Stream ecology
SO, today we went down to the Sibun River to get some water samples. The water was about luke warm, and we had yellow nets on sticks to catch macro-invertebrates i.e. “bugs”. We were using the bugs to study and figure out if they were pollution sensitive or pollution tolerant. Anywho, I collect an awesome snail family of nine. Their names were Jeffery, his girlfriend Shelia, and their children: Leia, Tatiana, Alejandro, Rosemary, Alberto, Benji and Grandpa Joe. They were so adorable and I touched one!!! Go Me! Also, we collected some really gross bugs but one was super huge, it had like a billion legs! Some of the group could not figure out this one worm like thing. SO, basically we discovered a new species! Hehe Seriously…. Most of the bugs were pollution sensitive which is good because that actually meant that the water was not polluted. In the end, I think overall it was a great experience and something that is a must when you go to Belize with your class!!
Rori J
Identification of macro invertebrates in the research lab.
After conducting our stream ecology test, we interviewed several of the lodge’s employee that were of Mayan descent. Emily and I interviewed a manager of the Sleeping Giant whose name is Geovanii . Our questions mainly focused on his Mayan culture and the ecotourism of Belize. He talked about how the ecotourism is negatively affecting the rainforest and coral reefs of Belize. The interview was very interesting and helped shed light on many aspects of Belize and the Mayan culture. When our interviews were done, we hiked up to the observation tower by the Sleep Giant Lodge. Even though it started raining halfway through our hike, it was amazing to get to the top of the tower and look out over the valley. The view was amazing and overall today was a great day!
Danielle