Ahh . . . What a nice relaxing day on the beach. The sun is shining, the sand is soft, the water is warm, and they even have a nice little park nearby. I decide I'll go for a little swim.
"KAWABUNGA!" I cry. Thunk. Ouch, what was that? I brush off a bit off sand to find a hard pink unknown substance."What is this?" I demand. Coral! I am standing on a coral reef covered with sand and mud!
"Honey!" My mom yells from the beach. "What's troubling you?"
"I found coral mom!"
She rushes over to where I sit. "Yikes," My mom looks disgusted. "My dear, I think it's dead."
"Dead?" I ask. "Coral is a living creature?"
"Of course it is. And I think I know how this one died."
"How?"
"Well, since humans don't think very carefully about what happens to nature, they cut down the trees around here and then there is nothing to block runoff from the rain," she pauses. "All the sand, mud, and rocks fall in the ocean and cover the reef. Once they are covered, the coral can no longer get sunlight, produce its food, or breathe."
"Wow," I say. I'm amazed, yet, upset about the dying creature."Mom, I think we should have a talk with the people who own this beach."
"Good idea."
And we do.
And now, I've heard several stories like this, most of them spotting bloody dolphins, sliced sharks, or dead fish floating above the surface. Humans are one of the biggest causes of this destruction to our reef. Notice how I say "our" reef. It is our duty to protect, keep clean, and watch over the reef, as well as the creatures who live in it. You can help save the reef by playing Whyville games and earning salary, donating clams to Whyville, writing for the Times, and much more.
And there are also tons of ways to save the reef in your community in real life. For instance, clean the beach, don't litter, or pollute, stop runoff, scuba dive on the reef with a pro supervisor, don't fish too much if you don't need it, and several other ways. You can ask your parent how you can help, search online (with parent's permission) and even look on Whyville for some tips.
I sure hope none of you have ever witnessed a reef disaster, problem, or decrease in population. And if you have, think about what happened and how you can help/prevent it.
I am irock1103 and I'm signing off.
