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 Recently,
I participated in the 2nd Coca Cola Green Leadership camp for children,
hosted by the Korea Green Foundation환경재단 (www.greenfund.org). I visited
the Yong (meaning Dragon) swamp at Mt. Daeam in Wontong,
Gangwon-do on June 9, during the camp with other children. There,
I learned the importance of our environment and how to be
a green leader.
The Yong (Dragon) swamp is located in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do. It is
a typical Korean style wetland.
It was named after the dragon because people believed that a dragon
used to live there a long time ago. Learning about the meanings of
the unique names of the places was a lot of fun. For example, Inje
means ‘still here’ and Wontong literally means a heartburn, as it is the place
for separation.
The landscape of the Yong swamp
was beautiful. Also, learning about our environment and wetlands was
quite interesting. I was surprised to learn that the 1-meter-high
peat stratum of the Yong swamp
was formed by microbial breakdown about
4,500 years ago. To my surprise, it takes one year to form a one millimeter
thick peat bed! I’d like
to learn more about highland swamps and peat bogs.
 In the Yong
swamp, there are 11 kinds of wild plants, which came from other countries.
The hogweed is one of them. It
has toxins on its stalk and if you touch it,
it can cause skin troubles. It can
grow very fast and cover the whole land very quickly. Many people
try to get rid of the hogweed because
it breaks the balance of our ecosystem. It is important
to protect our local ecological system. However,
it is also important to protect the hogweed because
it is another form of life.
All in all, I learned the
importance of our environment through this camp. I was tired, but
it was worth it. The memory of the Yong swamp
will last for a long time. I will
take an active role in being a green leader and keep the world greener! |
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