Snorkeling off Coast of Isabella Island

Photo by Per-Gunnar Ostby
Golden Rays (photo by Jeff Waugh)

Guess what I saw today? A Galapagos penguin! They are the third smallest penguin in the world and they live further north than any other penguin. They are considered tropical penguins because of the fact that they live near the equator; however, because of the cold water currents that flow through here (Humbolt, Cromwell) the waters are very chilly. I had to wear a wetsuit just to stay warm enough for our 45 minute snorkel. These penguins do have to regulate their temperature during warmer months. The strong sun is the main problem for the penguins in the Galapagos Islands, so they need to regulate their body temperatures. They do this by holding their wings away from the body, allowing air to reach less feathered parts, shading feet from the sun, and finally by swimming in cool water. While snorkeling, I also saw five or six sea turtles, a school of golden rays, puffer fish, as well as many other fish whose names I don’t know yet. One school of fish looked like electric sparks in the water, though it was just the sunlight reflecting off their scales.

On the way back to the ship, we saw fur seals, the only other marine mammal found in the Galapagos. They have faces that look like bears and their call is much more subdued compared to the sea-lions’ cough-hurl-growl sound that is ubiquitous (you can hear it everywhere) on these islands!

Throughout the cruise, when we were not watching wildlife, we teachers from the United States have been meeting with Galapagueño teachers to design plans on how we can better teach our students about environmental issues. We will present to each other tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fernandina Island

This is a flamingo I saw yesterday.

Wow! We woke up early this morning to see whales in the Bolivar channel, which runs between Fernandina and Isabella islands. We saw a Bryde's whale . But the best was to come on our hike to Fernandina Island, which is the youngest island in the archipelago. It sits right on the hotspot, so its main volcano El Cumbre is active. It last erupted in 2005. There are active volcanoes on Isabella, too. We will visit the coast of Isabella afternoon. Upon arriving on Fernandina, we saw a Galapagos penguin swimming near the shore! Unfortunately, it was too quick for me, so I couldn't snap a picture. Walking up the path, we saw hundreds of marine iguanas basking in the sun, some heading down to the water to feed. These reptiles have adapted to be under water for long periods to feed on underwater algae. They have special glands to release all the salt they absorb from the ocean. They also have a flatter snout to help them feed more easily (other lizards and iguanas here have pointed snouts) We also saw more sea lions (they are everywhere!) We saw some flightless cormorants, the only cormorants in the world who don't fly. They have evolved this way because there was so much food available in the area, there was no need to fly to obtain food. They get around by hopping and swimming. We also saw a courtship ritual between two cormorants. I have video to share when I have better Internet service. We also saw lava cactus, one of the first colonizing plants. They grow in the volcanic rock. There roots break up the rock, eventually providinga place for other plants to grow. Two types of lava are on this island: a'a (which translates as pain, since it is sharp and can cut through the sole of a shoe) and pahoehoe (or ropelike) lava. We also saw sea turtles, a Galapagos hawk, lava lizards, and some Sally Lightfoot crabs. This afternoon we have another deep sea snorkel. I hope to see more penguins and to get to swim with marine iguanas. We'll see!

Española and Floreana Islands

This morning, we headed to Española Island, the oldest island in archipelago (which means chain of islands) Eighty percent of the endemic (native) species of the Galapagos live here. I got
to see more sea lions (in fact some where on the path so we had to scoot

Nazca Boobies /Juvenile Waved Albatross

around them), marine iguanas, Galapagos hawks, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies (a subspecies of the Masked Booby, which lives on the mainland of Ecuador), and the waved albatross.

To learn about why the waved albatross is on the critically endangered list, click here.

This afternoon, we went on a deep water snorkel, where we got to see parrot fish, angel fish, starfish, a swimming sea lion, many rays and a white tipped reef shark! After snorkeling, we quickly changed and headed for Floreana island, where we saw flamingos! We also got to see a pacific green turtle exiting the sea.
Blue-footed booby


Marine Iguana

Floreana is inhabited, and although we did not see the inhabited side of the island, we could see the impacts of the invasive species introduced there. Invasive means that the species are not native and that they take over habitats of other plants or animals or that they prey on animals. On some of these islands, there are stray cats and dogs, horses, donkeys, cows, goats, rats, and wild pigs that are invasive. These are dangerous to the ecosystem. Goats eat so much vegetation that there is nothing left for the giant tortoises. Rats eat tortoise eggs (as I mentioned earlier). Cats and dogs prey on endemic animals as well. Today we saw a penguin corpse that our guide thought had been attacked by a cat. Although invasive species are not a major problem in Massachusetts, we need to think about how the choices we make, even as simple as the pets we keep, can impact the environment both negatively or positively.

Cerro Brujo

Photo by Sandy Charles

Today we boarded the M/V Santa Cruz, a cruise ship that will take us to see other islands. Our first stop was Cerro Burjo, or Wizards Hill (this keyboard is set up for Spanish, and I cant figure out how to type the apostrophe). We walked along the beach, saw a marine iguana (picture to come), then snorkeled a bit. I saw a few spotted eagle rays , an angel king fish, and some parrot fish. In a few minutes, we are heading over to Espanola island, then later Floreana Island. I will let you know what I see!

Photo from http://carlaperson.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/spotted-eagle-ray-xx.jpg

School Visits - Que Chevere! (How Cool!)

Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias! Happy Thanksgiving. I miss you all very much but I am also very thankful to have had this opportunity. Today I visited a 6^th grade classroom at Liceo Naval School. The students welcomed me and asked me questions about life in the United States. I told them about how 7^th graders at Young Achievers maintain our recycling program. I asked them what they would tell my students to do to help the environment. They said: don’t throw trash in the ocean, recycle, protect animals, plant trees, and don’t introduce invasive species into the ecosystem. These kids know how important it is to protect the environment, because they know how fragile their island habitat is, and how quickly it can be destroyed if they don’t take care of it. Of course, there are things we can do at home that will help in the Galapagos. I know none of you throw trash into the ocean, but did you know that litter in the streets in Boston often ends up in the storm drains (the rectangular openings under the sidewalks)? Normally, this goes to sewage treatment plants, but if there is a lot of water, such as in a rainstorm, some of this gets dumped directly into the Charles River. As if that isn’t bad enough, the Charles spills out into the ocean, and so does the trash. This trash gets carried around in ocean currents and forms giant trash islands in the sea. When sea birds eat this trash, they cannot digest it or remove it from their bodies, so they can die of starvation. (Click here for more information of this). So if you see litter on the street, put it in a trashcan! Or better yet, if it can be recycled, put it in a recycling bin.

Galapagos has a trash problem, too, but they have a major recycling programs on some of the islands. I was hoping to visit the center on San Christobal, but I didn’t think I would have the opportunity. However, after class was finished at Liceo Naval, some of the students said, “We’re going on a field trip to the Recycling Center. You should come!” So I hopped in their van and traveled with them to the center, or Gestión de Lixiviados. In San Christobal, they recycle organic materials (like food scraps and vegetation) to make compost (which they use in their gardens), as well as glass, plastic, cardboard, and paper. On the island, they grind the glass to use in making bricks. The rest is compacted and shipped to the mainland. It’s important for Galapagaens to recycle, because there is no place to put trash. Even if there were space, the toxins that leach out of the trash would be harmful to such a fragile ecosystem. Instead, they burn their trash, which obviously releases pollution into the environment. The only solution is to use less. San Christobal is working to educate tourists who visit the island to recycle as well. I know 7^th graders care about recycling enough to educate younger students.

I encourage you to educate as many people as you can about why it is so important not only for the health of places like the Galapagos, but the health of our world.

p.s. Amariliz it´s a real alligator, though I didn´t take the picture. I forgot to cite it, but it´s from National Geographic. I took all the other non-captioned pictures. This is a picture of a sea lion pup. He´s about 2 and a half feet long.

San Christobal

This morning, we met members of the Board of Education of the Galapagos. We learned about how the Galapaguean students are learning how to protect their environment and are learning English at an early age so that they can communicate effectively with the thousands of tourists that visit their islands every year. I also learned that despite much of the profits that come from the Galapagos tourist fees, most of this money doesn’t stay on the islands, so resources in the local schools are lacking. Another problem the island faces is immigration. Many people from the mainland would like the opportunity to benefit from the tourist industry, but many do not make much money when they arrive. Also, the 97 % of the islands are protected, so all of the inhabitants live on only 3% of the land. The islands cannot support a large population of people, so immigration has become a problem. As a result, many Ecuadorian citizens who cannot provide proof of residency to the Galapagos have been deported from the islands. Tomorrow I will visit a local school and will get to meet teachers and students. I will continue to share with you what I learn about the schools and the other social issues that face the islands.

After our meeting, we headed for the highlands of the island to El Junco, named after the sage grass that grows in the area. El Junco is the only freshwater lake on the island of San Christobal. It sits in an old volcano caldera (a crater left over after an eruption that happened millions of years ago). After a muddy trip up we had beautiful views of the sea.

Afterwards, we traveled to a finca (a farm) where a local family raises dairy cattle and grows bananas, watermelons, oranges, and coffee. We sampled all of these fresh and delicious fruits then sampled the coffee that they roast on site. Unfortunately, the farmer sells his coffee to a distributor, so he only receives a fraction of what the coffee is worth. Seventh graders, we will learn about Fair Trade coffee later in the year, and how small farmers are working together to sell their coffee directly and keep more of the profits for their hard work. To learn about Fair Trade coffee and other goods, click here.

Finally, we headed to La Galapaguera, a semi-natural preserve where giant tortoises are raised and protected from predators. In their natural habitat, the baby giant tortoises would be threatened by feral cats, dogs, wild pigs, and rats. These species are invasive, meaning they were introduced and are now threatening the lives of the natural species that make the Galapagos not only a special place, but who keep the ecosystem in balance. There are programs to remove invasive species that I will discuss later with you. Friends, family, students, and YA families, I hope you have a restful, relaxing, safe, and enjoyable few days off from school and work.

I´ve Arrived!

Greetings from the Galapagos! We arrived in San Christobal yesterday. San Christobal, while not the most populated island is the capital of the Galapagos. Upon arriving, we headed to our hotel, where we spotted blue footed boobies, frigate birds, and pelicans flying above the harbor. A finch swooped down while we were eating lunch and ate some seeds off a hamburger bun. Down at the small beach in front of our hotel, there is a colony of bachelor sea lions. Sea lion bulls (males) have colonies or harems of about thirty cows (females) and their pups, although the cows are free to wander from one territory to another. Not all males are so lucky. Those that do not have their own colonies are not tolerated near females and have to congregate together in “bachelor colonies.” The picture here is of one of these males who, like other males, will growl if you get too close.

Later in the evening, we headed down the boardwalk for dinner, and we spotted another colony, this time with females and pups! Some of the little ones stayed close to the cows, but some wandered off one their own. A few pups congregated on the sidewalk, and when we got too close, the bull began to bark and waddle toward us. Later, I observed two of the pups playing with a stick.

To learn more about how the islands formed, how species developed, and general information about the Galapagos, click here.

During the day, we headed to GAIAS (the Galapagos Academic Institute of Arts and Sciences) where we attended a lecture by oceanographer Judy Denkinger. She explained how the affects of climate change and overfishing are impacting the Galapagos. Seventh graders, remember what you learned about convection currents: there are warm water and cold water currents that travel the earth like a conveyor belt. The cold water currents run deeper in the ocean than the warm currents. Because of the cold currents that run past the islands, the nutrients (plankton) from the deep are transported to the top, so there is plenty for fish to eat. This is why there is so much life in the waters around the Galapagos. El Nino is a natural phenomenon that happens every 10-15 years but global warming can increase the frequency of these natural events. The warming effect decreases the amount of nutrients in the surface (they sink to a level they can survive). The fish in these waters often migrate elsewhere where they can find food, leaving marine animals like penguins, cormorants, and sea lions without food. In 1982, 90% of the sea lions died and all of their pups perished as a result of starvation. The Galapagos also lost 99% of their hard coral population due to bleaching. (See my other blog for information about coral bleaching).

How can you help? Remember, we can help combat global warming. The less fossil fuels we use, the less carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere. At home, use less energy and use energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. Turn off lights and appliances you aren’t using. Turn down the heat. Use public transportation. Walk. Ride your bike. These little things can help if we work together. We also need to pressure our government to take action as well.

In addition to climate change, there are also effects from overfishing. According to Science magazine, if we keep taking fish out of our oceans at the rate we are currently doing, the species populations could collapse in 30 years. We are taking out fish and shark populations so before they are able to reproduce. You can imagine what this does to populations. But it also has an effect on entire ecosystems. Again, there is something you can do. Don’t buy or eat fish that is endangered. Check out Monterrey Aquarium’s website to see what you shouldn’t eat).

Almost in the Galapagos

Hi Everyone! I'm so glad to hear from so many of you! I miss you! We arrived in Quito, Ecuador late last night and I'm off to the Galapagos today. Internet access has been hit or miss, so I haven't been able to upload much, but I should be able to later. Check out these links to find out more:

Mr. Lombardo's site (click on Galapagos-- Mr. Lombardo is another teacher on this trip and he has a GPS tracker with him!)

Toyota Teacher site (lots of information on this site. Other teachers have pages. Mine is currently empty, but other teachers have information you can look at. Plus there is another blog from a journalist who writes for www.treehugger.com)

Also, you can check out Mr. Grymonpre's site for all kinds of Galapagos info!

I can't wait to hear more from you and to send you pictures and info! By the way, when you comment, if you could use standard English, it will be easier for me and other adults to understand what you are saying. :)

Everglades!

After my orientation on Saturday, where I got to meet the other 29 teachers I will travel with for the next two weeks, we headed for the Everglades on Sunday. The Everglades are located in southern Florida. It was called a “river of grass” by conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, because while it feels like a giant swamp, it is actually a river that moves about a quarter mile a day (so slow that you can’t really tell that it’s moving).

Yesterday, we slogged through a section of the Everglades. Trudging through the water, which at times came up past my knees, we headed for a cypress dome. Imagine a large, wet, grassy expanse with a few knobby cypress trees, needless and short, spotting the landscape. In the distance, there are cypress trees growing in a circle as tall as 30 feet. After a few slips and falls, and about a 15-minute hike, we reached the dome. Inside, the trees rose tall above us from the water we were submerged in. Spanish moss cascaded down from the branches. Bromeliads (air plants) grew from the trees. In the center of the dome was a big pool of water without trees. While we didn’t spot him, we were told a lone alligator lives there.

While I didn’t see the alligator that lived in the dome, I was able to see alligators yesterday! Alligators, like many wild animals, are just as wary of us as we are of them, so generally, unless provoked, they won’t bother you. On the Anhinga trail, we saw a great blue heron, a little blue heron, an American bittern, a leatherback turtle, and many anhingas. Unfortunately, since my Internet access is too slow to allow me to upload images of each of these, I don’t have them here, but I encourage you to google them to see what they look like.

This ecosystem, like the Galapagos is threatened. The Everglades in particular is threatened by regional growth, demand for water, and invasive species. With 7 million people living in cities that abut this protected place, and 900 people moving to Florida daily, there are increasing demands for water. Because of damming (7th graders, remember the article, “Dam Scam”) much of the water that previously flowed to the Everglades from central Florida now flows out to the oceans, wasted. Finally, invasive species (non-native species that aggressively take over habitats) are also threatening the ecosystem. We learned about the killifish, a fish introduced to the ecosystem accidentally, eats the native mosquito fish that eats… you guessed it—mosquitoes! You can imagine how many more mosquitoes are around as a result of the reduction in population of its predator. Another invasive species, the gold snail, is aggressively overtaking the habitat of the apple snail, but the Snail Kite, an endangered bird living the in the Everglades, has a beak only adapted to eat the apple snail, not the gold snail. What might happen to the Snail Kite? The most dramatic invasive species is the Burmese python! This was introduced to the ecosystem when a pet owner decided he couldn’t care for it anymore. The pythons are now reproducing exponentially. There are now almost 250 pythons believed to be in the Everglades. They are feasting on already endangered birds. They have no predators in the ecosystem, although the alligator is a mighty contender. Of the three known alligator vs. python battles, once an alligator was victorious, another ended in a draw, and the final battle recorded, the python died while digesting the alligator, and it’s decomposing body exploded!



This ecosystem, the Galapagos, is very fragile and vulnerable to changes from humans, invasive species, even climate change. I will head to the Galapagos on Tuesday, and I look forward to talking about this amazing place, and what we can do to help. In the mean time, the Everglades, while in Florida, is not too far away from our home. There are things you can do to help. Check out: nps.gov/everglades.

Off to the Galapagos

Tomorrow, I'm leaving for my trip to the Galapagos Islands! As you may already know, I was one of two Massachusetts teachers selected from a pool of U.S. applicants to participate in an environmental expedition to the Galapagos Islands, a designated World Heritage site off the coast of Ecuador, as part of the Toyota International Teacher Program. The study tour will be focused on promoting environmental conservation and

photo from National Geographic

sustainability. I will meet with Galapagueño teachers to exchange global conservation ideas andlessons. While I am there, if technology doesn’t fail me, I plan to post on this blog daily. You can ask me questions and view pictures here.

I leave for Miami tomorrow morning. On Sunday, we will head to the Everglades for a "wet walk" and orientation. On Monday, we'll head to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. On Tuesday, we're off to the Galapagos! I cannot wait to see incredible wildlife and to share all that I learn and see with you.

Keep in touch!