Karina Costilla

E-Portfolio Final
Review
March 1, 2015

LA Biosphere Map
For this assignment, I had four other group members. I completed the maps portion, the
corresponding document you see is my first draft. In doing the assignment I wasnt aware that
Los Angeles was the one of the biggest cities off the coast of the United States. From seeing a
visual representation, it actually hit me. I live in Los Angeles, its people crowding themselves
with cars and small living spaces. Its even hard to find parking where I live, yes its nice being
close to a city with so much cultural diversity, but at what cost? From doing this research Ive
seen an ever growing list of endangered species, Ive also seen firsthand a black bear wandering
down the street of a rural little town of La-Crescenta Montrose, CA. This is what happens when
we invade territories that once belong to an ecosystem that thrived on that land. This assignment
helped me see that our cities are destroying the natural beauties of the world, and trading it for a
fake modernized version. I do feel that Ive gained a sense of nature, which I needed badly.
Living in Los Angeles is not glamourous, its difficult, unhappy people and hundreds of cars.
Why do we do this? I rather walk up a side of a mountain to see a view than drive into a crowded
metropolis and sit in traffic on the way to Venice. I think I will continue this research and see if
there is anything I can do to help. Urban buildup is depleting our naturally beautiful landscapes.
Although it might look small on a map, this problem is much bigger to the hundreds of animals
misplaced, whom are struggling to adapt to this new territory.