Blue Herons On The Horizon

Hello, my name is Milo Vasquez, I am a Senior at GSU majoring in Environmental Science. I love learning about the fantastic world around us and discovering new ways to preserve and protect it. Aside from my professional interests I also enjoy a wide range of hobbies, such as gaming, reading, cooking, and traveling. I was very excited when I found out that this course included volunteer work as part of the curriculum even though I initially only signed up to fulfill my degree requirements. I have volunteered with other organizations before and always found the experience rewarding as I learned a lot and met some truly amazing people.

I will be volunteering with the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, which is located in Atlanta just off Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. The BHNP includes over 30 acres of land and represents several environments such as woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and access to other creeks, streams, and ponds. In addition to preserving these natural environments, they are also involved in several other conservation studies and projects such as tree surveys and a tree canopy study, which are important to urban development, and watershed management and can lead to reducing the urban “heat island” effect and Atlanta’s carbon footprint.

In the coming months, I hope to develop a deeper understanding of the native and high-priority plants in our urban environment as well as learn more about the invasive species and what impact they have on these areas. As an aspiring botanist myself, I look forward to improving my plant identification skills especially when it comes to tree identification. In future posts will hope to include photos and videos that highlight the wonderful treasures that are growing in our backyard and share the lessons I learn along the way.