I’ve gone diving once, and it was very exciting but also a little scary. First off, the water is super cold! I wore a wetsuit, but I still felt pretty chilly. It was also hard to stay underwater long enough to smash a lot of the urchins. I’m proud of myself for trying, but I’m not sure I’m going to go diving again any time soon. On the first day I went, the team smashed a total of 4,490 urchins! The next time I helped out from the shore. I was in charge of making waffles for everyone. Norwegian waffles are super tasty, so they are the perfect snack to warm you up after diving in the cold fjord. It was great to be out on the water spending some time taking care of an awesome environment.
One last project I’m involved in is the “Bioblitz” project. This project is trying to map the biodiversity around Tromsø’s forests. Biodiversity describes the different kinds of life--both animals and plants--that you can find in an area. In order to preserve a forest and convince some people of its importance, you need to know what kind of species live there. As the snow melts and life comes back to the area in the spring we’re going to go into the forests and track all the species we see and where we see them. We are also doing workshops with local experts to learn more about the cool species we can find in the area, and we're building nest boxes for birds in the forest.
I’m really glad that I’ve found a way to give back to the environments that have given so much to me in Tromsø. I’ve met a lot of cool people through volunteering, and I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the beauty that nature has to offer. How can you help the environments that surround you back home?
