Soil unit magazine lucy nicole louise

LUN Inc.

Soil Organism of the Year

5/29/2014

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Organism of the Year

Pg. 2

Personal Project

Pg. 9

Letter

Pg. 3

Personal Project

Pg.10

Letter

Pg. 4

Personal Project

Pg.11

Letter

Pg. 5

Letter

Pg. 5

Wild and Precious Life Pg. 6

Wild and Precious Life

Pg. 6

Wild Life & YAWP

Pg. 7

Wild Life & YAWP

Pg. 7

Pg. 8

YAWP

6

Barbaric YAWP

LUN Inc.

Soil Organism of the Year

5/29/2014

When we think of soil, we usually just think that soil helps plants grow and that it is dispensable, however it is a lot more important than one might think.

One way that soil is so important is because soil, like we all know, is where plants grow, and plants are one of the most important organisms on earth. Without plants, the whole food cycle would be completely backwards. Without plants, we could not live. If plants were unable to live, none of us would have any food.

The animals that we eat are fed with plants. Our house is made from the wood of a plant, and our fire is burned with the wood of a plant. If we had no plants, we would have almost no resources, and not be able to live. Plants are also very important because they produce oxygen, and without oxygen we would not be able to breathe.

Soil is also very important because that is where most of life’s organisms decompose. Without soil and the organisms that live in it, there would be rotting carcasses all over the place. Soil also filters water in nature. When dirty water seeps through all three layers of soil, the fine matter and dirt are left behind in the soil, and as the water goes farther and reaches the bottom layers of soil, the particles have been dispersed so much through the soil, that the water is completely filtered and fresh. As the water is seeping through the layers, some is left behind which provides water to the soil organisms and plants so that they can grow and do their jobs. Clean water then collects deep underground, and after a long period of time ,a lot of water collects at the bottom. That is why humans have access to clean underground water all around the world.

Now that we know how important soil is, imagine our life without it. The erosion and disappearance of topsoil is a global issue that is occurring to this day. Topsoil is the top layer of soil and the most fertile. It has the highest ph levels, the most humus (dead organic matter), and the most minerals, making topsoil the most important layer. If there was no topsoil plants and animals would not have the right nutrients to grow. Topsoil is disappearing because of many things that include: acid rain, or when rainfall has acids in it that build up from atmospheric pollution. Acid rain harms soil when too much of it builds up making the acid levels in the soil unhealthy, killing the animals living in the soil and weakening plants. Chemical pesticides harm the soil by degrading the quality of minerals in the soil and reducing the biodiversity of plant life in the environment.

Chemical fertilizers are one of the most effective techniques used to hurt the soil. These fertilizers harden the soil and decrease fertility, they increase the strength in pesticides, and pollute the air and water. Deforestation is when earth’s forests are chopped down on a massive and unhealthy scale. Normally deforestation results in desertification because soil is usually moist and cool, however when you chop down trees the soil is not shaded anymore and usually dries out. Desertification is when fertile land is turned into a desert and the soil turns unlivable, or when that land is no longer fertile due to the loss of nutrients in the soil.

Commodity farming has also become an issue, as over time it has increased more and more in popularity, and we know more and more about its harmful effects. When only one type of plant is grown over and over again, the soil becomes very weak in structure. The soil is then not able to support any other plants or animals, and it ruins that plot of land for hundreds of years. On commodity farms the plants are being pulled up from their roots, so there is nothing to make humus with. This reduces the fertility of the soil even more.

This forces the farmers to use lots of chemical fertilizers which are both bad for us and the environment. This method is called tilling.

Every centimeter of soil takes about 500 years to be naturally made. We are destroying our soil way faster than it is be ing formed. If we, as a society ,don’t become more conscientious about the way we are treating our soil, someday we won’t have any left.

Organism of the Year Cont.

Amoebas, which some may think of as slimy transparent blobs, actually do a lot to improve the soil. Amoebas are protozoans, and move around by moving their cytoplasm and filling it into little “arms”. Amoebas have a nucleus, complex organelles, and eat other organisms. A species of amoeba called Dictyostelium discoideum is well known for its remarkable life cycle, considering it has multicellular and unicellular stages in its lifetime. They will eat the bacteria in the soil (as a unicellular organism), and gather together with the other amoebas to form a fruiting body when food becomes scarce. Before they turn into a fruiting body, they all converge to form a multicellular “slug”, which can travel distances to find a suitable area to reproduce. The slug will then transform into a fruiting body and release its spores.

Dictyostelium discoideum can sometimes kill bacteria that fight off other non-farming amoebas with their chemical weapons. As the amoebas are carrying the bacteria, you would expect them to get sick, right? Actually, the amoebas have defensive symbionts, or partners, which fight off the bacteria, even though some of the bacteria are similar to human pathogens.Dictyostelium discoideum lives in slime molds in the soil and eats bacteria. It is thought of as the world’s smallest farmer. Discoideum earned this nickname because when food is scarce, rather than eating as much as it can, it eats only some of the bacteria and farms or scatters the rest so that the bacteria can reproduce more. This species of amoeba helps the soil by dispersing bacteria over certain areas to perform their functions that may help the soil. Amoebas keep the bacteria under control and prevent them from overpopulating. Also, by grazing on the bacteria the amoebas keep them in active growth phases. This helps the speed at which the bacteria decompose dead organic matter.

When amoebas eat bacteria, they release excess nitrogen and phosphorus, which are very helpful for plant growth and for other organisms living in the soil. Amoebas are also recyclers in the soil. They will decompose larger organisms, but the amoebas cannot use all of the nutrients themselves, so the rest of the nutrients get put back into the soil for other organisms to use. They live in the soil more often during winter and spring, or when the soil is generally more wet. This is also when bacteria thrive, due to the fact that bacteria are aquatic organisms.

The amoeba is a dedicated public service worker, and fully deserves this honor. Everybody give it up for the amazing amoeba, and have a great day!

Later in this debut issue of Soil Today you will find, much yawping and a generally good time. Read more to uncover the magic of soil, today, tomorrow, and every day.

Letters from the Editors Dear Readers, This year in the Soil Unit we learned about the purposes of soil, why it matters, and why the fact that topsoil is disappearing affects us. I remember the first day of the soil unit. I had no idea what was in store for me for the next week and a half. On the first day of the soil unit, I got to learn all of the questions that I had about soil. In my Nightly Reflection I said that Arlington Garden was “surprisingly fun and mystical�. I ended up really enjoying that first day in Arlington Garden, and hope to visit there again.

On the second day of the soil unit, we learned about victory gardens and how they could help not only our health, but also how they could bring communities together.

We also learned about the unique set of numbers that appears in nature, or the Fibonacci numbers. I thought it was really interesting how these numbers appeared in nature, and notice them all the time when I look at flowers.

During the third day of the soil unit, we learned about community gardens and broke down the mystery of the different layers of soil and how soil is made. I thought it was really interesting how long soil took to break down and actually turn into soil. As for the community gardens, I was really surprised to learn about all of the bad things put in our foods, and also, how many things corn is in. That particularly surprised me, especially how a meal of a hamburger, french fries, and a soda are all made with or contain many products that are made from corn.

On the fourth day of the soil unit, we had the privilege to go help out at a local wildlife preserve. I think that this was my favorite day of the soil unit, because of how much fun it was! Surprisingly, all we did was weed, however I felt as if I was greatly helping the plants and the soil by doing such a routine task; however, there were inhuman amounts of mustard plant.

On the fifth day of the soil unit, we took the time to work on our magazine components and worked on our propaganda poster as a group. It was a very useful and fun day. On our sixth day, we got to go around Westridge and do different tasks that are helpful and that benefit the Westridge environment. I really enjoyed it because there were so many fun things to do and really fun and interesting people to work with. Overall, the soil unit has been really fun, and I have learned so much about soil and its benefits!

One of your Editors, Nicole G.

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SOIL ORGANISM OF THE YEAR

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Letters from the Editors Cont.

Dear Readers, The soil unit, in my opinion, was really fun and a great experience. I learned so much about how important soil is, and to be honest, I usually take soil for granted. There were so many things that surprised me during the soil unit. For example, I never knew that mustard was not a native plant to California, considering you see them everywhere. Also, it was surprising to know that soil loss is a big problem. I hadn’t even heard of this problem until now, and it seems to be worse than we thought. We all just think that soil is just there, and that nothing can happen to it, but we were wrong this whole time.

Victory gardens were also very interesting to learn about. Now I think I should start growing one for my community, since I see a lot of people on the streets who cannot afford to buy the food they need. The writing activities were fun to do. I usually don’t consider writing to be one of my hobbies, but I had a lot of fun writing my barbaric yawp poem and “one wild precious life”.

I had an awesome time pulling the mustard out of the hills, despite their evil little prickly stems. We even found a part of the spine and two hip bones of an animal (I don’t know whether it’s a deer or a coyote). DEATH TO MUSTARD!!!! Needless to say, I loved it.

One of your Editors, Lucy B.

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Letters from the Editors Cont.

Dear Readers, I entered the soil unit experience expecting to be confronted with many workbook pages, and much time spent on the computer researching assorted facts that would be wholly inapplicable to our everyday lives. As it turned out, I was mistaken. The soil unit has proved to be a very enriching experience. We kicked off the two week unit with a field trip to Arlington Gardens, Pasadena’s only dedicated public garden. I had never understood the power that the casual walk could have on my outlook and mindset. Mr. Cross gave us an assignment to sit, look and listen to the activity going on around us. I positioned myself on a shady bench under a grand tree. I stared at the trunk closest to me and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw small things zooming by in patterns, zipping in and out of the tree. I studied them for a second more and discovered that they were, in fact, honey bees! Normally I would run for the mountains, but as I looked at them more intently, I discovered that they were actually beautiful. We also walked through a labyrinth, and I was able to find a kind of peace in the exercise. It was really fun to be able to connect with our teachers in a setting other than a classroom environment.

Another one of the days we had a similarly enlightening experience. We drove to Rubio Canyon to remove invasive mustard from the hillsides. Normally I regard gardening as a nuisance but this time it was really very pleasant. Rather than being sheltered and coddled throughout the whole experience, we were turned loose to romp around the hillsides, and use our energy to the fullest extent, and make an impact on the local ecosystem. I had drifted away from a couple of my really good friends over the past couple of months, and I got to spend time laughing and screaming with them away from the pressures and agenda of the normal school day. It was also immediately rewarding to see the difference we made. We managed to clear a whole hillside!

Later that day we were assigned a poem; “the barbaric yawp. “ At first when I sat down to write it, I was stumped. As I stared at the poem, I decided I should take some of the advice I gave myself in the Act of Kindness essay; when something feels very hard, to try to think of ways to make the situation feel joyful and not so serious. Inspired again by my greatgrandmother, I decided to let my mind go blank, and just think about the soil. As I remembered one particularly poignant memory, I started writing. Not self-editing, just writing. I didn’t try to make it sound poetic, I wrote it in the most organic fashion, not trying to organize my thoughts, which sometimes gets me stuck. I ended up with a page full of cramped and illegible writing. If you could see my page you would see that there was something else typed on there, so my writing started at the bottom of the page, where I ran out of room and moved to the top, and down the side, and then jumped to the other side. Even though it was hard to decipher what I had written, I discovered something about myself. I learned that it is ok to just write even though everything I am saying sounds awful, because if on the first draft I hold each sentence to a certain standard, I will never have anything on the page. I would rather edit everything I write down, than cause myself unnecessary anguish.

I love to learn about things that I feel strongly about, and soil quality was a subject that I was so underexposed to that I came into the unit with a frustration that quickly dissipated as we completed our activities. It is amazing how ignorance and spite towards a subject can so quickly turn into understanding and amazement. In the future I will come into experiences with a much better attitude and the assumption that the experience will be fun. I learned a lot during this unit, and I have even started campaigning to start a compost bin at our house. I have a much greater appreciation for the soil and soil organisms and the things that they do for us and for the world.

One of you Editors, Louise S.

Looking Everywhere Above me: the slender leaves a tree clumps together as one mass and creates a sheltering canopy orange shadows dance Before me: bees flock into their nest carved out of a tree the same tree that protects me they mesmerize me I am not afraid Around me: a soft hum coats anything green organic

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Nature’s Senses

Next to me: the St. Louis Arch we mimic the long slender stalks a sheer husk peels into a fringe we mimic the earth and claim originality

By Louise S.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Above me Is the only sense Of reality I see Leaving a trail across the sky A palm tree Swaying on the horizon line Waves at me So I will stop thinking Of my disappointing reality A lizard Rustles through the grass Reminding me How lucky it is To have a Naive principle Flowers’ eyes Stare at me softly Then leave me a gift Of an enticing aroma A rock Zestfully hunkers Under a tree And I join it heartily As a bird chirps I sit down and wonder why there are So many kingdoms on this earth

By Nicole G.

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SOIL ORGANISM

OF THE YEAR

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Dirt

Surroundings Above me, thin clouds and tree

I think all of us take soil for granted.

branches embrace me.

Dirt is a humiliating and filthy name, used to describe

Countless trees scattered across

something horrid.

the distance, Yet I am closely surrounded by gentle flowers.

Tiny bees sing their buzzing song.

How pitiful that we consider rich habitable soil as dirt.

We walk these grounds thinking of slimy worms and prickly spines, Yet we do not notice the humans in our lungs.

My grandmother may as well be on my shoes,

Slapping my face with their wings.

Scattered in the atmosphere as she gives life

They drink from the poppies.

To the flowers.

An annoying beeping of machinery

Yes,

disturbs their gentle hums as I

She is dead.

smell a blue blossom.

All dead things go to what we think of as dirt.

Sour and calming, I take in the

Even the sound of that word disgusts me.

stench while I rustle the prickly dirt beneath me.

Looking up, prickly pinecones threaten me.

Soil gives us the impression of something wet and sticky Like blood.

When I die, I will give my body to the fungi and the insects.

They dangle on a string of thread.

The bacteria and the bloody-nosed foxes.

Fiery candle flames are flickering.

I will go to the hungry plants and the darkest vultures.

They are just the orange poppy.

The tiny amoebas to the ravenous lion.

Why was I so blind?

My chemicals will melt into the soil (note that I didn’t use the word dirt), And fertilize the snow-white daisies.

By Lucy B.

CO2 will seep from my carcass, And join its friends in the blue sky.

They give life to the grass covering My headstone.

They eat my CO2 gratefully, As they release the oxygen you will someday breathe.

I do not believe in the afterlife.

This is good enough.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

By Lucy B.

A Peony’s Song My fingers caress years of history My Great-Grandma…

My Ancestors Is it fair for one substance To hold so many lives, So many roots.

My fingers stroke Where one day I will lie.

I think of my Grandmother’s peonies.

They stood so tall I could have sworn…

They touched the sky.

Don’t you remember?

You held them.

They sprouted from your body.

I looked At how many more peonies you’ve raised.

They never touched the sky like my Grandma’s, Did they?

I am coaxed to feel the soil...

To melt into it…

Wouldn’t it be easier To let it absorb you?

I lean against a tree On my right…

A small weed On my left…

A beautiful Peony The weed catches my attention.

I reach out to touch it, It stabs me.

I reach out to the Peony, And its petals are the softest I have ever touched.

By Nicole G. Page 9

Just a Little Girl

Look at me, with this clump in my hand its juices run down my arm and join with the sweat that cools my skin a pink head peaks out at me a very small head... or foot.

I slowly, carefully, stretch it, longer and longer until it pops out startled I fling it into the bushes my lips snap into a tight circle I run to see if I have injured the worm.

Twenty minutes later I pop out of the bushes.

I find I have received an empty hand a sore back and a head full of twigs in response to my efforts.

By now, of course the juices of the cargo I am carrying have slid down my sleeve ruining my cuff.

But what of the worm?

Will it ever be able to carry out its life in the rich, moist soil from where I have just displaced it?

Will the azaleas ever benefit from its gifts?

And what of the lives such a worm supported by living out its normal life?

Will I cause lives to be soiled?

So I put the dripping soil down pat it with the care I would a grave.

Someday it will be mine.

By Louise S.

SOIL ORGANISM OF THE YEAR

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Bacteria in the Soil What do we think soil is? Most of us take it for granted, considering we’ve known about it for so long. When you hear the word soil, you may think of slimy worms or brown slushy mud, right? During the soil unit, we had to test on the varieties of bacteria living in different areas of soil. For our group, we tested the different species of bacteria living in moist, dry, or wet soil (standing water). Each group was given seven petri dishes filled with a harmless material made of seaweed, that was really good food for the bacteria. As everyone began to closely examine the petri dishes and have side conversations on what they should test, we were instructed to keep all petri dishes closed except for one, which was testing the open air. My group tested the different amounts of water in the soil, the open air, and a few fun experiments. These fun experiments were testing our saliva, rubbing our fingers on the solution, and the juice from a cactus fruit. After taping the petri dishes shut, we stacked them in separate piles based on our group and set them down in a large cardboard box. After one week, we were given our petri dishes back to record the results. The results were absolutely stunning! Surprisingly, the cactus juice had the most bacteria, containing 8 different species. The dry and wet soil tests only had two separate species, the air had 7, fingers and saliva had 6, and standing water had 3. I suspected that the standing water would have a lot more bacteria than all the other tests. I also expected the fingers to have a lot more variety to them. I guess we can all agree that soil is not just dirt and worms. All of these organisms work together to make new soil and to make the habitat more livable.

By Lucy B.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

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Arlington Gardens

Before Arlington garden existed on 205 Arlington drive, Arlington Drive was where one of the most elegant houses in Pasadena existed. Purchased by John Duran, the Victorian house sitting on this property was torn down, and the major project of recreating a chateau that Mr. Durand admired. This project was so major that every piece of wood was hand carved, and a gold alloy was easily used on all of the handles, door knobs, and the hinges of the first floor. This house had 17,000 acres of free space, 50 rooms, three floors, and was said to be the largest in Southern California.

A very large setback let landscape architect to create a tropical paradise including "palms, cacti and century plants besides hundreds of varieties of flowering bushes, including roses and chrysanthemums. A hedge of Cherokee roses extended along Arlington Drive, toward the Busch home on the opposite side of Orange Grove.

A small orange grove was set out in the rear of the home, along Pasadena Avenue."

This giant home stood until John Durand Died in 1960. The furnishings and art projects were sold at an art auction, and the house was razed in 1961. Gardens are now being planted in the remaining three acres of this estate. Portions of the red sand stone are now being uncovered, and many people are visiting this site that once held one of the greatest home in the city.

By Nicole G.

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Louise Project For my soil unit project I interviewed my aunt, Sophia Shaw. She is the director and CEO of the Chicago botanical gardens. She works with soil every day for her job, and has a strong connection to urban farming. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

L. What role do you think urban farming will have over the next few decades in producing food for the american population?

S.I think urban farming will help people access to foo in the future. It will help lower income families receive food as well. I think it will increase in popularity as people learn more about the positive effects of eating organic.

L. What role will commodity farming play. Will demand increase or decrease?

S. I think commodity farming will also increase as our population increases. As much as urban farming increases it is never going to take the place of commodity farming.

L. What are you and your team doing at the botanical gardens to create healthy soil?

S. We always compost, and we have tried to reduce the fertilizers we use. We also implemented an 8 million dollar plan to improve our shoreline soil quality and prevent soil run-off. We also use a lot of organic mulches.

L. How does soil quality affect the food chain?

S. If you have good soil quality, then you have good quality plants. Plants are the basis of all life because everything directly, or indirectly eats plants. If you have healthy plants you have healthy animals. A good food chain equals a healthy earth.

“To Forget how to Tend the Soils is to Forget Ourselves�

- Mahatma Gandi

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MRS. AMOEBA ARTICLE: Mrs. Amoeba wasn’t always the gorgeous celebrity we’ve always known. She actually never wanted to be in the spotlight. “Before my fashion career, I had very low self confidence. I didn’t want to seek attention or to be the star of the show. To be honest, I was very shy and didn’t like the idea of being under the spotlight.” said Amoeba in an interview. Last week, we saw her gorgeous makeover for the SOOTY awards (SOIL ORGANISM OF THE YEAR), and she blew away the critics with her amazing silver dress. “I wanted to bring out my inner glow, if you know what i mean.

Although my sister told me that I should aim for the not so shiny look...she thought I would stand out too much. Whatever I don’t usually listen to her.”` BACTERIA DISASTER ARTICLE: Amoeba’s sister, Bacteria, disgusted the audience with her awful makeup this weekend. Some of the critics said this: “She looked as if she rubbed her face all over a wall covered in wet paint.’, “I personally don’t think she even tried”. Some thought that she may have been attacked before the SOOTY awards. “Her lips were swelled up so much, that for a second I thought she had gotten into a fight with someone.” said Nightcrawler. Bacteria received tons of horrible feedback after the catastrophe. Tweeter went wild, Instagrahmcrackers was throwing so many bad comments at her, and Facebacteria even crashed once or twice. In an interview with Earthworm, Bacteria said “I realized only afterwards how bad my makeup was, so I just want all this feedback to stop. I’m getting your message, and I apologize if I ruined the awards ceremony for anyone. I promise that I won’t make this mistake ever again.” We will continue to follow her humiliating story as it goes on, and continue to bring you the most efficient and up-to-date news every week.

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Personality Quiz