Forest Greens - The Jefferson Forest Chapter of Campus Greens
NEWS October, 13: The Forest Greens will be going to
Johnson's Orchards this
Saturday, October 15 joining the
Society of
St Andrew to glean apples for the
Daily Bread food bank.
Driving information is available here.
Members will be there between 10am-2pm. Why we're going: First of all,
apple gleaning means picking up fallen apples at an orchard that the
owners will not be using. The apples are free to the gleaners
(that's us). This makes use of an otherwise unused
resource. Second, we're feeding hungry people people, and that's
always a good thing. Third, we're making use of LOCAL food, and
one of the biggest environmental issues is food that has to travel a
long distance from farm (or orchard) to table. So, less gas will
be used to get the apples from Johnson's Orchards to the food bank
than would be used to get the apples from another state. This
chapter of the
Campus Greens is the newly established environmental
club at Jefferson Forest High School. Our Chapter is the first
high school chapter of Campus Greens in the Commonwealth of Virginia!
With this club, we hope to
promote environmental awareness and organize environmental
action in our school and in our community. This site contains the information necessary
for all who are interested in joining the Forest Greens, as well as
links to other environmental groups and our own information relating to those interested in learning
more about the Campus Greens, the Green Party, and environmentalism.
Join
us!
Mission Statement
- To promote environmental awareness in the JF and Forest communities.
- To participate in environmentally friendly activities and encourage
environmentally friendly lifestyle.
- To campaign for action by means of community recycling, conservation, and proper disposal of trash.
- To follow the goals and Ten Key values as set out by the Green Party and endorsed by Campus Greens.
Need More Information?Visit some of the websites listed on our
More Green page. Environmental Facts: Did You Know?
The American alligator once occupied all wetland habitats in south Florida,
from sinkholes and ponds in pinelands to freshwater sloughs to mangrove
estuaries. Nearly all aquatic life in the Everglades is affected by
alligators (Beard, 1938). As a top predator in their ecosystem, they undergo
an extraordinary change in body size and consume different prey items as
they grow. As ecosystem engineers, alligator trails and holes provide refuge
for wading birds and fish during the dry season, and their nests provide
elevated areas for nests of other reptiles and germination of plants less
tolerant of flooding.
Development and water-management practices have reduced the quantity and
quality of these habitats. Less freshwater moves into the mangrove zone,
resulting in higher salinities and the filling in of creeks (Craighead,
1971). In marl prairies, the historic 6- to 9-month hydroperiod has been
reduced to 3 months or less. Additionally, water levels may drop 2 feet
below land surface during the dry season. Because of these habitat changes,
alligators are now less numerous in some habitats (Mazzotti and Brandt,
1994). As Craighead (1968) declares, "probably no phenomenon better typifies
man's desecration of the southern Florida wilds than the disappearance of
the alligator through his unknowledgeable attempts to manipulate nature's
plan of watering the Everglades."
Source:
U.S.
Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet 2004-3105 |
