Bees Are The Best, Sorry I Don’t Make The Rules // Insta

This is the same advice we give to people calling the nature center every day. Great content to share around for concerned citizens. 

Since it’s almost that time of year again!

Hi! My name is Abby De la Rocha and I am the Volunteer Coordinator at the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital in Coral Springs, Florida. I was born in Puerto Rico and lived there until my family moved to Botswana when I was 8 years old. I returned to Puerto Rico when I was 16 and finished high school in Ponce. I then moved to New Orleans where I studied at Loyola University. I have been in Florida since 2006.

In this post, I’m going to tell you about Hispanic Heritage month as well as some interesting facts about Puerto Rico’s agriculture and its most precious ecosystem El Yunque.

What is Hispanic Heritage Month?

Each year, we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme- Hispanics: Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future – invites us to embrace our backgrounds, to be proud of who we are and where we came from.

Embracing the Future

The future of agriculture in Puerto Rico

Currently, Puerto Rico imports 85% of its food. This is a huge vulnerability for an island with a population of 3.1 million. For several years, my family has been involved in the agroecological movement which seeks to increase the self-sufficiency of Puerto Rico through their agricultural project Finca El Reverdecer. This movement has been largely spearheaded by young people who are eager to make a difference. I believe that by looking at our past we can create a better future.

The present agricultural reality of Puerto Rico can be traced back to Puerto Rico’s history as a Spanish colony and later as a Commonwealth of the United States. The establishment of the monoculture of sugarcane meant that many Puerto Ricans worked on sugarcane plantations. My grandfather worked cutting cane during his youth. Later, he would go on to own land that he cultivated for his own consumption. At the age of 93 he continues to enjoy getting his hands dirty on my parents’ farm.

Eventually, the sugarcane industry on the island collapsed. Its demise was due to various factors including hurricanes that decimated the island as well as policies imposed by the Federal Government. In particular, a land tax imposed in 1901 known as the Hollander Bill. As a result of this bill, many local farmers were forced to sell their land. This eventually led to mass migration from the island to the mainland. It also led to a decrease in farming in general as people did not have land to farm. Subsequently, attitudes towards farming became unfavorable, especially among young people. This is changing. Today, many small farms produce high-quality products that are sought out by individuals and restaurants alike. While still a work in progress, the path to agricultural self-sufficiency is being forged.

Celebrating the only U.S. National Forest located on an island

The El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system.  At nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. (2020) describes El Yunque, “Caressed by gentle easterly winds the forest has an average temperature of 73° F, and seasonal changes are almost imperceptible. It is the ideal climate for exuberant tropical vegetation. The rain forest is noted for its biodiversity; it is “home” to thousands of native plants including 150 fern species, 240 tree species (88 of these are endemic or rare and 23 are exclusively found in this forest). The El Yunque National Forest has no large wildlife species, but hundreds of smaller animals abound in this gentle forest, many of which exist nowhere else on the planet.”

To embrace the future, we must plan and prepare for it. Looking forwards requires us to look back at our history so that we can make sense of our present. Puerto Rico’s future is being planned by those who work the land in order to provide food for its people as well as those who work to preserve the natural wonder that is El Yunque National Forest.

If you’d like to learn more about some of the agricultural projects on the island check out the links below:

Proyecto Agroecologico el Josco Bravo

Organización Boricuá de Agricultura Ecológica de Puerto Rico

El Departamento de la Comida

Finca El Reverdecer

References:

Charles, D. (2017, May 13) How Puerto Rico Lost Its Home-Grown Food, But Might Find It Again. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/13/527934047/how-puerto-rico-lost-its-home-grown-food-but-might-find-it-again

U.S. Census Bureau (2019). Quick Facts Puerto Rico. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/PR.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. (2020) About the Forest. Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/elyunque/about-forest

Dick, D. L. (2015) U.S. Tax Imperialism in Puerto Rico. American University Law Review. Retrieved from http://www.aulawreview.org/us-tax-imperialism-in-puerto-rico/#_ftn220

https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2020/09/29/hispanic-heritage-month/

Our resident adult gator, Wally, shows off her top row of teeth with a curvy smile. American Alligators are a common sight for Floridians. Whether they’re borrowing our pools, sharing our golf courses, or sunbathing at our favorite parks, alligators are just a normal part of Florida living. Remember the best thing to do when encountering a gator in the wild is to leave it alone and put a wide amount of space between you and it. If you encounter a large, threatening alligator, contact FWC’s gator hotline (866-392-4286).

Chip, the Florida Box Turtle, is aptly named due to the chip in his shell. Florida Box Turtles are known for their unique ability to fold the bottom plate of their shell up to the top part of their shell to turn their shell into a protective box from predators. This is probably what saved Chip’s life from the predator that took a chunk out of his shell. 

Chip was brought to the SNC by a Florida resident that found him injured in a park. We do not know what caused this injury, but because it prevents him from living safely out in the wild, the SNC provides him permanent sanctuary. It doesn’t hurt that he is also a total sweetie. 

It is officially baby season at the Sawgrass Nature Center! This week alone we have taken in 36 baby opossums with the goal to release them back into the wild once they are old enough to fend for themselves. 

Those of you that follow us on social media may already be familiar with Bumper and the reason he got his name. Bumper likes to bump shoes with the front of his shell. This is a territorial display that is meant to inform the keeper of the day that they are in his home and they are only welcome as long as there is food.

Bumper is with the Sawgrass Nature Center because he is considered an exotic species. That means his species is not native to Florida.

What is Bumper?

Greek Tortoise

The Greek tortoise is one of five of the Mediterranean species of tortoises. They can grow to an average size of 5-8 inches in length, making them one of the smaller species of tortoise. Even though they have an average lifespan of about 50 years, they have been recorded to live up to 125 years in captivity with proper care and treatment.

Want to see Bumper?

Even though these guys are small in size, they require a pretty big habitat space to be kept happy and healthy. This includes lots of dirt and vegetation. That’s why if you come by the SNC to visit Bumper, you may have a hard time spotting him in such a large exhibit area. The best time to see Bumper is feeding time Tuesdays-Sundays around 11am-12pm. You might even get to see him do his famous “Bumper” display.

Does that bird really need help? 

Located in Coral Springs, Florida, and operating for the past twenty-six years, the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital (and its staff) have handled many wildlife encounters over the years. One of the incidents we and other nature centers see a lot of in the Spring are (not-so) abandoned baby birds. However, most times the bird calls we receive are not actually for birds that require assistance.

Baby birds have a natural part of their life cycle where mom prepares them to leave the nest. This means they spend a lot of time at the bottom of a tree outside of the nest. Now, because of the size and lack of developed feathers on these birds, many people see this as a sign for concern. But again, we assure you, this is entirely natural.

The last thing anyone should do when they see a baby bird is put it in a box and take it to a nature center. We know that it might seem scary to think that mom is not nearby, but parental birds are really good at hiding when they do not want to be seen. The baby that seems alone, may not actually be alone. Our best advice is to assess the situation from afar if you think there is cause for concern and call your local nature center. Your local wildlife rehabber will be best at determining whether or not the little guy is truly abandoned and needs to be brought in.

Birdnapping is more common than you might think. The Sawgrass Nature Center and many other nature centers like us, have received baby birds that did not need to be taken out of the wild. We never want to take a baby bird out of the wild for doing exactly what it is they should be doing at that point in their lifecycle. Again, as scary or unnatural it may seem to us for a baby bird to be on its own, it’s just as scary for them to be put in a box and brought in by humans.

Today was a rainy day in South Florida. Some of our resident animals were particularly enjoying this weather, including our gator Wally. Wally is a female American Alligator. Most people think of Alligators as green in color, but most have a darker coloring that enables them to camouflage better in dark, swampy water. 

NEW ECOTYPE NEW ECOTYPE NEW ECOTYPE

Wow I found an avocado just laying on the ground!

Whoops! Never mind, looks like it was a shy little friend from the order Testudines!