Back on the Island

I'm back in Manhattan while the class finishes it's final days in Punta Cana.

I'm grateful for the time I got to spend with all of you in the DR and hope your last days are wonderful despite the food frustrations, sunburns, and bouts of stomach upset. I so love being with a new group of people that are excited about learning and the environment and who are thoughtful about the new experiences and ideas.

It's a bit shocking to go from Punta Cana - land of bright sun, blue green seas, starry nights, exotic flora and fauna, and warm natural architecture -to the industrial greys, brick oranges, busy streets and artificial lights of the city.

The best part of being back? Cold, clean, NYC water! (that I can drink without having to throw away endless plastic bottles). Thank you to the Big Apple for the wonderful H20.

school trips and coffee

Not only have I learned a lot about Dominican Republic's ecology and the environment in general, such as; marshes can be a natural way to purify water. I have also been learning a lot about my environment in New York. For example, I have learned that there is a water purification site on 145 street and riverside park, NY; there are bat tours in Prospect Park, Brooklyn given by Paul Klein; the train station on Stillwell Avenue Coney Island, Brooklyn is solar powered; and lastlyChrissy, our amazing instructor, with a plethora of knowledge works at the botanical gardens in the Bronx.

I hope to bring these discoveries back to my classroom and share them with my students. I plan on making trips to some of these locations so that my students and I can become more consciously aware of the environment we live in and what is necessary to help maintain it.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this learning process is that is done while sipping delicious "Santo Domingo" coffee. The coffee is as rich in body and flavor as "Cafe Bustelo" but "Santo Domingo" coffee is a bit sweeter. Even though I prefer a more bitter tasting coffee and Bustelo is my coffee of choice back in the US, drinking "SD" coffee has made our lectures an even more delightful experience.

Messy Science

One of the things that Chrissy said in lecture has been sort of echoing in my mind - although we really try hard to create these charts and graphs and rules and organizing shemes (like Kingdom, Phylum, etc.), nature can not be placed neatly in a box. As Ritchie and I do our project, looking at the color of hermit crab shells and the color of their background where they move and rest to see if there is a correlation - if they are somehow camouflaging themselves such that crabs with light colored shells tend to spend more time in light colored areas and if crabs with dark colored shells spend more time in dark colored areas - the messiness of science is something with which I find myself grappling. For example, distinguishing the colors of the backgrounds of the crabs, asking questions like "Is that dark sand or light sand?" and "If the hermit crab was on light sand but was mostly hidden underneath a dark leaft, what color is the background?" Also, with the colors of the shells themselves - some are clearly light or dark, but many require some thinking and more tough questions: "Is that dark grey or light grey?" and "What about that shell there that's sort of half black and half white?" Also, are we not seeing as many resting crabs because they tend to move when we get near, or is it just that the moving crabs are easier to spot? Regardless of the messiness, I have to say that I'm enjoying the data collection process - we go out early in the morning and late at night, thus avoiding the sun at its hottest and freeing up our mornings after we finish in the field, and the hermit crabs are just plain cool. I'm enjoying watching them in action and it motivates me to ask more questions on my own about what exactly they eat, how and when they mate, who their predators are, what their relationships among each other are like, etc.

What I'm taking from this

Blog Posting #2

This experience has been quite enjoyable and educational. It may be hard to believe that while hanging out at such a beautiful place I could also be doing valuable work towards a future as an environmental educator, I actually believe that I am. I'll lsit the ways:

1. Reviewing the basics of ecology. I had learned about the role of populations in creating the structure of ecosystems, the roles of producers, consumers and decomposers in the biological movement of energy and material, but it had been a while. Thanks to the extremely clear lecture and powerpoints of Professor Colon and the clarity of the readings (especially the one from Miller’s textbook) I would definitely feel comfortable teaching this material to a class.

2. Practicing a skill: nature journaling. I’ve only done two so far, but I really liked them. It’s a great mix of learning styles and a nice compromise between work that is teacher-centered (there’s a clear thought process behind the structure of the assignment) and student centered (as the student, you pick your own site and what you want to focus on). All in all, it’s a terrific way to experience an ecosystem and generate ideas for field study. Which leads me to…

3. Getting experience in the construction of field studies and experiments. This has probably been the best thing so far. I don’t think I’ve done anything like this since 8^th grade. It's been very thought-provoking and, again, I would now feel comfortable leading students through an experience like this. It's also a nice reminder of how inexact the basis of our knowledge really is. Facts aren't there unless we go and find them, conclusions can be very sloppy unless we hold ourselves to high standards. It’s up to us in each generation to remember how fragile understanding is and to reestablish knowledge for ourselves, not to mention to pass it on to the next generation. I do think I should include some of this kind of work in the Environmental History and Policy class I’m planning.

4. A nice period of focus on environmental policy in today’s class with the it’s viewing of Inconvenient Truth. I will definitely use that film as the basis for a unit in the class, both because of what it does so well (convince the audience that global climate change is an enormous problem) and because of what it doesn’t do (provide much a policy blueprint). It would be both the basis of a good test on the film's content and the springboard for a powerful debate on what to do about the problem.

5. Developing contacts to pursue the related issues of constructing the environmental policy course, getting help with the advising of the garden club, developing a stronger model of “green schooling” for Poly to pursue and, in general, furthering my own professional development.

All in all, it’s been a pretty fruitful way for me to spend my time.

Second Day Thoughts

(Apologies for the delay in getting this one on-line...)

Blog Entry #1

It’s hard to believe that we’ve only been here for two full days. It’s an easy place to adjust to. Everything is absurdly beautiful and quite luxurious. We were met at the airport and whisked here directly, setting the standard for the over-the-top ease of existence that I’m afraid the group seems to be adjusting to quite easily. With the gorgeous Caribbean views, the many available activities (some at additional prices), the possibility of establishing an exchange trip here for Poly students and the continual intellectual stimulation (to borrow a phrase from the Brady Bunch) it’s easy to feel that one has stumbled into a pretty sweet situation. And all the people are great (fun, smart, easy to talk to) which has not always been the case on past “teacher trips.”

However, there is something (genetic?) that always makes me look for the dark cloud over any silver lined experience. In this case, it has been the Punta Cana Resort and Club’s claims of sustainability in their operations. I do see some significant gestures that have been made. Clearly there is sacrifice and altruism (as well as some self-interest) in the resort’s choice to establish schools that all their employees can attend, so one feels that the Kheel family, at least, are genuinely moral people. And they have stated, in various ways, that they are committed to sustainability in the running of their resort. There are many signs that attempts have been made to “put their money where their mouth is.” There is an organic garden (really more like a small farm) growing food that is served at our meals. There is the Biodiversity center, where our class meets down the hall from a full-time researcher and below a residential hallway for American university students who come here to study ecology. The brochure touts the fact that on the Corales golf course “a plant nursery has been started, as indigenous bushes and trees will be planted throughout the course” and that “Paspalum Supreme, a new variety of water-conserving, low maintenance grass, will assure players of a finely textured playing surface.” And there is the Ecological Park we’re scheduled to visit tomorrow, a “600 acre private reserve.” So it must be acknowledged that they’ve done a lot more for the biosphere than your typical Holiday Inn or Motel 6.

But I can’t ignore the troubling signs. The Punta Cana Resort and Club’s “Navigator” brochure says the Ecological Park contains “the natural beauty that inspired us to first settle here in 1969.” Certainly, if the Kheels and Frank Raineri, their development partner, had never been so inspired there would be a lot more natural beauty here today. The corals wouldn’t be suffering from overuse and from effluent running off the golf course into the water. The ground would not be covered with plants imported from other places, no doubt sustained by artificial fertilizers and “protected” from weeds by chemical herbicides. Fossil fuel burning vehicles wouldn’t be zipping around in a constant whirl of consumption. The coastline would be full of mangrove and other appropriate tidal plants to smooth the transition from land to sea, and to protect the island from the threats of tropical weather. Instead, it has a scenic carpet of transplanted sand, an unnatural concentration of coconut palms, and virtually non-stop human traffic. There are other strange choices for a place that claims ecological awareness, such as a dearth of vegetarian options on menus that entirely lack the words “organic” and “locally grown” (why lose the opportunity to boast and educate)? Many of the indoor spaces seem overly air-conditioned, we get tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner in our rooms which need to be thrown out every third day, the biodiversity center seems to employ no full-time scientists environmental scientists with advanced degrees and the new golf course promises to be a major environmental problem, even if it sports a fancy new grass and it’s edges are decorated with native plants.

The low point in my personal assessment of the local environmental health came yesterday, when 40 minutes swimming on the featured beach with a mask and snorkel didn’t bring me across the path of a single fish. However, this morning I was assigned to do a natural observation, so I stood for about twenty five minutes in the shallow water of a beach that was labeled “temporarily out of service.” The strange signage seems to be related to the small protected bursts of mangrove, which may be there to forestall erosion and provide some protection during the next hurricane. The area is also rich in what I believe to seaweed, algae and beachgrass, although it is only about 200 feet away from the “pristine” (empty) water and sands I was surrounded by yesterday. I knew something was up when after about 30 seconds I heard what seemed like a fish splashing loudly, and then I heard another within a couple of minutes. During my brief time there I heard at least 10 such loud splashes and saw two crabs, at least 15 small white fish, 10 larger grey fish, and a striped white fish swimming around my feet for a minute or so (a nice gift from Mama Nature).

I felt increasingly relieved and excited as I stood there and nature performed, modestly but consistently, around me. Does this mean that the resort would only have to plant a swath of seagrass to get a sizeable population of aquatic species returning? And does the resort have much incentive do such a thing when the average tourist would probably prefer a “pristine” stretch of white sand and “clean” clear water, unsullied by the plant and animal species that would have been found there forty years ago? These questions are hard for me to answer, but I do have a model for a simple experiment that intrigues me. I’m thinking I’ll try to do surveys of the shallows in the beaches that are being used and those that aren’t and see whether the unused beach areas are, as I would expect, much richer in animal life.

Anyway, as an opportunity to explore an ecosystem this has been a decidedly mixed experience, but in terms of an experience that’s given me plenty to think about, I’d have to say “so far so good.”

Life in Punta Cana

I went in to the ecological reserve today to do our fieldwork. My responsibility is to make observations and record the abundance of lizards in the area. I picked four spots and rotate between each spot for about fifteen minutes. At first, I only saw one to two lizards at each spot, and they were mostly the common brown anoles and largehead anoles. When my observation time was almost over, I saw a beautiful red head lizard with green tail passing in front of me. It was such an amazing sight to see!!

I came out of the reserve feeling pretty satisfied with my work and decided to go for a swim. When I was in the water, I was amazed to see schools of white fish swimming underneath me. I was trying to avoid to step on them, so I ended up swimming in a weird position. But they seem very comfortable to swim around disruption, so I got a good look at them for a while. In addition to that, I saw a red starfish moving along with the fish. I think it is my first time to see a living starfish moving in front of me, so I was really excited.

Today is a great day, with two discoveries being made. I can't wait for another exciting day tomorrow

RITCHIE GARCIA'S POST school trips and coffee

Not only have I learned a lot about Dominican Republic's ecology and the environment in general, such as; marshes can be a natural way to purify water. I have also been learning a lot about my environment in New York. For example, I have learned that there is a water purification site on 145 street and riverside park, NY; there are bat tours in Prospect Park, Brooklyn given by Paul Klein; the train station on Stillwell Avenue Coney Island, Brooklyn is solar powered; and lastlyChrissy, our amazing instructor, with a plethora of knowledge works at the botanical gardens in the Bronx.

I hope to bring these discoveries back to my classroom and share them with my students. I plan on making trips to some of these locations so that my students and I can become more consciously aware of the environment we live in and what is necessary to help maintain it.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this learning process is that is done while sipping delicious "Santo Domingo" coffee. The coffee is as rich in body and flavor as "Cafe Bustelo" but "Santo Domingo" coffee is a bit sweeter. Even though I prefer a more bitter tasting coffee and Bustelo is my coffee of choice back in the US, drinking "SD" coffee has made our lectures an even more delightful experience.

Snorkeling

We went out snorkeling yesterday - Ritchie and I were laughing on the boat ride out - the turquoise waters, the blue sky, the spray of the cool water, the sun - what a way to earn credits! Much better than what we imagine the bilingual science class would be like back at TC - this is hands-on excitement! It was my second time snorkeling, but a lot harder than my first time. My first time was in Ixtapa, MX, in waist deep, very calm waters. Yesterday we rode out to the "aquarium," a ring of coral reef in front of Club Med. The water was quite deep around the reef, up to 15 feet or so, and the waves and the pull of the tide added an element of challenge that at first made me quite nervous. I got the hang of it though, and it was worth sticking it out - I saw anemones, a puffer fish, lots of beautiful black and yellow striped fish, some that were purple, irridescent blue, white - of all shapes and sizes. The land life was as interesting and varied as the fauna, with plants called sea fans growing out of the coral, with big rippling leaves that resemble fish. After what was probably about an hour (although it felt much longer, floating just below the surface and not hearing any sounds - a whole other world) we gathered back at the boat and headed back to shore. Wish I had reapplied the sunscreen before laying out on the beach and swimming some more - I am "that guy" wondering around the resort today - a veritable lobster and now refusing to expose any skin to the sun - I've got long khaki pants, a long tee-shirt, my hat, and a towel that I'm walking with wrapped around my neck and/ or over my head. I hate being that guy. Besides the emotional sting of shame, there's the physical pain as well - my shoulder is a world of fire. I'm off to six senses for the "Sunburn Soother" - hope it works!

nature walk

Today we spent the morning and afternoon exploring the ecological reserve in Punta Cana. I must that this is one of the best courses I have ever taken at TC; it is not because I am on a beautiful island beach. I have learned more in these few days than I have in some of my other classes over an entire semester. Too many times classes are just open discussions with very litlle content being presented.

During the morning we saw some of the plants that are endemic to Dominican Republic. We also saw the organic garden. The garden is used to grow vegetables for the Punta Cana hotel and some of the hotels in Bavaro. Some of the crops have a difficult time growing because of the heat.

In the evening we walked through the forest of the reserve. There are about 7 lagoons in the reserve and we saw many spiders especially the weaver spider. On our journey we reached an area that had many burrows. The burrows were about 8-10 inches in diameter. They appeared to be made by some large snake or a small mammal such as a ferret. It wasn't unitl later that someone spotted the legs of an immense crab. The 4 visible legs were about a 1/2 inch in diameter and about 6 inches long. later we were told that those crabs have a body length of about a foot. Those crabs come out at night; so we will have to wait for a night excurison through the forest to see one upclose.

first day of program

I have been travelling to Dominican Republic since 1976 and have made more than 15 trips during that time ranging in duration from 3 weeks to 6 months. In that time drastic political and economic changes have occurred. The country went from being led by Balaguer for a 20 year period to a series of elected presidents.
When I first visited some of the two way main roads were narrow and made of dirt in some places. These roads have become 3 lane highways in each direction. The capital had one main mall (Plaza Naco) consisting of about 12 shops. Currently there are about 6 malls to rival any one that you would see in Florida. Lastly, for the American traveler there are a slew of fast food chains such as McDonalds, Pissa Hut, KFC, Baskin Robins, etc. The industry has also exploded increasing from a few hotels in Puerto Plata to a strip of hotels in the entire region including Sosua and Cabarete. Many people would agree that the country has advanced by western standards.
Yet with all this advancement Punta Cana still seems to be another world and not a location in Dominican Republic. As when enters the resort and sees the facilities it feels as if you should be seeing this on TV with Robin Leach. Unlike other tourist hotels in Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is not an all inclusive and all the menus have prices in dollars, which is very strange for a country that only accepts pesos wherever you may go. At other beaches you will encounter many Dominicans enjoying their country. Most of the Dominicans at Punta Cana resort belong to the staff. To be able to get any type of Dominican dishes you have to make a 30-45 minute drive to the closest town (Beron). Even though Punta Cana is very peaceful and tranquil, it lacks the festive nature and vibrance (la chispa) of the people that inhabit this island. Punta Cana seems to be more a place for a megastar that want to get away from the papparazzi and hide away for a week or two.