Being a Good Steward

As we end this course, I think the biggest thing I am going to take away from Biology is the new knowledge I have of how to be a good steward of this earth.  Sure recycling and conserving water have been key goals of mine in recent years, but actually learning and seeing the impacts our daily lives have on the environment has been a huge eye-opener.  I realize how much more I could be doing for our environment, especially since I am a Christian and that is something God has mandated to all people, to take care of the earth because it is borrowed land we are living on.  

Sustainability: The human generation now being able to fulfill their needs by the environment while not compromising the needs of future generations. 

I know that I do not want to compromise the lives of my future children by being selfish and greedy in my own lifetime.  I think sustainability is a key concept that all people and all generations must keep in mind, but sadly or independently driven minds do not seem to be as worried about future generations.

We are the stewards, God is the creator and owner.

As humans we want to be in control of everything.  But I actually find so much peace in knowing that I DO NOT have to control everything.  God is in control, He is sovereign and Almighty.  I love this about our God, that even through all we worry about, it is useless because God is there taking care of it.  Some passages I like to reflect on about being stewards and the Lord being in control are these:

Genesis 2:15-17

Isaiah 5

Matthew 25

What is Stewardship?

Stewardship is an official appointed to keep order or supervise arrangements.  A steward is also a person employed to manage another person's property.  Stewardship involves entrustment.

How great is it that God entrusted us with His beautiful creation, and knows we are capable of sustaining it?

Here are a few more appealing pictures for the eye...

Rhino sleeping beneath tree in Umfolozi :)

Indian Ocean-Umzinto Beach

Ernie the Elephant again! I love him!

Zebra in the nature reserve behind AE.

Treasure Beach Practical

Mangrove site

Wee little crab!...I forgot the name, but these were definitely fun to watch. I love the way the gather leaves!

Stilt Roots (lenticels) of the Black Mangrove tree

Community right next to huge industries. Impacts like asthma and higher rates of cancer

Treasure Beach Shore, with industry right behind it.

Propagule! Spears into soil.

Tiny seashell snail

Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

Riding around and studying in the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve was so much fun and to me was the most epic Biology practical we've had so far! My favorite part of course was riding around in the "buckeys" (I think that's the correct way to spell it...), seeing the view of the gorgeous waterfall, and sliding down the rapids of the river!

I learned a lot this day as well about the quality of rivers, the impact the surrounding areas have on the river, and what kind of creatures and critters live in the water! We were told and saw for ourselves that the river ran through a man made dam, the urban town of Howick, ran past agricultural farms, timber plantations, and plenty of inns and bed and breakfasts. Some of these things do not seem to have that big of an impact on the quality of the river, but even things like inns and hotels have a major impact on this source of water.  

The Umgeni River is the main water source for big cities such as Durban and Pietermaritzburg, so the purity of this water is of huge importance.  At our first site the water did not appear to be that bad, but our SASS score of the water came out to be 5.25 which meant the water had been largely modified, probably by many different impacts that I listed above.  We found things such as flatworms, crabs, shrimps, mayflies, dragonflies, snails, bugs and beetles.  I had a lot of fun scouring the river for these little critters, some of which were very hard to catch!

At our third site, the river was obviously more contaminated, simply because of the sewage-like smell that was hard to miss.  The river at that point was very contaminated, because it had already run through Howick. Our SASS water test score was significantly higher than the first site, even though the water all comes from the same source and river.

The sad thing we learned is that the Bisley River is a tributary to the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve and since Bisley is so polluted, it also adds to the pollution of Umgeni.

Ending the day with "super-tubing" was beyond fun, even if the water was oddly smelly and very polluted....

Fynbos & Flora

Images of flower from the Grootbos nature reserve

I am really obsessed with flowers, my father was a florist for the past 30 years and I have grown up loving the beauty of them.  That is particularly why I am so intrigued with the Fynbos Biomes, I simply LOVE flowers :)  Besides what we learned about the fynbos, I wanted to do a little bit of research on my own:

• Fynbos is a fire-adapted vegetation that requires regular burning for its persistence. In the absence of fire, fynbos is gradually replaced by thicket species. Fire in fynbos is far from a disaster, but rather a crucial trigger that resets the fynbos ‘succesional clock’. It provides the stimulus for dormant seeds to germinate and the opportunity for many annuals, short-lived perennials and bulbs to grow, flower and seed during times of abundant nutrients and sunlight (http://www.grootbos.com/en/about/fynbos/). FIRE IS GREAT!

The beautiful and unique Protea, South Africa's national flower

• The unique flora of the Cape is under severe pressure from human activities. The fynbos of the mountainous areas is generally well protected in a considerable reserve network established to ensure plentiful supplies of clean drinking water for the growing human population below.

• South Africa's Cape Floristic Region is characterized as a Fynbos Biome, and is the smallest of the world's six florisitc regions.

• The flowers of the fynbos are at great risk from agricultural and urban development, afforestation and uncontrolled bushfires. Land purchase and protection are therefore essential to safeguard their future (http://www.fauna-flora.org/fynbos.php).

• Fynbos is not only famous for its remarkable diversity, but also the beauty of many of its wildflowers.

Another picture from Grootbos

Lion King...in Real Life :)

I have to say, the giraffe has become my most favorite animal ever!

Safari. Probably one of the most epic things I will ever do, and will most definitely be the most memorable moment of my time here in South Africa.  Our Safari excursion was in the HluhluweUmfolozi Valley and I have to say I felt like I had stepped into a scene of the Lion King.  My first thoughts were, "I can't believe I came all the way from California and am now on a Safari in Africa," and, "I can't wait to see an Elephant!" Thankfully the latter came true and I got to have a meeting with the most beautiful elephant who chose to name Ernie...Ernie the Elephant :)

Ernie the African Elephant

Meet Ernie the Elephant. As we drove up in the jeep to get a better look at him, we assumed that he might just stay in the bushes and we would get or pictures there.  To our surprise he decided to emerge from the bushes and greet the random humans driving around in a jeep.  As Ernie got closer to the jeep, the rest of us got a little more scared.  If I wanted to reach out my hand and touch him I definitely could have, that's how close he was! Thankfully, our tour guide told us Ernie was simply curious, and walked over to the jeep just to say hi and that he was not an actual threat. Needless to say, I was glad to make a new friend and glad to finally see an elephant!

I am not exactly sure what type of bird this is, but I stumbled upon it walking out of our rondavels in the morning. I noticed it because of the beautiful colors, we definitely don't see birds like this in the states too often.  I think that these may also be the type of bird we saw sitting on top of the rhinos, representing the Symbotic Relationship of Mutualism.

I actually didn't get to see the lions, but the other jeeps did and I stole this picture from Brittany Weser :) I was disappointed not to have seen the lions but I was still able to learn a few fun facts about them.  I learned that their habitats are usually savannas, grasslands, dense bush, or woodlands.  They are never found in jungles or the forest.  I came to the conclusion that Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Reserve was a savanna because of the large open grass areas with few trees here and there.

2 white rhinos, and a small little birdy!

Here is the white rhino, which you can tell apart from the black rhino because of their wide-lipped mouths for grazing.  One interesting thing about the rhino is that their horn is made of keratin, which is the same thing that our hair and nail cuticles are made of.  Who would have thought something that fierce looking is made out of small hair fibers??

For some reason these little monkeys are so much more fun and cute when I don't have to worry about them attacking me...

Advice from our Creator

 Eden Garden Center Cafe, down the road from AE,  I love gardens!

God Created the Earth.

John 1:3 - Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

Everything starts, begins, and originates from God.  We must start with that attitude in mind as we respect the earth around us. 

Colossians 1:16-17 - For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

 All things were created FOR him.  This means that God created everything 

on this Earth for his glory and to serve his greater kingdom.

Everything is Part of God's Creation

Isaiah 43:20-21 - The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
If the animals honor God, how can we as humans not honor Him too. I choose to proclaim his praise

God Uses the Earth to Teach Us

Job 12:7-10 - But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. 

I love that fact that God made this earth as a learning tool, and as a beautiful picture for us to admire. I think that the animals of our earth are simple, resourceful, and intelligent which is why I think God says we can learn from them.