Sienna Robertson is just 13 years old but is already making a huge impact on South Florida’s marine life, which is why voters named her this year’s Eco-Hero Wild Florida winner.
Sienna has a passion for marine life, and believes the best way to protect it is through education, which is why this 13-year-old has researched and written numerous articles about wildlife for her school newspaper.
Her passion is protecting the dwindling population of nurse sharks.
“Their behavior is just so different -- it’s special,” she said. “They are bottom feeders -- their anatomy is different from other sharks, they don’t have bones, they have cartilage.”
Back on land, at Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, Sienna is the chairperson of the environmental committee, spearheading a recycling program and helping to create and maintain a beautiful butterfly garden.
“Our environment supports us, it’s what we live in and if we don’t live in a healthy environment, we can’t be healthy either,” she said.
Sienna also helped to build an intricate bee hotel -- a home to attract the small but effective pollinators that are vital to our ecosystem.
Caring for the school’s farm animals is another responsibility this eighth grader enjoys.
“We have a close connection with these animals -- we’ve known them since their birth, we named them,” she said.
Sienna will travel with Local 10′s Kristi Krueger and Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill into Wild Florida, helping us make a prime time special about the journey.