Friday, July 31, 2009

Legally in Business

I am finally legally in business! I have formed an LLC called Global Ecotec. I plan to run any moneymaking enterprises through the LLC, and save any profits to buy undeveloped acreages. When I have my first large parcel of land and hopefully a following, I plan to launch the FieldTaught seminars for people who are interested in getting into Environmental Work but do not have much experience. In the meantime, I plan to raise money by selling handmade or eco-friendly items on my website. I hope to travel to countries where there are craftsmen who are looking for an outlet to sell their goods. I would like to help poorer people of the world without exploiting them. I would buy their work at a fair price and sell it in the US, and hopefully make enough to send some of it back to the people of that region. I have contacts in Thailand, so that is where I would probably start. If anyone is interested in particular items from Thailand or other countries please let me know. Like I said the profit from this would go towards start up of the FieldTaught environmental education program. Also on this land I want to use alternative means to generate electricity (wind, solar) and could have a class on wind energy where we construct a windmill along with the associated storage facility. There are so many possibilities once we get started. At some point I may lead a group to Thailand to visit my contact's small farm. We could help run the farm more efficiently and make it ecologically sustainable. I know this is looking ahead but it is good to have goals.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Places I Have Worked Lately

I am still working at my consulting job by day and working towards getting the FieldTaught Concept together as a full time occupation. Lately, at my day job I have been performing many biological surveys all over the country. I rarely stay in the office for more than a week. Next week I am conducting Threatened and Endangered species surveys in North Florida. This is the part of the job I really enjoy and want to teach others how to get a job and do this. I took some photographs of some of the locations where I have worked lately. I am not a professional photographer. I use a digital camera and point and click.
This is a desert grassland in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona. I do a LOT of work in Arizona. It is very beautiful and it was not too hot when I was here. It was probably 75F when I started and 90F by the time I was through. There was almost no humidity, that is always nice but you have to be diligent about staying hydrated. I use a camelback (I will put one on the side bar) they are great. I use it anytime I am not really close to the vehicle.
This is a photograph of Chihuahuan Desert Scrub. It is very dry and rocky, but a good place to find lizards, snakes, and small mammals. Again, in low humidity the sweat evaporates off of your body so fast you can forget to drink water. My two best safety tips for this type of habitat. 1. HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE! 2. Always watch where you put your feet. That tip is pretty much for all habitats. If you watch where you put your feet, you will never step on a venomous snake. Some people I work with wear snake chaps, I do not, but that is a personal preference. I have worked with and around snakes for 20 years. I respect them but do not fear them, but you cannot let your guard down-always be vigilant.
This photograph was taken in North Florida while surveying for gopher tortoises. This type of habitat is similar to that of the property I plan to use for the initial FieldTaught courses. I grew up in the Southeast US and learned the plants and animals of Southeastern Forests during my BS and MS programs. I moved to the Southwest US to work on a PhD, where I learned the plants and animals of the Southwest.