Somewhere between running through the jungle after a paca and singing worship songs while in total darkness of a cave, we realized that we were learning in a whole new way. For our first installment of the three-part Tropical Ecosystems course, professor David Foster took us deep into the jungle to learn about forest ecology.
We spent the first several days of the class at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve. This was the perfect location for this course, and we were constantly learning so much about how all the different parts of the jungle worked together. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife, from the beautiful Ringed Kingfisher to the fascinating leafcutter ants. There was a lot of vegetation to observe, as well. Many of the trees had large buttresses to stabilize them in the often-moist soil, and epiphytes grew all over the trees, sending their roots down to the ground from above. We even did some night hikes to see a whole other side to the jungle!
Toward the end of our time at Cockscomb, the students all divided into groups for observation projects. Patty and Katie worked with leafcutter ants to see what kind of obstacles affected their ability to maintain their path. Heidi and Courtney examined the differences in vegetation as the altitude increased. Joelle, Ivy, and Tamryn compared the micro-habitats of a tree found in a swamp and a tree found by the riverside. Afterward, we all got to hear each other's presentations and learn even more!
Before returning to the Nab, we stopped by the Maya Center Women's Co-op. Here women can learn skills such as weaving and pottery, and they can then sell what they make through the co-op. This allows them to gain some financial stability, which in turn works to empower them. It was amazing to see a lot of quality items available for sale, and to realize the good it was doing for that community.
After Cockscomb, we made a couple of day-trips to see more examples of forest systems. One trip we made was to Mountain Pine Ridge, where the jungle suddenly turns into pine forest! It was very odd to see, and fascinating to study. While there, we stopped at the 1,000-foot Falls, which was a pretty area for having lunch and learning more about the pine forest. The other trip we made was to Blue Hole National Park. Here we explored deep into pitch-black caves, and we swam in the cold, crystal-clear water of a pool at the mouth of an underground cave system.
Needless to say, after a week spent mostly in the jungle, we were all feeling a little dirty and a little tired, so we treated ourselves to a spa night! Amidst lit candles, we had different cleansing and relaxing stations set up: home-made natural face masks with cucumber slices, citrus "squeaky-clean" foot wash, manicure, massage, and cookies and milk! We all definitely got into it.
The students then departed for their first week of internships! We had them all back this past weekend, and everyone's been doing really well and learning a lot. After one more week, they'll be back again to stay. They'll be writing their own blog entries to fill everyone in on their experiences, so be sure to watch for that!
We spent the first several days of the class at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve. This was the perfect location for this course, and we were constantly learning so much about how all the different parts of the jungle worked together. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife, from the beautiful Ringed Kingfisher to the fascinating leafcutter ants. There was a lot of vegetation to observe, as well. Many of the trees had large buttresses to stabilize them in the often-moist soil, and epiphytes grew all over the trees, sending their roots down to the ground from above. We even did some night hikes to see a whole other side to the jungle!
Toward the end of our time at Cockscomb, the students all divided into groups for observation projects. Patty and Katie worked with leafcutter ants to see what kind of obstacles affected their ability to maintain their path. Heidi and Courtney examined the differences in vegetation as the altitude increased. Joelle, Ivy, and Tamryn compared the micro-habitats of a tree found in a swamp and a tree found by the riverside. Afterward, we all got to hear each other's presentations and learn even more!
Before returning to the Nab, we stopped by the Maya Center Women's Co-op. Here women can learn skills such as weaving and pottery, and they can then sell what they make through the co-op. This allows them to gain some financial stability, which in turn works to empower them. It was amazing to see a lot of quality items available for sale, and to realize the good it was doing for that community.
After Cockscomb, we made a couple of day-trips to see more examples of forest systems. One trip we made was to Mountain Pine Ridge, where the jungle suddenly turns into pine forest! It was very odd to see, and fascinating to study. While there, we stopped at the 1,000-foot Falls, which was a pretty area for having lunch and learning more about the pine forest. The other trip we made was to Blue Hole National Park. Here we explored deep into pitch-black caves, and we swam in the cold, crystal-clear water of a pool at the mouth of an underground cave system.
Needless to say, after a week spent mostly in the jungle, we were all feeling a little dirty and a little tired, so we treated ourselves to a spa night! Amidst lit candles, we had different cleansing and relaxing stations set up: home-made natural face masks with cucumber slices, citrus "squeaky-clean" foot wash, manicure, massage, and cookies and milk! We all definitely got into it.
The students then departed for their first week of internships! We had them all back this past weekend, and everyone's been doing really well and learning a lot. After one more week, they'll be back again to stay. They'll be writing their own blog entries to fill everyone in on their experiences, so be sure to watch for that!
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