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