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.