December 12

Stop Animal Extinction!

Did you know the number of animals that go extinct each year is almost fifty thousand? That is extremely high. The Iberian lynx is one of the animals that went extinct recently. It is a nocturnal cat that could run as fast as 50 miles an hour. The Sabertooth cat is another extinct animal. It has been extinct for millions of years. It had a powerful jaw and could bite through bones. All these animals and more would have been good to have in the world today.

Humans are the main reason animals are going extinct. Climate change makes about 15 thousand species go extinct per year. Habitat loss is also a problem for animals. When people cut down trees animals lose their homes and have no place to hide.  Poaching is another reason animals are going extinct. People hunt animals illegally for money. The animals get hunted so much they go extinct. People try to catch poachers to protect animals.

Humans are concerned about animals going extinct. They have looked for ways to bring back extinct animals. Some scientists found a way. They have tried to clone animals. To clone an animal you need to have a DNA sample of its blood. It needs to have been collected recently. You put the DNA into another animal’s developing baby. The baby would then be whichever animal’s DNA was in it. The pyrenean ibex is a type of Spanish ibex that went extinct in 19 years ago. Scientists have tried to bring them back. They cloned a pyrenean ibex and they succeeded. A pyrenean ibex was born again, although it died minutes after birth.

I think we should try to bring animals back into existence permanently. I also think we should stop making animals go extinct. What do you think?

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May 21

Our National Parks

 

Image result for national parks

Have you ever wondered about National Parks? How many are there? What are they called? Where are they? Why do we have them? Why should we care about them? Why should we protect them? Well now I’ll tell you just read on and this article will answer those questions.

Did you know that since we are in the 4th grade we get to go to each National Park, with our family, for free? So why don’t you take a trip some time? A national park is scenic or historically important area of countryside protected by the federal government for the enjoyment of the general public or the preservation of wildlife. Commercial exploitation of natural resources in a national park is illegal.

There are 61 national parks in the United States.  California has the most (nine), followed by Alaska (eight), Utah (five), and Colorado (four). Some popular national parks include Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Acadia National Park, Everglades National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Glacier National Park, Zion National Park, Denali National, and Mesa Verde National Park.

The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act, which gave presidents the authority to create national monuments to preserve areas of natural or historic interest on public lands. The purpose of the Act was largely to protect prehistoric Native American ruins and artifacts.

All of these parks are holding onto something special. For example, places in California like Joshua Tree and Red Wood National Park are home to trees that grow nowhere else on the planet we know as Earth. Joshua Trees can only be found in Joshua Tree National Park. Same with the Redwoods. You can only see them in Redwood National Park.Image result for national parks

We can help to preserve our national parks by purchasing a reusable water bottle or replacing our incandescent lights with CFLs or LEDs. These are some other rules you can follow to help and protect and preserve our national parks so our great great great great great great grandchildren can visit these amazing places:

  • Try To Put Fewer Greenhouse Gasses In The Air.
  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
  • Walk, Bike, Carpool, or use Public Transportation.
  • Eat Locally.
  • Shorten Your Shower.
  • Use Less Electricity.
  • Replace Your Incandescent.

I hope you enjoyed this article and I hope you decide to visit a National park. I personally suggest Joshua Tree National Park. It is my favorite one because of the cool animals such as the chuckwalla. Also, the bouldering opportunities are endless. So if you like bouldering and wildlife go visit Joshua Tree National Park.

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May 1

Great Barrier Reef in Danger

Did you know in the last thirty years half the Great Barrier Reef has died? What really interested me was that the Great Barrier reefs were getting blown up to make room to fit aircraft ship. They would also blow up the Great Barrier Reef to make passageways to get through the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef.

Did you know the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world? The Great Barrier Reef is one of the largest living structures on the planet is so big in fact you can see it from outer space. It’s about 1429 miles long it provides natural habitats for over 2000 species such as shark rays, sea cows, and fish, and 411 types of hard coral. A lot of people would want to see the Great Barrier Reef before they die.

Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef is in big trouble? Global warming is one of the effects that is causing our Coral to bleach and die! It’s not just a Global warming chemicals are being dumped into the ocean which is causing The Great Barrier Reef to bleach or dies and it’s not just the Great Barrier Reef it’s other reefs to!!!

Did you know that there are things we can do to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from dying? May not know but the gas in your car is creating global warming it’s not just you, a lot of people are. This is one of the reasons why we’re having global warming. We can do something about if we can ride a bike or walk if everyone does this we won’t be having any more trouble!!

We’re saving it for a world beauty for some people it’s not like they can walk right down to the beach and take a boat to go Snorkel diving it is a world treasure for people who can’t just walk down to the beach and snorkeling with their friends no they look forward to taking a long vacation to the beach.

 

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June 15

Should We Ban Plastic Bags

Imagine yourself as a fish. You see a weird thing that is clear. You try to eat it and you suffocate. Later you become a shark’s dinner which means that the shark is now polluted too. Think of all the creatures that eat plastic and die. I think we should ban plastic, especially plastic bags. Plastic trash ends up in the ocean and can really harm marine life.  Another reason for banning plastic is all plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.

To begin with plastic trash often ends up in the ocean. Have you ever heard of a trash island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? This  island is made up of trash that is the size of Texas that is still growing in size. Trash island is estimated to be about 5,800,000 square miles!  For instance plastic bags are usually only used for twenty minutes and then begin the journey to the ocean through the sewers, because most owners of the bags just leave them in the street to be blown away into the sewers. Did you know that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic trash ends up in the ocean each year?

Second, plastic bags can be harmful to marine life. For instance in Norway 30 plastic bags were found in the stomach of a beached whale.  Plastic bags consumed could lead to death by suffocation which is very sad. Did you know that at least 1 million seabirds and 100,000 mammals die each year from plastic materials.

Third, plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.  Plastic bags are made out of a material that will release greenhouse gases when they decompose. Which is a very big core material in global climate change. The amount of trash that is burned each year in the dump will make massive impact on global climate change. Climate change will heat up the earth melt all of the ice in the world and make more water which will consume all the land in the world.

I think we should ban plastic bags. Did you know that California banned plastic bags last November? I say every state should do that. It’s easy to think plastic bags do not do any harm to the environment and can be recycled, but most don’t recycle them and put them in the regular trash or let them blow away. When you face the facts really plastic bags add to global climate change, harm marine life, and end up in our oceans or landfills. In the end you are sacrificing creatures to your benefit to live in your everyday life. Next time you go to the store think twice about your plastic bag or paper bag choice.

Photo credit: https://nuscimag.com/the-ocean-needs-you-not-your-trash-7d5967aa9e83

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June 14

Let’s end factory farms

Chickens in cages

Many chickens are stuffed together in each cage just to get their eggs.

 Have you ever heard about those factory farms that adults are always talking about? Well, I’m gonna show you why we should ban them. First of all the factory farms produce more CO2 than volcanoes and that is causing global warming. Also, It is one of the worst forms of animal abuse right next to keeping exotic animals as pets and Bullfighting.
To start it off, factory farms make about %86 of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That is like 8 times more carbon dioxide produced than volcanoes! Carbon dioxide traps heat inside the atmosphere and that is what has been causing global warming. The planet Venus’ surface is completely covered in carbon dioxide making it the hottest planet in the solar system! And it’s not even the closest to the sun! Would you like to boil alive like venus?
To make things worse it is a severe form of animal cruelty. Like in the picture above many animals are smushed together in order to get more eggs. This is very painful and uncomfortable to the animal. If you want this to stop you should say something.
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May 7

Exotic Animals Shouldn’t Be Sold As Pets

The slow loris may be cute but it does not make a good pet.

Imagine your a 2-year-old baby sleeping in your crib but then…..rah! Then you get eaten. That’s what happens when you have an exotic animal as a pet. Do you really want to get eaten by a tiger or snake? Then I suggest you don’t buy an exotic animal a pet. The pet could be dangerous or sad to be your pet. You shouldn’t be selfish to get a cool pet. They need proper care, or they can be dangerous, and it’s cruel to the animal.

Proper Care

To begin with, people don’t know how to properly take care of exotic animals, like reptiles, and let them go. For instance, owners don’t know what reptiles need like a big tank. In Florida, owners end up letting boa constrictor snakes go because they grow too big, sometimes more than 17 feet. As a result, it damages the natural ecosystem.  

Wild Animals Can Be Dangerous!

Second, exotic animals can be dangerous. It could attack you. Also, the animal is from the wild so it can carry diseases to you. Another reason is when people sleep with wild animals the animal can wake up and wonder where it is and attack you by mistake. Lastly, when you go on a vacation you can’t bring your gigantic pet and it’s not like anyone will want to take care of a dangerous animal, like a tiger.

It’s cruel to the animal

Third, people have to alter exotic animals for you to get them as a pet.  Let me start off by saying slow lorises have sharp teeth so when you buy them as a pet their teeth must be removed. It is very painful to the slow lorises. Also, slow lorises are not as happy as pets. Slow lorises could be living under unnatural living conditions when they live with owners. As a result, they can be distressed. Many die in the first year.

Movie To Reality

Additionally,  do you like the movie Finding Dory? After the movie Finding Dory people wanted their own “dorys” or blue tangs. Blue tangs need a giant tank. You also need a blue tang that costs a lot of money. As a result, the bill costs more than $3000. Next, do you like the Harry Potter movies too? After Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone people wanted their own Hedwig. Owls are very messy. Owls also need a lot of space to fly.

In conclusion, I think people should not have exotic animals as pets. The exotic animal can eat you, not have proper care or it’s cruel to the animal. Is it really worth having a cute or a cool pet for the animal to suffer? Next time when you are looking for a pet don’t look at the exotic animal and say “ I’d like this one.” Instead look inside it’s eyes and think about if you were that exotic animal not wanting to be a pet. So next time just get a cat, dog, hamster, or bunny so the animals don’t have to suffer.  

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May 7

Should Glitter Be Ban?

Glitter might look golden but it’s not.  Did you know that about 8 trillion microbeads enter the ocean daily!  Glitter is made of microbeads. Once the microbeads enter the ocean the sea life eats it. The sea life will no longer be able to live. Think about all that plastic in one fish.  And what about when we eat the fish. Its seems to me that glitter should be banned.

Micro plastics are small plastics that are found in glitter. Micro plastics go down the drain and get into the waterways and sea life eat it and die.  Did you know that glitter takes just as long to break down as a plastic water bottle and a Image result for glitter on handplastic water bottle takes 450 years to break down. Imagine that!  

Glitter should be banned from beauty products because it’s bad for your health. Glitter is in beauty products like eyeshadow and lipstick can get into your skin and that could be bad.  If your lipstick has glitter it might get into your mouth and you would have a bunch of glitter in your body! YUCK! I mean it’s like swallowing a bunch of plastic. Why would you want to do that?  If glitter isn’t going to be banned, then it should at least be banned from beauty products.

You might have thought that only food could be in the food chain, but I bet you didn’t know that glitter is in the food chain. Let’s start from from the start of the food chain.  Glitter goes down the drain and that goes into the ocean. When it gets into the ocean the fish can eat it. Then fishermen go to catch fish and the fish gets put into a grocery store with the plastic still in it!  Then we buy the fish and eat the fish. Now the glitter is in our body. It’s like eating a plastic water bottle! Disgusting!

In the end glitter should because it can harm everyone and everything.  It’s just not worth it. Some people think that by throwing glitter in the garbage it might stop it from getting into the ocean, but with one guest of wind it can blow out of the dump into the waterways, including the ocean.  You still might think that it looks so pretty sand it makes my lips sparkle, but it’s bad for your health. So the next time you think about buying that can of glitter, think again.

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May 7

The “Kill”auea Erupts


Image result for the kilauea

Although the recent eruption of the Kilauea has taken no lives it has taken many homes and valuables. Also, the poisonous gases haven’t taken lives, it has come very close. Here are some facts about why the gas is poisonous and how scientists are able to predict explosions.

The reason the gas spit out of volcanos is poisonous is because magma contains dissolved gases, which provide the driving force that causes most volcanic eruptions. As magma rises towards the surface and pressure decreases, gases are released from the liquid portion of the magma (melt) and continue to travel upward and are eventually released into the atmosphere. By far the most abundant volcanic gas is water vapor, which is harmless. However, large amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen halides can also be spit out from volcanoes. Depending on their amounts, these gases are all possibly dangerous to people, animals, agriculture, and property.

 While volcanoes may give off several warning signs they are about to blow some are taken more seriously by volcanologists, who alert and advise government officials regarding when evacuations need to take place. These signs may include very small earthquakes beneath the volcano, slight inflation, or swelling, of the volcano and increased emission of heat and gas from vents on the volcano.
Now you know a little bit about volcanoes and if you are still interested in volcanoes you can find out facts about volcanoes at livescience.com/27295-volcanoes.html 
Video Credit: Youtube
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May 2

The great pacific ocean garbage patch

The Great Pacific Garbage patch.

Floating in the northern pacific ocean there is a huge trash island the size of Texas. When you leave your trash at the beach where do you think it will end up? Did you know there are 79,000 tons of plastic that are floating in the pacific ocean! To stop adding trash to the trash island we need to start recycling. Imagine you are on a boat and you see a huge trash island with plastic, paper, bottles, cans and many other pieces trash floating by the size of Texas. Have you ever seen a turtle trapped in a piece of plastic fighting for his life?we need to bring awareness to the dangers of not recycling and littering.

Filling most of the space between Japan and California in the upper part of this gyre,  a few hundred miles north of Hawaii ,is where warm water from the south pacific crashes into  cooler water from the north. Known as the north pacific subtropical convergence zone, this is also where the trash collects.The trash island is like a galaxy of garbage, populated by million of smaller trash islands that may be hidden underwater or spread out over many miles.

The damage is that the trash island is in endangering marine life. The trash island harming and killing animals in the pacific ocean. We can all help stop the trash island by picking up our trash at the beach, to recycle, and to stop littering. People are trying to help out and tell other people to do the same thing. Once the trash island is stopped we should not start another so let’s clean up after ourselves, to stop littering and to recy

Now do you see what harm the trash island has done? Researchers have collected up to 750,000 pieces of micro plastic from a single square kilometer. The discovery of the pacific garbage patch, capt. Charles Moore once said a clean up effort “would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went.” We can all help stop the trash island by recycling and to throw away your trash at the beach. Now all of us can help marine life and to stop the great pacific garbage patch.

 

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May 2

Lets get rid of plastic bags!

Imagine an island of trash the size of Texas! That’s 268,597 square miles of trash! It’s not really a solid island but still, it’s a big blob of floating garbage in the middle of the ocean. I think we need to get rid of plastic bags once and for all. First of all bags take forever to decompose, second of all it pollutes the ocean, and finally, you have other options besides plastic bags.

It takes time to decompose

You may think that plastic bags don’t do anything to the land but they do. People throw away plastic bags and plastic trash every day. It takes about 1000 years to get rid of the plastic bags on our planet and there are 100 billion plastic bags thrown away every year. If it takes a long time to decompose plastic bags, there could be a lot of trash on our planet, for a very long time.

It pollutes to the ocean               

Another reason why plastic bags should be banned, many other bags wash into the sewer drains and end up in waterways.  Did you know that scientists in Norway found 30 plastics bags in a whale’s stomach, that’s crazy how so many plastic bags get polluted in the ocean and land! More than 17 billion pounds of plastic bags ended up in the ocean. Plastic trash is harmful to animals because the animal can get trapped in the plastic bag. It can also eat the plastic bag which can cause it to die. Plastic bags can be polluted in rivers, lakes, and farms.

You have other options

Why do people even need to use plastic bags for groceries? Khalea Jai Hoggs from India thinks, “People have other options at stores. They can use recyclable paper bags or buy cloth bags, which they can use over and over again.” Khalea makes a good point. When you go to a grocery store the cashier worker should give you only two options–a paper bag or your own bag. Although paper bags are not the best option, it’s still better than a plastic bag.  You could choose a paper bag to help the environment, or you could always bring your own cloth bag.

In conclusion, polluting plastic bags is a bad choice as it’s invading our world, and making it into the food chain. To sum up, first It takes a long time to decompose, second it pollutes the ocean, and finally, you have other options other than a plastic bag. Although paper bags are not the best option, it’s still better than a plastic bag. Where I stand, I think that plastic bags should be gone forever.

            

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April 25

Nothern lights

Creative Commons License Juho Holmi via CompfightHirvisuo

 Have you ever seen beautiful colorful lights in the sky? You may know them as the northern light but the scientific name is aurora. The northern lights are also called aurora borealis or the polar lights. In the south, they are called southern lights, or aurora australis. Is it magic or is it science? Keep reading to find out.

This natural display of lights is mostly seen in high latitude regions, around the Arctic and Antarctic. You are probably wondering how the northern lights are created? Well here is how it works. It begins with a solar flare on the sun’s surface. This solar flare breaks away from the sun and travels through the universe. This is called solar wind.

When the solar wind reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, it hits the Earth’s Magnetosphere. This collision sends the solar wind toward the earth’s northern and southern poles. These collisions result in countless, little bursts of colorful light. The color of the aurora is different depending on the altitude, amount of atomic oxygen and other molecules.

The colors are red, green, blue, ultraviolet, infrared, yellow, pink. My favorite color is the ultraviolet. This color is seen using special equipment and is not visible to most humans. The first person to capture an image of the northern lights was Carl Stormer who had to use special cameras. Now we can capture beautiful images of the northern lights thanks to digital cameras.

This really cool reaction encircles the polar region of the earth and occurs at a zone called the “Auroral oval”. One day I hope to travel to the auroral oval and see these amazing lights.

Do you like northern lights or ever heard of them?

 

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April 11

Ocean Pollution

Most of the ocean pollution begins on land. When large pieces of land are plowed, the exposed soil erodes during rainstorms and runs off. Much of this runoff flows into the sea carrying agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from land.

Plastics

The great pacific ocean garbage!

Plastics in our environment has reached a crisis proportions. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our ocean each year. Plastics of every size choke and clog the stomachs of marine animals who mistake it for food. Plastics are now entering every level of the ocean food chain and is ending up in the seafood on our plates.

Oil

Oil spills have devastating effects. Oil spills are caused by tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs, and storage facilities. Oil spills can also be caused by people who did a mistake or being careless. Oil is so toxic that it can cause a wipeout of marine animals. Marine animals that live on shores are mostly affected by oil spills. Animals who drink the oil will get choked by the oil to death. There is a pipe which holds the oil so the oil doesn’t get into the ocean The pipe is located at the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes the pipe breaks which allows oil to go into the ocean.         

Interesting facts about the pollution

  1. More than 80 percent of plastics waste in the ocean comes land.
  2. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic.
  3. In China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines were identified as the top five countries that do plastic pollution.The ocean conservancy report this in 2015.

You now know that pollution is bad to the ocean so next time uses less plastic and don’t throw trash on beaches. The trash can get into the ocean and maybe into a marine animal stomach! The marine animals who ate the trash or plastic will die! It would be sad to have all the marine animals die from plastic clogging their stomachs.  

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May 15

Littering should be stopped    

Stop Trashing My Ocean ...Creative Commons License Ingrid Taylar via Compfight

Littering is damaging the environment. The problem with littering is that it’s poisoning the environment. Garbage is making its way into rivers and oceans, which is hurting animals like sea life birds and more. It seems like trash is thrown everywhere but a trashcan! Do you know how big the problem is? Have you ever seen pictures of the Pacific Garbage Patch? It is literally a floating island of plastic trash. It swirls around the sea, and surprisingly, it’s 2 times the size of Texas!

Animals are choking, getting trapped in trash and eating plastic and other garbage. Populations of fish are dying because of trash harming them, which is affecting the food chain. If the little fish dies, the big fish can’t eat it, and it ends up not finding food, and passing away. Some trash can be wrapped around an animal, and the animal chokes and dies

Carelessness of trash getting into bad places is NOT okay. Just by letting a small piece of trash, you could cause the death of a sea animal. It sounds like that’s crazy, but it could happen. Sea animals are so innocent, you don’t want to let a turtle die? Do you?

I think littering shouldn’t be done at all no matter what. Trash you throw on the ground could be blown into the sea where a bird or an animal could choke on it, So it should be stopped. It’s already illegal to do it, so don’t! It’s meaningless to drop trash on the ground when there’s literally a trash can 15 feet away! And that’s why you should never litter… EVER.

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May 8

Invasive Species Take Over

Turtle

A red eared slider are invading rivers and lakes.

Creative Commons License Nicholas LabyrinthX via Compfight

Imagine having a new roommate move in with you, that you knew nothing about and just starts invading your home. How would that make you feel? Would that make you feel uncomfortable? Well, that is what an invasive species can be like. Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world, that don’t belong in their new environment. They can be introduced to an area by ship ballast water, accidental release, and most often by people. Invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals; destroy ecosystems and permanently change habitats. Three invasive species that have invaded other habitats are known to be the European Starling, Red-Eared Slider, and the Feral Pig.

Starling on the lough shore. Caroline Johnston via Compfight

The European Starling, invited or not? The European Starling is a bird that invaded North America in the late 1800s. A man known as Eugene Scheiffelin released sixty European starlings into New York’s Central Park because he hoped to beautify the city. Also, many European settlers freed starlings from birdcages to fill their new gardens with birdsong from home. The Starlings homeland is Eurasia, North Africa. Starlings are known as alien invaders because they come from another region, and invaders because they are taking over. In cities, starlings spread diseases by fouling on cars, balconies, handrails, and playground equipment with their droppings. In spring, they chase away shyer birds like; bluebirds and swallows out of their nesting holes. They eat the eggs and then lay their own.  In Autumn, starlings fly in huge flocks and swarm farmlands, eating up all the grains, corn, and ripe fruits. Today starlings are called dirty, noisy, and disease-spreading pests.

young wild boar

A wild pig.

Cloudtail the Snow Leopard via Compfight

The Red-Eared slider is a cute little water turtle but is also known to be a bully. Their home waters are in the Mississippi River in the United States.  In the 1970s, turtle farmers have raised red-eared sliders for international pet sales. These turtles have invaded areas like Southeast Asia, Islands in the Caribbean Sea, France, and Israel. Softhearted owners release their sliders into the wild when they outgrow their tanks. When released into nature, these turtles gobble up water plants, dragonfly larvae, crayfish, frogs, toads, salamanders, and small fish.  They bully water-birds off egg-filled nests and then spread out their reptile legs, neck, and tail to absorb the warm rays of the sun. Sliders weigh more than adult waterbirds, so they press the bird eggs underwater and drown them. In France and California, red-eared sliders threaten endangered native turtles by outcompeting them for food and by staking out the best basking spots.  

Hawaii, can it be the paradise lost land for the Feral pig? The first pigs trotted off Polynesian ships onto the Hawaiian Islands in about 400 A.D. In 1778, Captain James Cook released a pair of European pigs onto the Islands. Now large hybrid wild pigs are the most serious invasive species on the Hawaiian Islands. The homeland for the feral pigs is Eurasia, North Africa. Invading feral pigs, along with other mosquitoes, and parasites show no respect for glorious Hawaii. Feral pigs scarf down anything from snails, grain, nesting seabirds and their eggs. They eat fruiting or flowering plants and spread seeds in their poop. The pigs make a hole by digging entire trees but eat only the roots. These pigs have definitely made themselves at home in the Hawaiian Islands.

In conclusion, are all invasive species bad? No one can really confirm that invasive species are all good or all bad. Some species are clearly harmful, while others may have benefits. For example, the feral pig might eat anything and everything in sight but can also spread seeds in their poop. By the feral pig doing this, it can help the habitat with growing more vegetation. Another example is the European starling which can be a little harmful to its habitat because it can easily spread diseases. So the next time, you see an animal nearby;  you should ask yourself where did it really come from.

                 

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May 8

Tips On How To Save Water

Thirst for water

ruimc77 via Compfight


Drought Preparedness is about being prepared for when another drought comes. If  you don’t know what drought means this is the definition. The definition for drought is a period of dry weather.period of dry weather. I am also going to tell you about how to save water. Water saving is about  some weird ways you can save water.

First, we are going to talk about drought preparedness. To be drought prepared, you need to not waste water. If you waste water southern California will become a drought again. Here are some tips: You can install a rain catch system. This system can help you catch rainfall in a can from your downspout. Another is that you can have stored water. This helps you so you don’t have to use water from the spigot. You can water your lawn and flowers with the water stored from rainfall.

Next is on how to save water. Here are some ways to save water: you can use your watering can instead of the hose. You can also put in the biggest load of clothes into your washing machine so you can save time and water. You should not run water when brushing your teeth. You should take shorter showers.

Now you know how to be prepared for when another drought comes.  You also know how to save water from the above-mentioned tips. These tips should be used at all times, not just to be prepared for a drought, but also as a concerned citizen to be sure we have the water we need to survive. 

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February 22

Do animals have emotions?

 

elephants-kissing-1.jpg (550×825)Imagine two elephants that have not seen each other in 20 years and when they see each other again,  they are extremely happy to see each other. So that means animals have emotions just like people. Animals can get sad, angry, joyful, jealous or happy.

One reason, animals have emotions  is  orangutans get happy when they play with lights. They  usually slide to try to touch the lights. Same thing  with cats except they do not slide around they run around.

The second reason is a rhino can get along with donkeys because they would walk together as if they were talking to each other. Also they would eat together. So that means that rhinos can be friendly with other animals like donkeys. Rhinos are much happier when other animals are around.

Then the third reason is that chimpanzees can throw temper tantrums. In an experiment chimpanzee likes to eat bananas but if it gets a mystery food which means a food  they do not like,Also if they get a food they do not like they can throw a temper tantrum which means they can get very angry.       

And finally the last reason is a dog can get jealous when its owner because the owner would play a stuffed animal dog. Then the real dog would push it aside and tried to get attention so the owner would play with the real dog.

In addition, I think that animals have emotions because an animal could be sad, angry, joyful or friendly for example So i think that animals have emotions. Try to pay attention to your dog when you leave it might get sad or angry.

 

       

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January 29

Should We Use Wrapping Paper?

What’s your favorite holiday? Most people say Christmas. What do you use to wrap presents? Wrapping paper of course. But what if I tell you that wrapping paper is bad for the environment? Did you know that 2 million tons of wrapping paper are used each year? That must waste a lot of trees. Guess what, there are also cheaper, and also other    ways that do not waste trees.  People should not use wrapping paper to wrap presents for Christmas.

 

My first reason to not use wrapping paper is that wrapping paper is NOT recyclable. Wrapping paper is laminated which means it is covered in plastic. Plastic takes about 450 years to decompose in a landfill.

Another reason is that wrapping paper wastes trees. Wrapping paper wastes more than 3,000,000 trees each year! If we keep using wrapping paper there might not be enough trees left to take in the carbon dioxide.  As the biggest plant on earth, trees give us oxygen and  store carbon dioxide.

Lastly, is that there are MUCH cheaper ways that don’t waste resources. Here are 15 alternate for Wrapping Paper; baskets; wallpaper; newspaper; tissue paper; tins; cans; or jars; paper grocery bags; reusable fabric bags; fabric scraps; plain brown paper (butcher paper, freezer paper); reusable bags; pillowcases; maps; towels; blankets; or, scarves; feed sacks; and old calendar pages. That’s not all, there are probably hundreds of more ways to not use wrapping paper.

Other people may think differently about this topic. Some people enjoy the tradition of wrapping paper. Wrapping presents goes back to a really long time ago where ancient traditions celebrated holidays that involved giving gifts, so it kind of a tradition. People also like the designs on the paper for holidays like Christmas or birthdays. It does go with the season or celebration, but really, is it worth it?

In conclusion, wrapping paper is bad for the environment and also uses resources we can’t get back. Even though we use wrapping paper to feel festive on the holidays, it is still bad for the environment. There are hundreds of more ways we can substitute wrapping paper that are not only cheap, but also non tree wasting. Nobody should use wrapping paper.

Sources

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-wrap-presents

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/holiday-waste-6-million-tons-of-trash-to-landfills.html

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/12/15-ideas-for-wrapping-paper-alternatives.html

http://greenblizzard.com/2010/12/17/conserve-your-use-of-holiday-wrappings/               

 

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January 29

Should We Use Wrapping Paper?

Every holiday season wrapping paper Is one of the first items off the shelf, but is this cheerful wrapping really worth it? I say no!  Lots of people use this paper but there are better ways to keep our presents a surprise.There are recyclable, non-tree wasting, cheaper alternatives that don’t use 2 million tons of paper each holiday! There are a lot of reasons not to use wrapping paper!

My first reason is that most holiday wrapping paper is laminated, so you cannot recycle it! That means when you use wrapping paper, you are using resources we cannot get back. According to Ask Pablo, Treehugger, “In the U.S. an additional 5 million tons of waste is generated during the holidays. Four million tons of this is wrapping paper and shopping bags.”

Almost all wrapping paper ends up in the trash

Image result for trash   Also, 2 million of those tons is wrapping paper! Consequently 30 Million trees are cut down just to wrap our gifts each holiday season! Also, since you can’t recycle this wrapping paper, most of those 30 Million trees end up in the trash!

Additionally, People have found better and less expensive alternative ways to wrap our gifts that don’t end up in the trash! You can use bags, magazines, sweaters, and much more! Using these things you can make cheaper, recyclable,less tree using, and reusable wrapping paper!

Some people might argue that wrapping paper is a holiday tradition, but I still don’t think it is worth using up so much resources for something non-renewable.Wrapping paper wastes trees, is non-recyclable, and there are other better options. With so many other choices, why use something that is so environmentally unfriendly? To help save trees, stop using wrapping paper!

Source: Ask Pablo, Treehugger

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-pablo-holiday-wrapping-paper.html

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