More Field Work in the Monkey River Watershed

Latitude: 16°31'16.934"N; Longitude: 88°33'39.665"W

We started the morning out nice and early and headed to one of the reaches that feeds into the Monkey River, the Swasey River. Some groups did sand grabs to look at the sediment content of the material coming down to feed the beach of the Monkey River. We all did field observations to look for vegetation types and human activities along the banks of the river and each location we got GPS location. I downloaded those sites tonight and everything is looking good and working so far. Whew!

At the base of the Maya Mountains there is a huge area of banana plantations. It seems the workers working the plantations are Guatemalan immigrants or ingenious Mayan. Though there was a school in the village there were small children running around in the middle of the day, asking us questions. Other kids were helping to dig a ditch that will help irrigate the bananas. There was also a moderately-sized and newly constructed water tower paid for by the Belize government and European Commission.

In the afternoon our group surveyed the local health clinic to ask questions about any correlations with health and climate change. After that we visited the Banana Growers Association to talk about climate change effects on growing, harvesting, and selling bananas to a global market. Bananas are the poor man’s fruit so if costs go up to grow a banana, as a result of hurricane’s damaging the plants or rot of the plant because of too much rain at one time, will consumers pay? What will YOU pay for a banana.

After dinner we had another terrific group discussion about each others field experience It rounded out the two days of field work quite nicely. We are in the Monkey River area for just two days and had to make sense of a place quickly. I think this approach, with three group each doing something very different yet related field activities and techniques. These discussions were illuminating for all of us and helped to weave all of it together.

Tomorrow is a travel day. I hope we finally have internet access.

Field Work Along the Monkey River

Latitude: 16.365363° N; Longitude: -88.484445° W

We broke into three groups today. One did beach profiles. One conducted community surveys in the village. And my group went by water taxi up the Monkey River. The river was running low so we couldn’t get quite as far as we had liked, but where we reached, we put in a couple of sediment samplers to check for sediment flow volume overnight. We dropped a couple of samplers at the mouth of the river, as well.

On our way back downstream, we took observations and collected water quality samples at measured intervals. When I say ‘we’ I really mean the students did all the work and I was along for the ride. I used a tablet PC and GIS data I got from a contact at Galen University to figure out where we were but the students did their own data collection and taking of GPS waypoints.

The Monkey River is beautiful. There were nearly no signs of human visitors along this stretch but plenty of wild life. Alligators, iguanas, black howler monkeys (hence the river’s name), and lots of bird life – herons, ibis’, oropendola, kingfishers, a small hawk – it was Wild Kingdom, man!

At night, once we all get back together back at the hotel’s restaurant, we heard a debriefing of each others field day. It was a perfect first day in the field.

Trip to Belize With CERMES Students

Latitude: 17°33'21.51"N; Longitude: 88°18'24.88"W (appx)

I am in Belize with CERMES professors Dr. Adrian Cashman and Dr. Leonard Nurse (see photo below) to assist them with their Water Resources Management field course. We took a very early flight out of Bridgetown, flew to Miami and then went on to Belize City where I am now two hours ahead of Barbados time. I am exhausted. But the weather is surprisingly and pleasantly cool and we may be in for perfect weather.

Here we are visiting our hosts Dr. and Mrs. Leslie of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, at their home in Lake Gardens, Belize.

The plan is: we will be on a nine-day field trip, measuring river flow, making beach profiles, looking at hydro-electric power plants, and visiting agricultural areas. I will be helping the students use the tablet PCs for field mapping, setting them up with blogging and assisting them in making videos. This first evening, the internet is a little weak for all of us, but the idea is that the students will post to an individual blog and then those blogs will feed into a course blog called Belize Field Trip. Please feel free to check it out. I will also try to be useful as a reasonably knowledgeable field hack, as well.

Tomorrow we're up early again to head to Independence and Monkey River. I'll have the GPS working and get a more accurate reading of where we are.