From there, we walked down the board walk into a screened in area. My first thoughts were we going into a butterfly sanctuary. However, I learned about land management. My professor and his intern discussed how our waste has to go somewhere. So what this part of the sanctuary did was convert it into a source for the plants, etc. The catch is, that when the plants were cut and maintained, they had to be treated just as needles in the doctors office are. They are a bio hazard and had to be dispersed in such a manner.
After spending some time we observed our surroundings. It was so rejuvenating being out there. The air smelled so clean. Everything was vibrant and growing. It didn't look dead, or manicured like lots of properties I pass in my area. Yes, the deer flies were irritating, and had a good little bite to them. But the scenes I took in and animals I saw made up for the pesky insects.
Walking down the board walk we passed over a marsh. We stopped and looked and in the marsh was an enormous alligator. I was stunned, I still am. I have never seen an alligator that large (besides the one they have in captivity at Busch Gardens) and especially so in its natural habitat. It was really cool because I got see it open its mouth and spring forward. I strongly believed that the egret nearby was going to become a snack. Shortly after that, a red shouldered hawk landed on a nearby branch. My professor informed us of how rare that is. It was very exciting. The hawk sat there just watch us before it swooped down.
When I arrived, all I thought about was how I hoped to spot some animals. Instead, I felt at peace being out there. Everything was quiet and fresh. It was as if there were no such thing as wild fires or major land developments occurring all over.
The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown
I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright. ~Henry David Thoreau
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