R.E.E.F. Camp

Week 4 was a very exciting week because we got to start the R.E.E.F. Camp, which is for kids 12 and older and for those who have done the Youth Camp before.

Day 1 of camp consisted of learning each other’s names, establishing the rules and giving the kids an introduction to what doing research looks like. We had three research stations: 1. Observing and identifying different types of sand with a microscope and magnifying lenses. 2. How to do research underwater with SCUBA gear. 3. Citizen Science presentation. 

The theme of Day 2 was plastics. We took the kids to do a beach cleanup to gather plastics. After a presentation of the effects of plastic to the environment and to humans, the plastics we had collected were used to make art. 

Jarvin and Giovanna picking up plastics during the beach clean up.

The kids working on their plastic art projects.

On Day 3, we had a guest, Mariela Archer, the education director at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, who talked about advocacy and the role of Hol Chan in reef conservation. After a presentation describing advocacy and what it takes to be an advocate, the kids  designed their own advocacy campaign, which included making posters and flyers.

The kids listening as Mariela speaks about Hol Chan.

On day 4 we hosted Chris from ACES (American Crocodile Education Sanctuary) who collaborated with us to teach about mangroves and crocodiles. The kids got to learn about the cultural and ecological importance of mangroves. Chris also helped them debunk myths about crocodiles.

Emily, Renee, Gary, and Chris talking to the kids about the mangroves and crocodiles.

On this day we also got to take the kids to dinner at Fido’s where they shared their highlights of the week.

Day 5 was the culmination of the REEF Camp with a snorkeling trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley with Amigos del Mar. Some of the kids got to touch the nurse sharks in Shark Ray Alley. The kids were really happy to see the corals and to swim around the sharks. It was the first time for some of them!

After the snorkel trip with our Amigos dive masters Anthony and Jordan. 

20th Year Reunion Snorkel Trip and Celebration 

Besides the R.E.E.F. Camp, this was a very exciting week because it was the week of the 20th year anniversary of the program. Alums and professors started arriving on Wednesday, where the celebration began with a reception at the Blue Water Grill restaurant. On Thursday morning, 25 alums professors and current Smith students went on a snorkel trip to Hol Chan and Shark and Ray Alley with Amigos del Mar. Though most of us had already been snorkeling there, it felt like a new experience because of the program alumnae that were there, making the experience much more memorable. The celebration continued and culminated with a gala on Friday night where past campers and many members of the San Pedro community that have been so valuable for the program joined us to commemorate the 20th year anniversary of the camp.   

This week will be the start of the Youth Camp and we are looking forward to the next two weeks. 

• Yeiny Moreno and the STARRS Team 

Corals

This past week (Week 3 in Belize!) was our designated research week with the professors.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were our scuba diving and snorkeling days with David and Denise and Al.  On Tuesday and Thursday, we kayaked in the mangroves for Denise’s research. Emily, René, Jasmine, and I scuba dived with David.  Before we left Amigos del Mar, the dive shop, we discussed exactly what we would be doing with the corals (the practice dive last week helped a lot!) and divided into two groups.  One person took pictures of the coral mounds that fit within the square frame of a PVC pipe (quadrat) and then close-ups of soft corals for identification. Back at Smith, these images will determine the average amount of dead and live corals on each mound.  Each day we did two mounds and took about 16-20 quadrat images. Yeiny and Glenda snorkeled with Denise and filmed all around the coral mounds to get a complete image of the sampled mounds.

Emily and René with Jordan also taking pictures of the corals.

Me and Jasmine with JC taking pictures of the coral mounds.

While it seems simple when written out, these tasks were quite difficult as the current and waves moved us around a lot.  Because of that, we had to be overweighted (essentially, we had more weight on our scuba weight belts) so that we really stayed on the seafloor.  And, we had divemasters that would help us get images in case we couldn’t. For example, Jasmine and I teamed together and we had to take images in a small space in which we were surrounded by coral mounds.

Me and Jasmine at the end of our dive.

 It was very hard for both of us to be in that space so I got in and held the quadrat while JC (our divemaster) floated about me and took the images. Also, communication is limited so we bring a clipboard with waterproof paper.  We also have some hand signals, such as the “OK” hand signal for “I am OK” and a thumbs up for “I need to go up,” so we can quickly communicate. However, by the end of research week, these tasks came easily to us and we will miss being able to dive and snorkel.  

A lobster by a coral mound.

On our last diving day, our diving masters took us to a cave that was 25 ft underwater.  We had used the air tanks for research so we could only free dive down if we wanted to see it.  Emily and I tried and we got down there! It was so cool and saw so many fish (including a lionfish!).  Next to it, there was also a coral nursery.

Mangroves

On Tuesday and Thursday, we headed north to take pictures and

Me, Glenda, Jasmine, and Yeiny kayaking in the mangroves.

collect data in the mangroves.  The pictures were of mangrove propagules (young mangrove trees) above water and their roots underwater.  Then, we mapped where they were located so we can find them next year. We also made note of different living organisms, such as snails, barnacles, algae, to see if they affected the growth of mangrove propagules.  To collect these data, we kayaked out into the mangroves with a GoPro, iPad, and Bad Elf GPS device.

René and Emily collecting data in the mangroves.

Lobsterfest

Our table at Lobsterfest!

To end our successful research week, we had Lobsterfest on Saturday.  This festival celebrates the start of lobster season and a variety of restaurants have tents to give passersby a taste of their delicious lobster dishes.  We also had a table of our own to advertise our summer camp. We had coloring and face painting, and pin the tail on the lobster and a fishing game. All of the kids had a lot of fun and so did we!

Jasmine with some campers!

This coming week, we will be busy with our REEF camp for students aged 12 and older.  Stay tuned to hear all about the fun activities we will do with the kids!

– Giovanna Sabini-Leite & Team STARRS

Movie Night

We had our first movie night last Wednesday at the Lion’s Den in the middle of town! Our turn out was almost triple what it had been last year, which was really heartening to see! In total, we had about 50 children show up, and about 10 parents came out as well. We watched Moana, and though we had some technical issues with the DVD at the start, Glenda and Emily came through and fixed them. The kids had a lot of fun! Most of them had seen Moana before and knew all the musical numbers by heart, so when they started playing, the whole crowd would belt the songs along with the characters. At the end of the movie, we handed out about 40 flyers for Coral Ed camp! Overall, I would say that movie night was incredibly successful.

Inland Trip

On Friday afternoon, we set out to Sarteneja and arrived at Shipstern Conservation and Management Area which is managed by the Corozal Sustainable Forestry Initiative (CSFI). We were able to hear from Abner Quevedo (the program manager for tourism) about the kind of work that CSFI does in the surrounding local communities. We learned that they are very involved in the process of maintaining the forest as a protected area, and are building understanding with each of the community groups that live in the surrounding area around sustainability, conservation, and our duty to protect the ecosystem.  In his words “without the jungle, without the trees and the birds and the wildlife, we cannot survive.” On Saturday, we had the privilege of visiting some of the community members involved in conservation efforts. We started out the morning learning about the indigenous Maya influence in Belize and the agriculture and harvesting practices that the Maya practiced for over 500 years. Next, we visited a Mennonite community and gained perspective about their way of life and values in order to understand why it is so difficult to communicate with them about issues of sustainability and community development. Lastly, we visited a manatee and primate rehabilitation and restoration group called Wild Tracks and learned about their efforts to raise public awareness about the illegal pet trade of monkeys, and to care for manatees and primates which have been injured or abused by humans, or displaced by natural disasters. The tour was extremely illuminating, as Abner and Ermilo (our tour guides) were extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer any and all of our questions!

Preparations for Research Week

Finally, we have been preparing for research week which started today (Monday 17). The professors landed last Wednesday, and since then, we have been practicing our skills at snorkeling and diving at Mexico Rocks, as well as employing research methods such as laying transects, placing the scale bars, identifying soft corals, and getting comfortable working underwater! It has been quite the experience, both difficult and also beautiful. So far, we have taken three trips to Hol Chan and have seen nurse sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, southern rays, a vast number of fish (including pufferfish, parrotfish, damselfish, angelfish, snapper, etc), a great variety of corals, sea urchins and nudibranchs! Here are some of our favorite pictures from under the sea.

-René & Team STARRS