If you could please write a letter, long or short, about how sharks are important or impact our ecosystems, that would be huge!!! Sharks are not classified as wildlife in Costa Rica! How crazy is that?
Sharks are wildlife and should be classified as such! Together we can make this happen but legislators have to hear from the people that care!
You can email your letter to me at theconservationkid@gmail.com
But please, time is of the essence, so in the next week would be great!
One of my favorite weeks of the year! Sharks are such a vital part of the ocean ecosystem.
Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to see my hard work pay off. My friend and mentor, Jim Abernethy took me to his underwater playground which is Tiger Beach, Bahamas.
Jim Abernethy is an award-winning author, photographer, cinematographer and conservationist who pioneered shark encounters without a cage. Starting at a young age, scuba diving served as an inspiration for his life’s mission as a conservationist.
His award-winning marine life images are often featured in the world’s top nature magazines. His incredible expedition clients include many of the world’s top nature filmmakers and magazines such as Imax, National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Animal Planet, and Discovery Channel.
Jim and I share a love for scuba diving as well as sharks. I had the immense opportunity to go see where he spends most of his time. This trip was all because of my hard work and conservation initiatives. It is true, hard work pays off. This is an experience I will always cherish.
Every year on June 8, the world comes together to celebrate World Oceans Day. Our oceans are in trouble. If there’s a place I’m happiest, besides the river, it’s at the ocean. Water is life! Our oceans are a huge carbon sink, but also supplies the world with oxygen, more than the rainforests!
I have had the opportunity to enjoy time underwater as a certified scuba diver and that’s where I feel the most peace. Whether I’m diving with sharks, turtles, octopus or stingrays, the feeling is incredible!
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Conservation Kid 