I have consistently said when I “grow up” I want to do photography & cinematography. I have been filmed several times and I love the process of sharing about conservation and wildlife. Cinematography is such an amazing way to share a message to a larger broader audience. Check out this new film I am in with Rivers are Life!
Tag: marine litter
Earth Day!
Last week, we celebrated Earth Day. I’m not sure what you did but here’s a little glimpse into what my week looked like! First, I had to plan because I knew I was going to busy.
Tuesday, I went to my nearest national park which overlooks the Tennessee River. It’s such a beautiful spot to enjoy and see exactly what I’m fighting for.
Wednesday, I went to Arrowhead Resort in Spring city, Tennessee to place 4 monofilament bins. Spoke to their owner/manager and had a very productive meeting. Later in the day I did an interview about rivers and pollution with ABC news live.
Thursday, I placed another monofilament bin at Booker T. Washington state park. I also met with my local chapter of trout unlimited and am working with them to place 8-10 more monofilament bins in heavily fished areas.
Friday, I spoke to the biology and wildlife club at University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) about my work and how every person can do something to improve the world around them for ourselves and our wildlife. After this, I went to CMC recycling which is where I recycle all of my aluminum to fund my monofilament project. (This turned out to be an awesome trip, my mom won a super cool griddle/grill after their guessing game)
Saturday was officially EARTH DAY! there was so much we could have done and joined on cleanups with other groups but by then I was pretty worn out so we went to another recycling center just to drop off a few bags of plastics for recycling then we did a family cleanup.
It was a busy week and things haven’t really slow brown and that’s ok. Keeping the motivation going to help keep our planet clean is exciting. I’ll post the link to the ABC interview below.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/earth-week-meet-teenager-helping-save-rivers-oceans-98699410
Cleanups!
So lately I have done several cleanups, alone and with others. Either way, I am making an impact and so can you. From 2 pounds to 20,000, every single piece and pound matter.
Clean up success!
Last weekend I hosted a cleanup for the new year. It was a great time meeting new people who care about our environment and our planet. We removed a little over 550 pounds.
Travel
If there’s one thing I love, it’s travel. I just had the amazing opportunity to visit Costa Rica and it was wonderful. This small country is touted for its conservation efforts over years past but now, it’s a slightly different story. While their land conservation seems to be extremely important to their people, the ocean is less looked after.
Just a week before I left, CITIES was in session and Costa Rica voted against the shark proposal. This is sad considering ecotourism is a huge amount of their income. Why are sharks still looked down upon? Why are we still not stepping up for these eco warriors who we literally depend on to keep ecosystems healthy in our oceans?
I would go back, but I hope people keep fighting for conservation, not only in Costa Rica but across the globe.
River Rescue
Every year, around the state, people join forces to cleanup our waterways. This year, I was asked to help with a cleanup and I was joined with Commissioner Salyers from TDEC (Tennessee department of environment & conservation) he came all the way from Nashville! He was with Mike Robertson, director of state parks (if you know me, you know I love our public lands, state & national parks) so this was huge. There were also so many others who can from across our state to join in.
I haven’t heard totals yet but I know we picked up A LOT! This was such a fun day and just proves, even a kid can make a difference and inspire adults.
Environmental Grant
I am so excited to say I was awarded a grant from Tennessee American Water. This funding will further my monofilament recycling project. I am hoping to expand this project into more state parks and hopefully national parks!
If you know of a spot with a lot of fishing and discarded fishing line, let me know me I will try to add a monofilament bin and address this problem.
World Oceans Day
Today, June 8th, is World Oceans Day. This is a day set aside to celebrate our ocean and it’s amazing biodiverse ecosystems. Oceans provide about 70% of the planets oxygen. Our blue planet needs help now more than ever. We just protect our oceans, land, and rivers. Without it, lire on land will cease to exist. Diving and being in the water, is my happy place. I was scuba certified when I was 10. I couldn’t wait to explore below the waves and see the animals I love in their natural habitat.
40!!!!
If you’ve been following along with me for a while, you know I’ve been partnering with Tennessee State parks. Recently, I went to Tim’s Ford, Edgar Evans & Rock island state park and now officially have 40 monofilament receptacles out! I am so excited this program is really taking off and spreading across our state. Our watersheds will be a little safer from excess fishing line and now it can properly be taken care of and recycled.
Visit to Capital Hill
Rally day for homeschoolers was in Nashville last week. This is an amazing way for young people to see how our government works first hand and I had the best day!
Not only did I see how our legislative processes work but I was able to meet with so many of my states influential leaders. My State Representative, Greg Vital of district 29 took his whole day to show me around and introduce me to some of the wonderful people leading Tennessee.
I learned SO MUCH, not only about government but our state in general. A special thank you to Secretary of State, Speaker of the House, State Comptroller and TDEC (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation) for taking time out of their busy day to have just another Tennessee kid share my love for our state!
The Conservation Kid 