Hello again!
So this may be my last update before I leave Puerto San Carlos to head home. There's only a week left in my program as of today, and we have a lot left to do. By Friday I will have finished my directed research paper and taken my final exam, which total 70% of my grade for the session, so it is going to be a very busy week!
Last Thursday we went on our second and last overnight turtle monitoring trip. The camping trip was very relaxing. We put up nets for the turtles and checked them every two hours and by the morning we had caught two turtles. We also went on a walk through the desert and learned about the different kind of cacti that inhabit the area. Mostly, I just read my book, laid out in the sun, did some swimming, and hung out with the other students. At night we made a campfire and roasted some marshmallows. They have strawberry marshmallows down here! Weird! And as usual, my tent got to wake up in the middle of the night to go out in the boats and check the nets. I must say, I'm still not a fan of waking up at 5:30am and putting on waterproof gear.
The following morning we packed up camp and headed back to Puerto San Carlos. After a few hours of downtime, we started back up again with a few lectures by a PhD student from the University of La Paz. She does research with sea turtle mortality numbers in hopes of coming up with solutions to the threats that the turtles face, mainly illegal consumption and bycatch. The next day, we went with her to the dunes to look for dead sea turtles. Luckily, my group didn't find anything, but another group found a few. Apparently, illegal consumption of sea turtles is a huge problem in Mexico. Because it is illegal, there is a black market for sea turtle meat that actually correlates with drug trafficking. So basically, drug dealers sell both drugs and turtle meat. Comforting.
Saturday night we went to a baile in town. It was... interesting to say the least. The dance was part of the Turtle Festival and the town crowned their queen at it. It was nice to get to mingle with the locals and do some salsa dancing! And on Sunday morning, I finally got to sleep in! I spent most of the day Sunday reading my book, which I finished, and lounging in the hammock. All in all, great day.
Today we went snorkeling in the rhodolith beds in the bay. I saw some really cool fish and coral. Overall though, I'm not such a big fan of snorkeling. I'm just not coordinated enough for it.
The rest of the week is pretty much filled with lectures and time off to work on my research project. My paper is due on Friday, the same day as our final exam. After that, we get to spend Saturday and Sunday hanging out and spending the last few days together. Monday, we go back to La Paz and stay in a hotel for the night and early Tuesday morning I will be catching my flight home. I should be back in CT at about 2am on Wednesday morning. But, my phone will have service again starting on Monday night!
Talk to you all soon! And see you soon too!
-Erin
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Only two more weeks!
Hi Everyone!
A lot has been going on since I last updated. Again, we have been really busy! Since then, I have written two papers (one on captivity issues, and the other on whether or not scallop fishing in the bay is sustainable). Tomorrow morning we leave for another turtle monitoring trip in San Buto! Camping is actually pretty fun, so I'm excited about it.
At the end of last week we participated in a local beach clean-up. Puerto San Carlos has a Turtle Festival each year and they crown a queen of the festival. The beach clean-up was actually a competition between the nominees for queen to see who could collect the most trash. How cute. On Saturday night we are going to a dance in town to raise money for the nominees as well. Should be fun.
On Sunday I got together with a group of girls and we made an American dinner for the group. I got to make Gram's apple pie for everyone, which they all loved. It was nice to have something familiar to eat for a change. Not that the constant flow of tortillas isn't amazing!
Monday we took a day trip to a nearby oasis, La Purisima. It was absolutely beautiful! And it was a nice change to get to swim in freshwater instead of salt for a change. The oasis count for the peninsula is 184, but only 4 of them are permanent, and La Purisima is the third largest. It was also really neat to see because it is in the middle of a desert, but the area directly around it is tropical. Because of the freshwater, there is a huge amount of diversity of plants and animals. Lots of birds use the oasis on their migratory routes as well. We spent a few hours swimming and having lectures on the rocks next to the water. Not a bad day at all.
Yesterday we spent the day in the bay collecting scallops. I got to snorkel a bit in the process, which I must say, I am not very good at. Then we brought the scallops back and cracked them open and measured them. There were almost 300 in total, so it took a long time. The school is starting to do research with the scallops in the bay, so this was part of the beginning of their research plan. It was also part of the data we collected for the paper that I just finished on analyzing the economy of scallop fishing. Later on in the day we had a lecture on climate change and how it is affecting the bay ecosystem. Hello, global warming.
Today we started the day off with a Mexican Culture Cooking Class. The cooks taught us how to make tortillas and three different kinds of salsa from scratch. I'm excited to try that one out when I get home! Later on in the day we took a trip to Magdalena Island for no reason whatsoever. We just thought it would be fun to have a lecture on Resource Management out on the beach instead of in the classroom. Definitely a good idea.
Like I mentioned before, tomorrow morning we are leaving for another overnight camping trip to San Buto. We will be monitoring turtles again! This trip should be better than the last one considering that it has gotten quite a bit warmer since the last time we went camping. We will also be going on a desert walk, which should be fun. In just a few weeks, I have noticed a definite change in the weather here. The sun is much hotter than when I got here. Sorry to hear that it has been rainy back home. It doesn't rain at all here.
I'm going to be very busy for the next two weeks, but I will try to update when I get a chance. Thanks for all the e-mails you all have sent! I love hearing from people back home because I miss you all very much!
And now I have to go watch a movie with some friends! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
A lot has been going on since I last updated. Again, we have been really busy! Since then, I have written two papers (one on captivity issues, and the other on whether or not scallop fishing in the bay is sustainable). Tomorrow morning we leave for another turtle monitoring trip in San Buto! Camping is actually pretty fun, so I'm excited about it.
At the end of last week we participated in a local beach clean-up. Puerto San Carlos has a Turtle Festival each year and they crown a queen of the festival. The beach clean-up was actually a competition between the nominees for queen to see who could collect the most trash. How cute. On Saturday night we are going to a dance in town to raise money for the nominees as well. Should be fun.
On Sunday I got together with a group of girls and we made an American dinner for the group. I got to make Gram's apple pie for everyone, which they all loved. It was nice to have something familiar to eat for a change. Not that the constant flow of tortillas isn't amazing!
Monday we took a day trip to a nearby oasis, La Purisima. It was absolutely beautiful! And it was a nice change to get to swim in freshwater instead of salt for a change. The oasis count for the peninsula is 184, but only 4 of them are permanent, and La Purisima is the third largest. It was also really neat to see because it is in the middle of a desert, but the area directly around it is tropical. Because of the freshwater, there is a huge amount of diversity of plants and animals. Lots of birds use the oasis on their migratory routes as well. We spent a few hours swimming and having lectures on the rocks next to the water. Not a bad day at all.
Yesterday we spent the day in the bay collecting scallops. I got to snorkel a bit in the process, which I must say, I am not very good at. Then we brought the scallops back and cracked them open and measured them. There were almost 300 in total, so it took a long time. The school is starting to do research with the scallops in the bay, so this was part of the beginning of their research plan. It was also part of the data we collected for the paper that I just finished on analyzing the economy of scallop fishing. Later on in the day we had a lecture on climate change and how it is affecting the bay ecosystem. Hello, global warming.
Today we started the day off with a Mexican Culture Cooking Class. The cooks taught us how to make tortillas and three different kinds of salsa from scratch. I'm excited to try that one out when I get home! Later on in the day we took a trip to Magdalena Island for no reason whatsoever. We just thought it would be fun to have a lecture on Resource Management out on the beach instead of in the classroom. Definitely a good idea.
Like I mentioned before, tomorrow morning we are leaving for another overnight camping trip to San Buto. We will be monitoring turtles again! This trip should be better than the last one considering that it has gotten quite a bit warmer since the last time we went camping. We will also be going on a desert walk, which should be fun. In just a few weeks, I have noticed a definite change in the weather here. The sun is much hotter than when I got here. Sorry to hear that it has been rainy back home. It doesn't rain at all here.
I'm going to be very busy for the next two weeks, but I will try to update when I get a chance. Thanks for all the e-mails you all have sent! I love hearing from people back home because I miss you all very much!
And now I have to go watch a movie with some friends! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Very busy!
Hello Everyone!
Sorry it has been awhile since I've updated. I have been VERY busy this past week. Since returning from our camping trip, it has been very nice to get back into a daily routine on campus.
We have been taking trips to different places around the bay almost every day for different field lectures, and it has been great to get to see more of the peninsula. Earlier this week we took the boats over to where some of the fishermen work and had a lecture about aquaculture in the bay and how it effects the surrounding ecosystems. Then we got to play on the beach and look at shells for awhile before heading home. Later that day we went out into the mangroves to do some measuring and tagging of the trees. The school is beginning a project with tagging the mangroves so that they can better assess the destruction of the coastal environment.
Yesterday we took a trip to an island off the peninsula. We hiked from one side of the island to the other. The island is made up mostly of desert and mountains, but it was absolutely beautiful. Our hike ended at the Pacific Ocean. This was the first time I had gotten to see the Pacific, and it was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Sorry Mom, but I think I've been convinced that it's time to move out here after I graduate. Once we reached the ocean, we had a lecture on rocky shores and the unique characteristics of their ecosystems. We also had plenty of time to play on the beach. I'm actually getting really tan!
This morning we went out in the boats and assessed the health of sea grass in different areas of the bed. Sea grass is very important because it is one of the basic components of the bay's ecosystem upon which everything else is built (and it's what the turtles eat). My first assignment, which is analyzing the data that we collected from the sea grass, is due later tonight. I also have a paper due on Saturday about issues with marine mammals in captivity.
In addition to that, I received the topic for my research paper today. I am going to be working with the locals, as well as with the ecological data being collected by the school, to determine whether or not ecotourism is something that would be beneficial to Puerto San Carlos in the future. Many people in the area want to build the town like Cabo San Lucas in hopes of bringing in tourists and income, but this would damage the commercial fishing industry, as well as the local ecosystem. My job, along with a whole team of students, is to determine what ecotourism options would benefit the local economy, while still preserving the ecosystem and allowing the commercial fishing operations to prosper. I am really excited about it!
As Mom keeps pointing out to me, I'll be home in less than 2 and a half weeks. I can't believe how fast time is passing! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
Sorry it has been awhile since I've updated. I have been VERY busy this past week. Since returning from our camping trip, it has been very nice to get back into a daily routine on campus.
We have been taking trips to different places around the bay almost every day for different field lectures, and it has been great to get to see more of the peninsula. Earlier this week we took the boats over to where some of the fishermen work and had a lecture about aquaculture in the bay and how it effects the surrounding ecosystems. Then we got to play on the beach and look at shells for awhile before heading home. Later that day we went out into the mangroves to do some measuring and tagging of the trees. The school is beginning a project with tagging the mangroves so that they can better assess the destruction of the coastal environment.
Yesterday we took a trip to an island off the peninsula. We hiked from one side of the island to the other. The island is made up mostly of desert and mountains, but it was absolutely beautiful. Our hike ended at the Pacific Ocean. This was the first time I had gotten to see the Pacific, and it was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Sorry Mom, but I think I've been convinced that it's time to move out here after I graduate. Once we reached the ocean, we had a lecture on rocky shores and the unique characteristics of their ecosystems. We also had plenty of time to play on the beach. I'm actually getting really tan!
This morning we went out in the boats and assessed the health of sea grass in different areas of the bed. Sea grass is very important because it is one of the basic components of the bay's ecosystem upon which everything else is built (and it's what the turtles eat). My first assignment, which is analyzing the data that we collected from the sea grass, is due later tonight. I also have a paper due on Saturday about issues with marine mammals in captivity.
In addition to that, I received the topic for my research paper today. I am going to be working with the locals, as well as with the ecological data being collected by the school, to determine whether or not ecotourism is something that would be beneficial to Puerto San Carlos in the future. Many people in the area want to build the town like Cabo San Lucas in hopes of bringing in tourists and income, but this would damage the commercial fishing industry, as well as the local ecosystem. My job, along with a whole team of students, is to determine what ecotourism options would benefit the local economy, while still preserving the ecosystem and allowing the commercial fishing operations to prosper. I am really excited about it!
As Mom keeps pointing out to me, I'll be home in less than 2 and a half weeks. I can't believe how fast time is passing! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
Friday, June 13, 2008
I saw a turtle!
Hello all!
We just returned from our overnight turtlewatch. It was amazing! We went wilderness camping (no running water, no bathrooms) on a cliff overlooking part of Magdalena Bay. The place was absolutely beautiful, despite the less than glamorous living conditions. We set up camp and spent the first few hours tanning on the beach. Then we had a few outdoor lectures on site to introduce us to the 5 year research plan that we are taking part in, as well as the ecosystem of the bay, and a little bit of sea turtle biology.
The research plan that we are working on is one that attempts to address the problem of developing the economy of Puerto San Carlos in a way that does not compromise the surrounding environment and the diverse species that make their homes there. The bay is home to 5 of the worlds 7 types of sea turtles, is a breeding site for the grey whale, and also supports many local commercial fishing operations (mainly shrimp, lobster, and abalone). The school is working directly with the fishermen and the local townspeople to find out how they want to develop Puerto San Carlos and is providing them with information about how these activities may effect the ecosystems that the bay supports, specifically the sea turtle populations. By monitoring populations numbers and growth, the school can give the locals a better idea as to how the turtles are being effected by their activities.
After the lectures were over, we split up into teams of 6 students. Gillnets were set up in the bay to be monitored overnight to catch turtles. Each team was responsible for monitoring these nets for a 4 hour span of time. My team, especially lucky, had to monitor the nets from 12-4am. It was extremely cold out on the water at that hour, but beautiful as well. The skies were very clear and you could see lots of stars. Because the area was so remote, it was pitched black and we all had to use headlamps to see what we were doing. Our group pulled a green sea turtle out of the nets within the first 15 minutes of monitoring and were turtle-less for the rest of our shift. We did however, come across a stingray that was stuck in our nets. He got tangled up in the lines and we had to work very carefully to release him. Rays are really dangerous because they have long spines that they can sting with when they feel threatened (remember Steve Irwin). This particular one was so big and so tangled that we had to cut him out of the net.
The next morning we measured our turtles and tagged them. The group caught four turtles in all. Three were new catches and one was a recatch. We took pictures of them and logged them in the database, and then released them. After that, we went snorkeling in the bay to look at some of the coral and other marine species that make their homes there. The water was really beautiful, but also really cold. Then it was time to pack up camp and head back to the field station, which is where I am now.
I put some pictures up on facebook from the turtlewatch. If you can't access them, let me know and I will send you a link. We just got our syllabus for the term a few days ago, and I already have lots of reading to do. It looks like I'll be doing some analytical work with the data we are collecting, writing two papers, and taking a final exam. Lots to do in just a month! But I love being busy. And as nerdy as it sounds, this stuff is actually fascinating.
I'll update as soon as I get a break from the classroom! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
We just returned from our overnight turtlewatch. It was amazing! We went wilderness camping (no running water, no bathrooms) on a cliff overlooking part of Magdalena Bay. The place was absolutely beautiful, despite the less than glamorous living conditions. We set up camp and spent the first few hours tanning on the beach. Then we had a few outdoor lectures on site to introduce us to the 5 year research plan that we are taking part in, as well as the ecosystem of the bay, and a little bit of sea turtle biology.
The research plan that we are working on is one that attempts to address the problem of developing the economy of Puerto San Carlos in a way that does not compromise the surrounding environment and the diverse species that make their homes there. The bay is home to 5 of the worlds 7 types of sea turtles, is a breeding site for the grey whale, and also supports many local commercial fishing operations (mainly shrimp, lobster, and abalone). The school is working directly with the fishermen and the local townspeople to find out how they want to develop Puerto San Carlos and is providing them with information about how these activities may effect the ecosystems that the bay supports, specifically the sea turtle populations. By monitoring populations numbers and growth, the school can give the locals a better idea as to how the turtles are being effected by their activities.
After the lectures were over, we split up into teams of 6 students. Gillnets were set up in the bay to be monitored overnight to catch turtles. Each team was responsible for monitoring these nets for a 4 hour span of time. My team, especially lucky, had to monitor the nets from 12-4am. It was extremely cold out on the water at that hour, but beautiful as well. The skies were very clear and you could see lots of stars. Because the area was so remote, it was pitched black and we all had to use headlamps to see what we were doing. Our group pulled a green sea turtle out of the nets within the first 15 minutes of monitoring and were turtle-less for the rest of our shift. We did however, come across a stingray that was stuck in our nets. He got tangled up in the lines and we had to work very carefully to release him. Rays are really dangerous because they have long spines that they can sting with when they feel threatened (remember Steve Irwin). This particular one was so big and so tangled that we had to cut him out of the net.
The next morning we measured our turtles and tagged them. The group caught four turtles in all. Three were new catches and one was a recatch. We took pictures of them and logged them in the database, and then released them. After that, we went snorkeling in the bay to look at some of the coral and other marine species that make their homes there. The water was really beautiful, but also really cold. Then it was time to pack up camp and head back to the field station, which is where I am now.
I put some pictures up on facebook from the turtlewatch. If you can't access them, let me know and I will send you a link. We just got our syllabus for the term a few days ago, and I already have lots of reading to do. It looks like I'll be doing some analytical work with the data we are collecting, writing two papers, and taking a final exam. Lots to do in just a month! But I love being busy. And as nerdy as it sounds, this stuff is actually fascinating.
I'll update as soon as I get a break from the classroom! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Turtle Watch
Hey Guys!
We are leaving tomorrow morning for an overnight turtle watch, so I just wanted to get a quick note in before then. I had my first few lectures today. The first one was a guest lecture with one of the world's leading sea turtle experts, J. Nichols. He does some incredible work with conservation of the species and was the first person to track a turtle swimming across an entire ocean! Check out his blog (wallacejnichols.org). It is very interesting and worth a read. He was also part of the creation of an environmentalist organization called the Eco-Dare Devils. Their website is also worth browsing. Later on in the day, we took the boats out and did some cruising on the ocean. I am already starting to get some color from all the sun I've been getting. Sweet deal!
I've gotten very used to the campus already, which is nice. All of the students and staff are really nice. They are from all over the country, so it has been great getting to meet new people from a variety of places. The food is really good too. It's authentic Mexican food made by cooks from in town. The tortillas are absolutely amazing! Speaking of which, I have to go eat some right now :)
Miss you all! Keep in touch!
-Erin
We are leaving tomorrow morning for an overnight turtle watch, so I just wanted to get a quick note in before then. I had my first few lectures today. The first one was a guest lecture with one of the world's leading sea turtle experts, J. Nichols. He does some incredible work with conservation of the species and was the first person to track a turtle swimming across an entire ocean! Check out his blog (wallacejnichols.org). It is very interesting and worth a read. He was also part of the creation of an environmentalist organization called the Eco-Dare Devils. Their website is also worth browsing. Later on in the day, we took the boats out and did some cruising on the ocean. I am already starting to get some color from all the sun I've been getting. Sweet deal!
I've gotten very used to the campus already, which is nice. All of the students and staff are really nice. They are from all over the country, so it has been great getting to meet new people from a variety of places. The food is really good too. It's authentic Mexican food made by cooks from in town. The tortillas are absolutely amazing! Speaking of which, I have to go eat some right now :)
Miss you all! Keep in touch!
-Erin
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I'm here!
Hello Everyone!
I made it to Puerto San Carlos around 9:30 (11:30 eastern time) last night after two flights and a long car ride. Needless to say, I was exhausted and fell asleep pretty soon after getting here. The place is pretty nice. I have two roommates, one from South Dakota and one from Ohio. There are 16 girls and 1 guy in total, so the program is fairly small. Today we are just going through orientation and getting to know each other, and then classes start tomorrow. Not much else to report yet. I'm so far out in the middle of nowhere that I don't get cellphone service, but I'm on Skype and AIM 24 hours a day, so please leave messages, e-mails, etc. I love hearing from people back home!
Hope everyone is doing well! I promise I will update again as soon as there is something interesting to report :)
Miss you all!
-Erin
I made it to Puerto San Carlos around 9:30 (11:30 eastern time) last night after two flights and a long car ride. Needless to say, I was exhausted and fell asleep pretty soon after getting here. The place is pretty nice. I have two roommates, one from South Dakota and one from Ohio. There are 16 girls and 1 guy in total, so the program is fairly small. Today we are just going through orientation and getting to know each other, and then classes start tomorrow. Not much else to report yet. I'm so far out in the middle of nowhere that I don't get cellphone service, but I'm on Skype and AIM 24 hours a day, so please leave messages, e-mails, etc. I love hearing from people back home!
Hope everyone is doing well! I promise I will update again as soon as there is something interesting to report :)
Miss you all!
-Erin
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Just a few days left...
Hey Everyone!
As you all know, I am leaving for Mexico in a few days to study abroad for a month. I have decided to keep in touch with family and friends from home by periodically posting what I've been up to in this blog. I'm sure that I am going to be very busy between lectures, field research, and yes, papers and exams, but I will try to update it every couple of days. The school itself updates its website every two weeks with details from the research that I will be doing. If you want to check that out, the website is http://www.fieldstudies.org/.
If you want to contact me while I'm abroad, I will be checking my e-mail frequently (coburne@bc.edu) and will also be able to use Skype and AIM. Supposedly, my cell phone will also work, but it is fairly expensive to use. If you want to mail letters, the address for the school is:
Center for Coastal Studies/AP 15
Puerto San Carlos, BCS
CP 23740
MEXICO
All letters need to be marked "airmail" and will take about 2-3 weeks to reach me. I cannot receive packages while I am abroad.
So, that's about it for now. I hope to hear from everyone while I am gone! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
As you all know, I am leaving for Mexico in a few days to study abroad for a month. I have decided to keep in touch with family and friends from home by periodically posting what I've been up to in this blog. I'm sure that I am going to be very busy between lectures, field research, and yes, papers and exams, but I will try to update it every couple of days. The school itself updates its website every two weeks with details from the research that I will be doing. If you want to check that out, the website is http://www.fieldstudies.org/.
If you want to contact me while I'm abroad, I will be checking my e-mail frequently (coburne@bc.edu) and will also be able to use Skype and AIM. Supposedly, my cell phone will also work, but it is fairly expensive to use. If you want to mail letters, the address for the school is:
Center for Coastal Studies/AP 15
Puerto San Carlos, BCS
CP 23740
MEXICO
All letters need to be marked "airmail" and will take about 2-3 weeks to reach me. I cannot receive packages while I am abroad.
So, that's about it for now. I hope to hear from everyone while I am gone! Talk to you soon!
-Erin
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