CENTRAL LIVING BY DAVID WEEKLEY HOMES IN WINDSOR Enjoy the lifestyle you’ve always wanted in WINDSOR with a new energy-efficient home from Central Living by David Weekley Homes! Enjoy low-maintenance living in this highly-sought after location near Arcadia. Wake up to breathtaking views of Camelback Mountain in this intimate, community of 10 homesites. CALL 480-352-2584 AND FIND THE HOME YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF IN WINDSOR See a David Weekley Homes Sales Consultant for details. Prices, plans, dimensions, features, specifications, materials, and availability of homes or communities are subject to change without notice or obligation. Illustrations are artist’s depictions only and may differ from completed improvements. Copyright © 2015 David Weekley Homes - All Rights Reserved. Phoenix, AZ (PHXA69351) E . T h o m as Rd. E . T h o mas Rd. N. 4 8 th St. N. 52 nd St. 202 101 202 51 10 WINDSOR Choose from five floor plans, from 2,100 – 3,000 square feet Maintain physical wellness at nearby Arizona Canal Trail Enjoy excursions at Phoenix Zoo or delight in dining at area resorts Gather with friends at sporting events or cultural venues Page 40 September 2015 By Kaley Kalil Despite the fact that she had never before seen a shark, Sophie Boukatch, 18, found herself surrounded by the predators in the South Pacific Ocean this summer. From mid-June to early July, Boukatch volunteered with the Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project through Projects Abroad, a global volunteer and internship program. She and other volunteers and staff members stayed in a shared apartment building in the island country’s adventure capital, Pacific Harbour. “Sharks are actually very different than normal fish,” Boukatch said. “They have no bones – cartilage only, an oil-filled liver to help them float, and five gill slits.” The majority of sharks found near Fiji are bull, tiger, whitetip, blacktip, silvertip, lemon, zebra, grey reef, scalloped hammerhead, and great hammerhead sharks. “Sundays and Wednesdays were survey dive days, where all the volunteers went out on two dives a day and surveyed what fish and sharks we saw in the water at various dive sites,” Boukatch said. Mondays were reserved for working in the mangrove nursery and planting seeds. Mangroves (salt-tolerant trees and shrubs adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions) provide a critical nursery habitat for many species of fish, shrimp and lobster, as well as a refuge for juvenile sharks to hide from larger predators. Tuesdays were shark-tagging days. “When we go tagging… we scan for already tagged sharks and record the information that the tags recorded. If we caught a shark that hadn’t already been tagged, then that’s even better. We grab a DNA sample, record the size and sex, then plant the tag and release the shark back into the ocean,” she said. Thursdays were shark dive days, community days and the last day of the workweek. “So, the best day of the week!” she laughed. On shark dive days, Boukatch and her colleagues would record how many sharks came to eat their bait (sometimes up to 60!) and any special markings to distinguish the sharks from one another. Week after week, the dive group would keep track of which and how many of the same sharks returned. “I never once felt unsafe or uneasy when swimming with any of the sharks. I really did learn that they are more scared of the bubbles from our scuba equipment than we are of them,” Boukatch said. There was one night, however, when she did feel uneasy. “We were tagging [sharks] on an 8-foot boat, 20 miles off the coast in the middle of the night, and the waves were almost flipping over our boat. That was scary.” When asked what her favorite type of shark is, Boukatch responded, “Definitely the hammerhead. My first time tagging, we caught a baby hammerhead and it was so cute!” In a seemingly perplexing time where fascinated viewers rave about TV’s famed Shark Week while the Carolina shores have endured 10 shark attacks just one month into summer, Boukatch had this to say on the subject: “Sharks are curious and often think we humans are seals and would be a nice lunch. Once they realize we’re not [seals], they let go. Because of currents, sometimes there’s a concentrated amount of sharks in certain spots, and I think that’s what happened in Carolina. I personally believe the media overdid the attacks, and that’s one reason people hate sharks so much…because they’re portrayed so badly.” Boukatch added that one thing is for certain. “Sharks play a huge part in keeping the ecosystem in check. If they become extinct, the whole oceanic food chain will be altered, and that’s going to have an effect on land,” Boukatch said. So, how can you help save the sharks right here in Arcadia? “Be aware of what you’re eating,” she said. “Don’t buy shark teeth, or anything in the shark industry. Even a lot of vitamins use shark fin oil, so read labels and be aware.” Arcadia resident volunteers to help save the sharks Sophie Boukatch spent part of her summer researching sharks in the South Pacific Ocean near Fiji. WHERE’S THE NEIGHBOR?

With the purchase of any Milgard Hurry! This offer only lasts until May 31st, 2015. Offers cannot be combined. One offer per customer. See store for details. 400credit o n w i n d o w c o v e r i n g s $ receive a