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: save our oceans
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.
SEWE 2023
Over the weekend, I had the great honor of not only attending SEWE (Southeastern Wildlife Exposition) but, introducing one of my heroes in wildlife conservation, Forrest Galante!
Being invited to such an event is inspiring on its own, but being able to meet and introduce a hero of mine and a person who has devoted his life to conservation is such an experience.
Weekends like this, when people want to hear what I have to say and know my voice matters, keeps me motivated to keep making changes and improving the world around me.
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.
Southeastern Camporee
I was invited to speak at the Pathfinders Southeastern Camporee and I had the best time!
I spoke to over 5,000 kids about how we can all change the world in our own way, a little at a time. At this amazing event, kids learn about so many different things.
Being a leader is hard work but it’s also fun and comes with so many perks. I was able to try my hand at ax throwing, pewter molding, I enjoyed their water park and the blob with my brother. We should all get out of our comfort zone and try new things. You never know where it may lead!
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.
Shark kill tournament
After my last post, several people asked for more information. He is a little more about what I have learned. Not only are adults seeking out and killing as many sharks as possible but I have also learned someone is sponsoring kids and offering a cash prize for children!
Why are children being encouraged and taught this is ok? When in reality it’s a travesty.
https://www.wpbf.com/article/shark-fishing-tournament-catching-heat-florida/40478087
The Conservation Kid 