Chapter 12 focuses on New Jersey and the rising sea levels. One part of Belton’s story I liked was the act that he thinks about the creatures beneath him in the ocean. I live not far from the beach, and whenever I am there this is something I always think about as well. I can’t help but think about all the fish and other creatures that are out there. Sometimes it scares me from going in the ocean, because I get nervous some kind of fish or animal with come up and touch me or ill step on them on the bottom. Reading about how New Jersey is losing their beach to erosion and the rising sea levels makes me sad to read that because of humans actions climate change is speeding up and it is going to become an even bigger issue for the future generations. Climate change is causing sea levels to rise and eventually over time will affect all these beach towns and cause the beaches to slowly disappear unless a plan is put into action. I think reading this book has overall opened my eyes to what is happening in New Jersey, because I think people always believe things like global warming and beach erosion and things from the environment aren’t effecting where they live, and if they do they aren’t that bad compared to other place, which is not true. There is a lot happening right here in New Jersey and conditions like Belton discusses in the book are taking place all over the world.
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Chapter 11 is titled “Headwaters and Watersheds”, in this chapter Belton discusses different waterways in New Jersey. He discusses the wetlands a lot in this chapter. Reading this section was the most interesting to me as I learned a lot I did not know. For example, there are four main different types of wetlands that each have different characteristics. I never realized the diversity these little areas held and how important they are to us. In this chapter Belton also discusses vernal pools a lot. Before reading this chapter, I never really knew what these were. It was interesting to read that the smallest one could even be a puddle. These pools are unsuitable for fish as they are so shallow. Many of New Jersey’s species use these pools to breed, such a frogs and salamanders. These pools are necessary for amphibians to survive in New Jersey. The overall population of amphibians is decreasing and endangered. This is concerning to read about. I didn’t even really know these small habitats were so important to certain creatures, and it has made me much more aware of how the smallest pieces of nature are important. This chapter is titled “The Biotic Mosaic” and Belton discusses the loss of habitat happening in New Jersey. He talks about a program New Jersey has to help to maintain and enhance endangered and threatened species. I thought it was interesting is that is program is funded though selling the conserve wildlife license plates. I have seen those license plates before, but had no idea that purchasing them contributed to this cause. It is good to know that in New Jersey we are doing something to conserve and protect our wildlife, even though habitat loss and building has caused a lot of disruption to many species. Another important topic that Belton brings up is how pollution also effects animals. He talks about the Bald Eagle population and how spraying lawns for insects, can end up effecting bird populations. He also discusses the effects of DDT which is a pesticide that was causing a decrease in the bald eagle population due to thinning of their egg shells, causing death and reproductive issues. It was scary to read that in the 1980s there was only one active nest of Bald Eagles in the entire state. Luckily our populations have now increased. But it is sad to think that we are ruining populations of animals due to our own human actions. |
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April 2018
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