, and coral using the plastic debris as habitat. During his research, he found coral reef in the middle of the open ocean, nowhere near a reef! It was really interesting to see the effect that we as humans can have on the natural world.
One of the jobs at my grandparents’ place this winter was to weed a clearing with 1-2 year fir saplings.While weeding, I discovered a few tin cans in the soil, and remembered that my grandma had told me that the previous owner of the house had used the site as a dump. As I went along, I continued to collect the trash that this family had dumped off the side of the hill. Out of sight, out of mind, right? A lot of what I found were broken glass bottles and really rusty cans. Some were more exciting like: whole Coca-cola bottles, a shoe, an old license plate, a lantern, what looked like an old stove, and various car parts.
A sample of artifacts from my archeological dig.
When I was five, I wanted to be a paleontologist. I thought it would be fun digging up bones and historic artifacts. At first I was really excited about discovering everything that was buried in the side of the hill, but I soon grew disgusted by the magnitude of garbage on this one plot. I grew up with parents who were interested in thoughtful and sustainable use of the world’s resources, so this feeling wasn’t too surprising. These morals, among other things, were part of the reasons why I chose to minor in Environmental Policy and Decision-Making. Sometimes making a difference is daunting. One of my baby steps toward making a difference is assisting other students bring the Wild and Scenic Film Festival (partnered with the Sierra Club Resilient Habitats Campaign) to our school. We’re hoping the films will inspire individuals to think about environmental and community restoration and create a positive future for the next generation.