What I saw in the rainforest (NaPoWriMo #25)

Found on Pinterest on the board "beautiful nature" by Sarah Ulhaas

In the greenest of jungles I saw a plethora of feathered, furry, scaly creatures,
With rainbow coloured, poison spewing, gravity defying features.

Almost magical stunts I saw when walking the rainforest without a rush.
Secret superpowers of every animal hidden within the brush.

Thin rays of sun stream through dense, entangled canopies shining tiny spotlights.
I saw flower faces unfurling and shiny beetles hooked in fights.

From the sky it is endless emerald framed by deep blue seas that glisten.
I saw a sea of bark and leaves, waves stretched over a nation whose voice is heard if you only listen.

And looking closely I saw little patches in nature’s elaborate quilts.
Edges of barren palm trees where the forest vines slowly wilt.

There are little surprises beneath the sand, under trees of coconut.
I saw the growth of ‘progress’, which I fear is anything but.

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The prompt was to write with anaphora, a repeated phrase, in this case the simple “I saw.” Whenever I think about the damage that has been done to rainforests and that is still occurring today, I feel so ashamed of the human race. It is so sad to think of the diversity and history that we have lost in order to harvest some more oil or lumber or whatever to fuel our money – based society. I do think the mentality that progress is making more money is what is causing the sustainability dilemnas we are finding ourselves in. Anyway, I won’t write more on this here, but possibly in the future.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

World Heritage Sites: Nature and Culture Conservation Unite

Courtesy of famouswonders.com

MACHU PICCHU: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

A world heritage site is a place in any country of physical or cultural significance that is protected from major industrial changes. A list of world heritage sites is created and monitored by the World Heritage Programme and the UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee, which is composed of 21 state parties. The program was officially founded on November 16, 1972, with several organizations contributing to its ideas and campaign. By 2010, 911 sites have been listed, with about 700 cultural and 180 natural. Sites such as the pyramids in Egypt, old cathedrals, and the Great Barrier Reef are recognized as treasures to the whole world and humanity, and so are preserved so that everyone can enjoy them.

Machu Picchu is a creation of the Inca Empire before the Spanish Conquest in the 15^th century. It is often called “The Lost City of the Incas” and is believed to have been built for the emperor Pachacuti. It stands 2,340 m above sea level and is located in the Urabamba Valley in Peru. It is made with polished dry-stone walls, in the classical Inca style, with three primary buildings: the Intihuatana, the Room of the Three Windows, and the Temple of the Sun.

Its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. [1] The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. [1]

The estate was started around AD 1400 but abandoned a century later at the time of Spanish colonization. Although known locally, it was brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. [2] In 1981, Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary and in 1983, a World Heritage Site. In November 2010, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement in which all artifacts held in Yale from Bingham’s collection in the 20^th century were returned to a Peruvian university.

Works Cited:
1. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu

Published from Geography class 2010.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” -Aboriginal proverb (NaPoWriMo #22)

Take care of our planet
For all its little creatures
We owe them the experience
Of exploring Earth’s natural features
Like blizzards, rainforests, coral reefs
Oceans and skies of bright blue
Take care for everyone who shares this planet
Especially for those who must one day be stewards too.

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I know this one’s cliche, but I love our planet so this butterfly and rainbow thoughts just spew out. Happy Earth Day!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead