Tag: marine mammals

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Posted on July 11, 2018 by The Art of Ecology

Soooo… You may have noticed I love the ocean! Why might that be?

Fun fact for the day – Did you know that my name, Marissa, means “Of the sea” in Latin? I have fond memories of going to the beach with my parents and jumping waves with my dad. I walked along the beach; fascinated by shells. As an elementary school student, I remember going to aquariums …

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Category: Animals, Climate Change, conservation, Endangered Species, Health, Ocean, sustainability, The Art of Ecology Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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One of the things I love most about the natural world is the relationship between plants and animals.
Sunrise in the Katito area of Kenya! Yesterday, we made the 6 hour trek from Katito, where we were doing field visits and holding seminars, to Nairobi where we shall be spending rhe last few days of the trip in Kibera slums. Due to the pandemic, strict curfews are in place, so we had to leave early enough for our driver to be able to get us to Nairobi and for him to get home (a total of roughly 10 hours of driving for him!) by 8pm. This meant that we saw the most beautiful sunrise as we traveled!
The Ground Hornbill is a predatory bird that hangs out on the ground, searching through the grass for insects, amphibians, small reptiles, and even small mammals! As per usual, the males are MUCH more vibrant than the females (picture of her to come!), with his red face and neck.
Access to clean water is a huge issue in Kenya. You can often find people washing clothes, filling water canisters, and playing in the same rivers or streams that cows or goats are drinking from. Many have to walk 2-3 miles to find a river or stream that they fill their yellow water canisters for drinking. This is often muddy water that can later get boiled if needed. On top with clean water issues, plastic pollution is also a huge problem. In towns and villages, water bottles (the main source of clean water) litter the sides of roads. Stay tuned for more information about how the challenges are mitigated, overcome, or how people are working to improve clean water conditions when I return!
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