AUSTRALIA....the reason....the love....the passion

Hey World,

If you do not know me then you would not understand BUT I have been obsessed with Australia since birth. I was birthed from my mum when the song "land down under" was playing. Ok ok that is a lie. But I have been obsessed with the continent since I was in 6th grade. I had a hard time containing my excitement as I learned more and more about this amazing continent. It all started with my hero Steve Irwin. When I was a little girl I used to watch, "The Crocodile Hunter" on TV. I saw that crazy man wrestling crocodiles and talking in a really funny accent yelling, "WHOOHOOO! WHAT A RIPPER!" I loved that. What I loved more was that the man not only wrestled crocodiles but he loved them. He told the world about how wonderful those creatures are. They may be ugly to some people or ferocious but really we need to look at ourselves and see how we need these creatures and how we are connected to these creatures. His passion fueled my interest in Australia. From then on I knew it was my destiny to end up in Oz. Every year since 6th grade at least one person I knew had traveled to Australia. I got a letter from People To People in middle school saying I had the opportunity to travel with them to Australia and New Zealand. I was so so so excited I was going to have a blast with my friend Emily- but we couldn't come up with the money. I watched my friend Emily leave and she returned with a boomerang and a really cool aborigine painted bag. I remember sitting during theatre rehearsal for Wizard of Oz and looking through her pictures on her camera of this beautiful land Australia. Then there was Kyle and Will who both went to Australia and I saw their pictures on the Sydney bridge and they told me about how amazing it was and then there was Holly too. By this time I had started working at Brookfield Zoo/ The Chicago Zoological Society. The zoo became my life, it is my passion, it is my future. Everybody there knows about my love for Australia. Some even call me Aussie.  Even in PBI leadership camp they knew i was Australian Obsessed. (I even got a picture of a lady from Sydney who worked at Gypsy's) Then I started working at Australia House for a bit and my love for marsupials flourished.  I worked in Zoo Camp and met Abby who always goes traveling the world and she told me all about her times in Australia apparently I need to visit perth and I have to go sand sledding? Then my best bud Mike went to Australia and brought me a boomerang and an Australian flag, and even vegemite! Mike and I met in YVC when we were working in Stingray Bay- of course someone mentioned "hey didn't that Australian bloke die from a stingray." We both said, "yeah Steve Irwin, he was my hero." Then we looked at each other and were like.... bffs for life. The following year Julie went to Australia, She told me all about her fun times in the mountains with her cousin and some creepy run down farm with metal kangaroos. Then Isabel went to Australia last year. She brought me back a book on wombats. So as you can see over the years I have watched countless friends travel Down Under as I sat here waiting for my turn. During my long wait I have collected many Australian things from foods, to books, to posters... I even listen to John Williams. My phone ringtone is Land Down Under. During my life I have been imagining how amazing Australia will be, and how I have a secret Aussie lover who is stubborn to get directions to America, I dreamed of waking up to the sound of kookaburas and going to work at Australia Zoo. All these years of dreaming all these days of my life are worth something. All of a sudden smack dab in the middle of my life God made my dream a possibility. I met Jaryd Bray. My first thought was.... OMG AN AUSTRALIAN A REAL ONE! FOR REAL! I remember the first time I heard his accent. I was in shock. Then after a while what happened? He came to visit in November with his sister Jenna! Would you believe it that Jenna and I just so happened to have A TON in common? How crazy is that! Never in a billion years would I imagine that I would spend my birthday with some Aussies. I never thought that I would have an Australian bring me a real Akubra Hat and some weet-bix!!! My dreams were coming true. I met genuine Australians who have so much heart and are truly really amazing people. I have been waiting my whole life to meet people like them. I am so thankful for everything. It has been 10 years of hardcore saving and asking for money for birthday prezzies, graduation, x-mas, the whole deal and finally. FINALLY I have enough for plane tickets. Would you believe that those Australians invited me to stay with them??? My dream is going to become a reality folks. You may not even understand how much it means to me that I have these people in my life. I can't even really explain what I feel. I feel like my heart is going to explode.  For once in my life I can finally go on that Adventure I have been waiting for. I get to go home. I get to go to the land where my heart is. Once I get to Australia I am going to kiss the ground (I am) and I am going to dance and I am going to play land down under while driving in the car on the wrong side of the road from the airport. I am and have been secretly Australian for 19 years. Now you all know the truth. I'm an Aussie in the heart. I love the country and I haven't even been there already- but I met people from there and If I love them then I will def. love the country.  What I really wanted to say with this really long note was that I am really happy and excited and thankful. I wanted to Thank you all for your love and support of my dreams. Even some of you guys supported financially- I really truly appreciate it. From the deepest bottom of my heart Thank you. I can't wait till my Adventures Down Under. I will tell you all how it goes. I know it is a long time until then... but yes. You will hear about it and then you can be done with hearing me complain about not being able to go. Your Dreams Can Become A Reality. Just pursue with passion. xxxxxxxooooooo~Katie

Wombat Woman

Hey everybody,
I realized that I have not at all talked about some of my major projects! I said a while ago I was going to go back in time and explain them but as you can see I have not really done a good job at that. I really need to work harder on these blogs. Last year I did a study on Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats known as  Lasiorhinus latifrons. I conducted a study seeing if wombats preferred behavioral enrichment or companionship. My study ended up inconclusive due to the unfortunate death of one of my marsupial companions. I know there is so little about wombats and if they prefer to live in isolation or with more wombats in a warren.  Luckily, I met Sandy Mann from the Brookfield Zoo Women's Board, I met her at the Brookfield Zoo Women's Board Scholarship Luncheon. She happened to know Dr. Rod Wells from Australia. He is the world's most famous wombat expert. I chatted with him through emails and he told me, "We are still a long way from fully understanding the social structure however as you might expect the males are more intolerant of one another and although they may range over similar or overlapping areas they tend to use olfactory markings to space themselves temporally. This is particularly evident in the breeding season." I was very interested in this and have since done further wombat research in my free time. Dr. Rod Wells gave me a list of references of books which he had written or been a part of. I am currently reading, "The Secret Life of Wombats," By: James Woodford- it was a gift from Isabel Silverstein who was also a Science Track student with me in the YVC and she knew about my passion for wombats and got me this book during her recent expedition  in Australia. Thank you Isabel for your gift. I hope to talk to you all a bit more about Wombats and perhaps someday I can visit the land down under and do a study on them! Wouldn't that be exciting? As for now I am very thankful for my connections to the Outback and the Brookfield Zoo. ~Wildlife Katie

In Memory of Betty Settee

Betty Sette of Churchill passed away October 27, 2010. I wanted to write a bit about Betty and her impact on my life. I met Betty when I was in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada with Polar Bears International Leadership Camp in 2008. She shared her memories of her life as a trapper with us. I used to think that fur trapping was a horrible thing, but talking to her I realized it was not true. Betty was never cruel to animals, she used every bit of them after they were trapped. Betty once said, "Fur is for warmth, not fashion." Betty also spoke a lot about mother nature. Betty was so wise, she talked to my great friend and fellow ambassador Erica Wills and said, "When you walk through the forests back home, think of me. I am old now, and have only the strength to give my knowledge and love of this land to the next generation. It is up to you to take care of the earth. It is up to you." Those words will remain forever in our hearts. I will never give up Betty, no matter what hardships come across the way I am going to do everything in my power to make a difference. Thank you so much for all your knowledge and your passion. We all love you and miss you very much. ~ Wildlife Katie
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/news/memory-betty-settee

 You have taught us so much. Thank You.

Living A Sustainable Life

A “Green” Step in the Right Direction

Reporter: Katie Billing

You wake up in the morning and leave the water running as you brush your teeth, you then decide that today would be a great day to take a 20 minute shower with hot water. You put your pop tarts in the toaster, then notice that it is time to get to school. You drive to school, sit in lecture drinking from your water bottle which you then throw away. You use the handicap door on you way out of the building even though you can able to open the doors yourself.  This is your typical lifestyle. STOP right now and look back at your routine. Look at how much water you wasted, how much electricity, how much oil, look at all that energy that is burning fossil fuels and putting green house gases into the atmosphere. Your morning has just wasted a TON of energy.  Your attitude may be, “ Why should I care? What is wasting energy and why is it going to effect my life?”

Professor David Voorhees, of the Earth Sciences and Geology department, has your answers. Voorhees is a scientist that has taught geology since 2002 and has had 7 years of exploration as a geologist. He is also a man who cares significantly about your impact on the planet and how you can change your habits to live a sustainable life. 

I attended Professor David Voorhees lecture Thursday Nov. 11 at Waubonsee’s Campus Auditorium and learned what sustainability was and how to live a sustainable life. I am currently enrolled in the sustainability class for next semester and Mr. Voorhees is my professor.  I care passionately about conservation which is why this lecture provided me with further resources to use to change my own lifestyle habits and hopefully you as well. 

Sustainability is, according to Professor Voorhees, “ (When) development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” He told us that sustainability requires an equal balance between economic, social, and environment. Every aspect of those three balanced life systems known as, “triple win” has a significant impact on YOUR life. The key issues with sustainability are climate change, population and resources. Professor Voorhees further explained each of the issues concluding that there is a rapid increase in Carbon Dioxide emissions during recent decades due to the consumption of natural fuels. He also backed this up with graphs dating back to 60 thousand years ago where the Carbon Dioxide levels were no where near the current level, which is dangerously high. His most reliable research comes from the IPCC government climate change reports which dictate the exact levels of ppm in the atmosphere as well as accurate thermometer data and amounts of use in resources. We learned about the melting of the glaciers, and the arctic sea ice as well as the droughts in Australia, the Amazon deforestation, The garbage pile in the ocean the size of Texas, and the ocean acidification. Each of these issues are dangerous. The ocean acidification means that there is a higher level of acid in the water due to the higher temperatures in recent decades, the acid is killing thousands of animal and plant life including many coral reefs which contain the most diverse animals in the entire ocean.

All of this disaster is happening right NOW. There is hope. YOU are the hope because you are capable of changing this disaster. Professor Voorhees said that we as humans are the ones putting all these green house gasses in the atmosphere and we as humans can act now to consume less. The U.S. average carbon footprint is 20.4 tonns of Carbon Dioxide per year. The world average is 4. As you can see by that data, our country’s habits are the worst. To change that data we each need to do something to better the environment. It is little things that we have to do which add up to make a huge impact and difference for this cause.  We could switch to alternative energy, we can use solar energy or wind energy. Voorhees states, “One hour of solar energy could power everybody for a whole year.” We also need to be paying attention to our government, our legislation greatly effects our impacts on the environment. Writing letters to advocate causes would also be a great way to communicate with our government. Other things that would reduce waste would be to check your energy in your homes, seal any cracks, turn down the thermostat, unplug appliances at night, turn off your computer, turn off that power-strip, carpool, ride your bike, use less garbage, buy a re-useable water bottle, use a lunchbox and tupperware, compost your food scraps, take an 7 minute shower, buy a low flow shower-head, turn off the water when you brush your teeth, buy recycled products, recycle, use CFL lightbulbs, buy local, eat organic. There are endless options that you can easily change in your life. You can even start with a program available to change your habits. Check out the book, “ No Impact Man.” It is about a man who reduces his carbon footprint to zero. A little change can make a huge impact on this earth. If you change your habits you can be keeping garbage out of landfills, you can be lowering the acidity of the oceans saving the coral reefs, you can be giving ice back to the glaciers and arctic so that polar bears can have homes, and along the way you can become a healthier and better person. You can save the earth so that future generations can enjoy it. Let us not leave a horrible mess that can’t be reversed. A Native American Proverb said, “ We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Let us keep that in mind the next time we leave that water running, or that computer plugged in. 

~ Wildlife Katie

10/10/10

Hey everybody! So 10/10/10 is coming up! That means worldwide eco-friendly events! YAY so I am currently organizing a winterizing of our community garden for Polar Bears International! I will have to let you guys know how it goes! If you want you should plan your own event in your hometown! Just check out www.350.org        yes. go do it now! Talk to you guys SOON! ~Wildlife Katie

Pilot Whales in New Zealand

I was reading today on Yahoo! News about the pilot whales stranded on the beaches in New Zealand. Apparently a pod of around 120 whales were beached.  Only 43 whales survived and made it back out to sea.  Reading about these pilot whales made me really sad. Why does that have to happen? Was this a cause of climate change? or did the whales just so happen to be at the end of their lives?
 I remember watching a Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter episode where Steve put his hand on a dying whale and spent time with it as it passed away. Things like that really hit home in my heart. I want to be a conservationist and I want to go help out the whales someday. I wish I could be one of those people who coaxed the 43 whales back into the ocean. How amazing these creatures are. So beautiful and graceful. I love them. If anybody knows a way for me to get involved in whale rescue let me know. I am sure someday I will get there. I just need to get my degree first. ~Wildlife Katie

(AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Steven McNicholl) 
Citation:
"Stranded Pilot Whales." Yahoo!News. Web. 22 Sept. 2010.< http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Stranded-PilotWhales/ss/events/sc/092210pilotwhales;_ylt=AnONXQUVO_vtXh7j4JCMTniGWo14;_ylu=X3oDMTBuaWpybDd1BHBvcwMxMgRzZWMDZXAEc2xrA2ltYWdl#photoViewer=/100922/photos_wl_pc_afp/f4a354d2599e39d8bf67901eb00c31fe>.

What 2010 Brings

Hey Friends, Family, and Fans,

I am really excited for the rest of this year! I am having two friends from Melbourne, Australia that are coming to visit in November! I am really excited about their visit because as you should probably know- I am obsessed with Australia. I hope someday I can work with marsupials in the wild or have an opportunity with the Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's Zoo). I recently had a friend return from Australia and she bought me, "The Secret Life Of Wombats, By: James Woodford," So far it is a really incredible book about one of my favorite marsupials. The book also happens to feature Dr. Rod Wells, whom I happened to chat with recently about wombat warrens. I got his contact information from Mrs. Sandy Mann from the Brookfield Zoo's Women's board. I met her when at the scholarship luncheon that I attended before this summer. It is quite amazing how you meet so many people and how many connections people have! Really cool stuff.

I am also really excited for December of 2010 because I am going to California to meet up with my fellow arctic ambassadors with Polar Bears International!!! This will be our first reunion since our trip to Canada. I am so incredibly excited for visiting the San Diego Zoo, learning how to surf, celebrating new years in L.A. We have many plans and I can't wait until Christmas Day when I leave on the plane!

Well thats enough info for now. Talk to you all soon! Big Bear Hugs~Wildlife Katie