Conversations on Conservation: Part VI

In Spotlight: Conversations on Conservation: Part VI

The hot summer day felt humid and heavy as I stepped out of my car. I looked towards the forest I had come to visit. It had been a year since I was last here. As I slowly made my way to the treeline, I noticed the temperature dropped, and the air around me got cooler. Walking past the first tree, I stepped onto the forest floor; the dirt was scattered with leaves, pinecones, and debris from a recent storm. To my left was a pile of matted leaves that the rain had swept aside. I picked up a crumbling leaf from the top and held it up high. The shape and its delicate veins were still intact. I admired the beauty and frailty of that decaying leaf. As I looked around its frayed edges, I noticed the lush green canopy in the backdrop. And peeking from behind the branches lay the pale blue sky. One particular branch came into focus, and I carefully traced its length until it attached itself to the trunk. I'm always struck by how every branch in a forest is different. Some are slender and lean, and others have aged and bent in ways only a tree can. Whether it is a part of a forest or standing alone, trees are silent witnesses to the passing of time, the changing seasons and serve as historians of civilization's past. Plants and trees also make up diverse habitats that thousands of species rely on. For instance, oak trees, a keystone species, are host plants for 532 species of caterpillars, 147 bird species, 280 species of insects, and a large number of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Furthermore, even dead oaks support the web of life; decaying wood is essential for the survival of some species of insects, nesting birds, and other organisms.

While not every habitat is a forest, I feel privileged to visit this one. I come here to be grounded by its stillness, immersed in its beauty, and be reminded that every habitat, big or small, is worth protecting.

Welcome to another edition of Conversations on Conservation, a collection of thoughtful and creative entries by our young conservationists. These aspiring conservationists are not only explorers but are also brilliant writers, poets, and artists. I am very proud of them for the hard work and effort they put into creating their pieces! Every entry I received has been meticulously researched, and the information presented is educational, thought-provoking, and reflects their passion for conservation. So gather your spirit of adventure and pack your gear carefully. You will travel the Spice Route to find the 'king of spice,' paddle across tranquil backwaters, hike through unique forests, sail the seven seas, and finally, stop at a bog!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the participants for sharing their thoughts and talents and for raising awareness on important issues related to wildlife conservation. If you have any comments or questions for our contributing artist, poets, or writers, please send those to me via email or by using the comment box on the Contact page, and I will forward it to them.

~ Past Summer Issues ~
Conversations
on
Conservation

~ Past Issues ~

ART

"Sunflowers Are Great"
Artist: Grayson M
Age: 12
Atlanta, Georgia USA

" The biggest flower of our garden " ~ Grayson. M

POETRY

The State Of Our Planet
By: Roweina Z
Age: 12
Houston, Texas USA

Endless fills of waste
Taking over our precious land
An acre by acre
A empty can of coke
As an empty world of landfills
Covering the vast area
Like an unwashed, ancient, blanket.
Read more

Bayou
By: Rania Z
Age: 16
Houston, Texas

Way past the bayou,
Before the evening chill,
There lies a crop of cicadas,
screaming for sam hill.

Way past the bayou,
The neverending heat,
It sits in your bones,
Seeps into the meat.
Read more

“What would life be if we didn’t have the courage to attempt anything”
- Vincent Van Gogh

SHORT ESSAYS

Fishing For Trouble
The unseen injustices of the fishing industry
By: Nandana A
Age: 15
Atlanta, Georgia USA

The fish that’s handed to you in the supermarket is just fish. Depending on your supermarket, you might get it pre-cut, wrapped in a neat little package, and maybe, if you splurged, with a sticker declaring it “sustainable seafood.” But you can’t wrap the other, unseen victims of your seafood dinner in a neat little package. When you read the package, you can’t see the long, bloody, often illegal trail that it takes to get this seafood in your hand. Consumers are often left in the dark as to where their fish came from, and it’s clear why. With big fishing companies raking in revenue up to the billions, seafood is a lucrative business. The global fishing industry generated 271.61 billion USD in 2018 and is set to generate 376.48 billion USD by 2025. Companies don’t want people knowing the ugly truth behind the seafood they eat, and it’s important that we change that. Read more

Witch Hazel: Harbingers Of Survival
By: Braxton B.
Age: 16
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

In the barren landscape of winter, when most vegetation goes dormant, one plant begins to flourish. Hamamelis ovalis, or Leonard’s Witch Hazel, blooms in colors ranging from a pale yellow to deep red in the heart of winter. Flowers, often associated with the spring and summer, are a rare occurrence that early in the year, making the flowers an important source of carbohydrates for pollinators like flies, moths, and some hardy species of butterflies. Leonard’s Witch Hazel is a large, deciduous shrub native to the Southeastern United States. It is an understory plant that can reach heights of up to 15 feet and grows best in areas with ample shade. Read more

Spiny Forest And Alluaudia Procera
By: Emmye H
Age: 16
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Madagascar holds on to some of the world's most spectacular biodiversity. This unique biodiversity is a result of Madagascar's location being completely separate from the rest of the world. For centuries, the flora and fauna have been left alone from the rest of the world. Join me on a virtual trip as we travel to a country called Madagascar right off the coast from southern Africa in the Indian Ocean. The southern peninsula is home to the "Spiny Desert." This desert is a deciduous thicket and is a globally distinct ecoregion. Trees belonging to the Didiereaceae family makeup 95% of the thicket and give it the characteristic spiny forest name. Trees from the Didiereaceae family are actually succulents and are often called the octopus trees due to their characteristic long slender trunks. Twenty species of this family are found in Madagascar, the most prominent being Alluaudia procera. Read more

The Sea Shepherd
By: Tanya S
Age: 15
Hyderabad, India

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society directly intervenes against whalers in the high seas across the world, and its strategy has been described by Cambridge as 'aggressive non-violent direct action'. Their focus lies in campaigning for all marine life who are endangered by criminal enterprises worldwide who engage in illegal and unregulated fishing methods. They've taken action while partnering with governments to defend whales, dolphins, seals, sharks, penguins, turtles, fish, krill, and aquatic birds. The SSCS assists governments in the "detection and capture" of multiple criminal enterprises that endanger the ocean's ecosystem. Their legal chapter focuses on "enforcing, strengthening and developing protective laws". Through their volunteer program and their association with the government, Sea Shepherd is able to take innovative and confrontational actions which benefit marine life. Read more

The Florida Torreya: A Question of Conservation
By: Abigail U.
Age:17
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Along the Apalachicola, you may see skinny conifer trees grasping at any chance of survival. These are known as the Torreya taxifolia, or the Florida Torreya, one of the most endangered conifers in the world. Upon first glance, these small conifers with deep green needles do not offer much to the great canopy of trees. However, centuries ago, this tree was considered one of the most versatile woods used for construction, and this began to put pressure on their populations. This conifer is not as robust because it faces climate pressures; however, the main threats are “pests and pathogens”. (Marinelli 6) The most deadly fungal pathogen is Fusariam torreyae, and it is known to attack Torreya trees. These “Stinking Cedars” have only “’0.22% of the population” left, thus making them a high priority conservation species. (Marinelli 11) Read more

Juneperus Chinensis
By: Jalen S
Age: 18
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

One of the most festive times of the year is Christmas, and a popular American tradition is hanging and decorating Christmas trees that sit in our living rooms. While Juniperus chinensis is not traditionally used as a Christmas tree, they share many similarities with other conifers. Conifer tree characteristic features include needle or scale-like textures, deep forestry green color tones, and having dimensions ranging from 50ft tall to 20ft wide. Besides looking decorative, the Juniperus chinensis is a dioecious evergreen conifer tree, meaning they have a male tree and a female tree. Many Juniperus chinensis can be found in the Western parts of the United States, but the plant originated in China, Japan, and the Himalayas. Read more

Pinguicula Primuliflora (Southern Butterwort)
By: Tricia B
Age:18
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Pinguicula primuliflora, or the southern butterwort, is quite a peculiar plant. For such a small plant, on average 8-20 cm tall, it manages to not only be a carnivorous plant (ingesting bugs for nutrients) but also a herbivorous one (ingesting plants for nutrients). Native to the Gulf Plain of the southeastern United States, this little flower has a lot of personality in its insect-capturing ways! While it may not be the most well-known carnivorous plant, the southern butterwort is a very enchanting plant. Read more

Black Pepper Is A Vine?
By: Rachel M.
Age: 18
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Piper Nigrum, commonly known as the black pepper, is a vining plant with red berry-like fruit, that when dried, produces peppercorns. Black pepper is used in cooking worldwide and is known as the "king of spices" due to the status and notoriety that the spice has. At some point, it had a similar value as gold and was used to barter as currency. The plant is native to southern India and Sri Lanka. The black pepper plant is monopodial, meaning it grows upward from a single main stem attaching itself to nearby trees and objects with aerial roots. In its natural habitat, it can grow to be 30 ft tall. Commonly in captivity, it grows to be 10 to 15 ft.
Read more.

If you are an aspiring conservationist and would like to participate in next year's Summer Edition please get in touch with me via the contact page.

In Spotlight: Conversations on Conservation: Part VI

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