Another fabulous trip for the North Collins Marine Biology Club. I am always so proud of our students - we as chaperones again heard many compliments of how well behaved and polite
the kids were all week. Kudos to you parents- your hard work shows in their manners!
The week would not run smoothly without the help of the other adults on the trip - Thank you again to Lisa and Randy Brosnick, Garry and Kathy Dole!
I have traveled many places in my life but wouldn't trade any of it for the great times I have had with students on the MBC trips.
All my Love, Miss Palmer
The Marine Biology Club (MBC) at North Collins Central School is advised by Ms Julie Palmer. The Club visits a unique ecosystem each year and has chosen the coral reef for 2015. The Blog background is Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan and will be our home for the week of March 28-April 4.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
The Days are Just Packed
Bekah and Ashlynn here to talk about our last day in Paradise.
The day started bright and early for some of us as Mr. Dole took Sam and Bekah
to see the sunrise while others opted for the extra hour of sleep. The calm of
the island and the beauty of the sunrise was a great start to the day. After breakfast,
we went to Carambola Gardens. There, Bill (the owner) showed us the different
kinds of trees native to Roatán. We saw cocoa and cinnamon trees (to name a
few) and we were even able to taste some all-spice leaves and cocoa beans. We then
hiked up the mountain (after taking a few wrong turns). The view was
breathtaking (literally—we were all rather short of breath). From the top of
the mountain we were able to see all of Anthony’s Key and Bailey’s Key—the
place where the dolphins live. What was so cool about it was that we could see
places where we previously snorkeled. The hike down was a lot easier and we all
worked up enough of a sweat to be ready for some snorkeling. Our first snorkel
sight was off the back of Bailey’s Key. The mooring was near a shipwreck called
El Aguila. JoJo and John threw bait into
the water and huge groupers came and snatched them up. It was quite alarming
and extremely cool. We swam around for a while looking at all of the fish and coral.
After our morning snorkel, we went to lunch where we feasted on chicken wraps, homemade
pizza, and fish. After lunch there was time for some powernaps before our
afternoon snorkel. Miss Palmer requested we go back to Blue Harbor because she
believes it to be the most beautiful place on earth. While in Blue Harbor, Sam
got a chance to snorkel one last time because she bought special ear plugs. We
saw some pretty neat things like a huge hermit crab living in a conch shell and
a pair of sailfin blennies. Jake and Chris even saw a stingray! The boat ride
back proved to be eventful. A flying fish decided to make himself known to us
and jump into Miss Palmer’s lap. She decided to be a good neighbor and she
threw him back into the ocean. Miss Palmer was the hero of today :) It was a
sad last snorkel because this meant that we had to say goodbye to our pals JoJo
and John. JoJo and John taught us a lot about the water and
the creatures that live there and they added some native spice to our trip. After
our final snorkel in Roatán, we got some ice cream and then had time to go to
the gift shop and buy some cool souvenirs. We then went to the bar where we got some delicious drinks, listened to live
music and watched the sunset with our education director Jennifer Keck. We then had a yummy dinner. Chris went all out
and got a seafood platter with crab, conch, and every possible thing you can
imagine. We are now enjoying the peace and quiet of the island as we pack our
things to return home. We’re collecting all of the extra sunscreen and bug
spray and giving it to Jen Keck to give to the locals and other snorkeling
groups. It’s a bittersweet goodbye—sad to
leave but ready to go home. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting. The
comments always put smiles on our faces. This is Bekah and Ashlynn signing off
for the last time in Roatán. Perhaps one day we’ll return :)
The group at the peak of Carambola Gardens |
The ginormous groupers off of Bailey's Key |
Saying goodbye to our new friends, JoJo and John |
Seafood heaven |
P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad for commenting and bringing me
happiness knowing your thinking of me as much as I am thinking of you. I miss
you guys so much and can’t wait to tell you my experiences here in Roatán,
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Love, Ashlynn
P.P.S. Thanks Katie and Mom and Lori and Amelia for commenting. I liked
hearing from you guys, but my favorite commenter was Jocy :) I’m excited to see
you too! Owen, I have the picture of the banana tree for you—it was the first
thing I did. There’s one conveniently right outside my cabin. I love you all and
am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night. Mom, you can expect me to
barge into your room and steal Murphy so that I can have a snuggle bud to keep
me warm! Love you lots, Bek
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Outback Dave and Professor Keppel venturing the high seas....CROIKEE!
The squad at the pool. |
Professor Keppel and Outback Dave here to bring you the best
blog of the century. Well, we started off with our usual breakfast of
watermelon and pancakes (Professor Kep) and eggs, bacon, and ham
(Outback). Then, we ventured to the
classroom for an amazing lecture on the many Mangrove areas within the
Caribbean. After the lecture, we were on the boat again to see the Mangroves
with our own eyes at Man O’ War Key. Despite being a little murky, it was a
very unique experience to see all of the juvenile fish just chilling in shallow
waters fit for their size; but the snorkeling didn’t end there. We took the
boat a whole 50 feet out of the Mangroves into Blue Harbor, one of the most
beautiful spots in the entire Caribbean. There, we not only got to look at the
diverse selection of organisms, we were fortunate enough to collect them with
our fancy nets. Upon our snorkel, we spotted the wild Miss Palmer doing the classic
“King of the World” pose off of the front of the boat. Also we spotted an eagle
ray and a flounder. Some things we collected are the mighty Queen Conch, Milk
Conch, a Sea Biscuit, and Jenna caught a fish called the slippery-dick…she was
the master fish catcher because no one else could do the hearty task. Within
some of the empty conch shells and encrusted algae, little fish, baby octopi, baby
shrimp, a flatworm, a segmented worm called the thing, and Mr. Krabs, straight
from the krusty algae (a.k.a. The Krusty Krab). Then, we safely released all of
these critters back into the wild, and returned for lunch. On the menu was a
beef tenderloin sandwich, an entire fish (including the eyes), and a nice
B.L.T. sammich (Dad we can serve these at Keppies’ Sammiches). We then played
cards on the girls’ deck, and spotted the wild iguana. Carl decided to fight a
bee on the way to the gear shack. The bee got some good shots in (Carl’s okay),
but you shoulda seen the bee;).
Our
afternoon snorkel took place off of the back of Anthony’s Key, where we saw
many urchins, a large barracuda the size of Manhattan, and a large variety of
juvenile fish. On the way back in, Outback Dave and Chris had a memorable
encounter with fire coral, while Professor Keppel, Jade, and Aurora watched
from a safe, unfirey distance. Vinegar turned out to be a great cure, and we
headed for the pool for some fun in the sun. Then, Outback Dave and Professor
Keppel reunited as the volleymaster duo in some classic beach volleyball once
more. Yesterday they fell short to the hometown boys by a mere two points, but
that was not the story today… THEY DESTROYED, bringing their overall record to
2-1. All of this fun made us all hungry, and we headed for dinner, with great
chicken parm, and Grilled Mahi Mahi (it’s a fish). To top the day off Professor Keppel and
Outback Dave gave the greatest presentations this side of the Hudson on reef
health and climate change. Now we will finish the blog and upload everything so
we can get some sleep. This is Outback Dave and Professor Keppel signing off.
Have a swell night.
P.S. Hey Dad amd Mom, Jenna here. I miss you guys and hope
you are having a fun time doing nothing in a quite house with the dog. Garbear,
I hope your arm feels better. Love you guys!!
The Professor and Outback Dave |
Lionfish at the mangroves. |
Zach holding Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber |
Chillin on the boat deck. |
CORAL |
Searching for critters in the algae. |
"Jack I'm flying!" |
Red-Tipped Sea Goddess
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
No Foolin'! We had a blast today!
It’s Wednesday and it’s the Brosnick duo’s turn to blog. We
started the day as always with breakfast bright and early at 7:00. Apparently
no one sleeps in on Roatan. After breakfast, we gathered our stuff up and
hopped on a bus and headed to the intertidal zone. The shores were made up of
fossilized coral and shells. Here the tide was low enough for us to see all
kinds of life such as hermit crabs (Jenna’s favorite), snails, chitons, and
crabs. Clinging to the rocks, these animals had the true wild life, trying to
hold on against the onslaught of waves. As it started, to rain we ran back to
the bus and headed into the town of West End. We had two hours to venture into
shops selling all kinds of souvenirs and clothes.
The shops had very interesting items hand made by native
Roatanians. We’re sure you will see many
of these gifts when we return! Some of
us were quick to master the ways of bargaining and were able to get “discounts”
Roatan style. I (Noah) bought a hand -made
bongo. Let’s hope everyone can sleep
tonight! The girls were on a mission to
find dresses, while the boys ended up with hand-woven palm hats. We finished our tour in town with a quick
stop at the grocery store for ice cream, crazy foods only found in Roatan, coffee
and vanilla.
The afternoon brought beautiful sunshine and a snorkel at
Fish Den. Holding true to its name, we
saw lots of fish: a large school of grunts, several durgons, queen angels, filefish
and at the very end a large hogfish.
After a few quick April Fools jokes about sightings of whale
sharks we were on our way back to shore.
We were quick to change into our dry clothes and join our dive master
John and his friends for a few intense games of beach volleyball. We tried to do our best, but let’s just say us
New Yorkers don’t know beach volleyball, or anything to do with a beach and
warm weather.
Another quick change into our nice clothes and we headed to
Fiesta Night. The fun began with an
intense crab race. Both Carly and
Rebekah had winning crabs after the first round. We thought Carly’s was going to win, but the
crab was directionally challenged and turned away from the finish line at the
last moment. Then everyone tried their
hand at the limbo. With an impressive
showing, Chris was crowned “Limbo King”.
I (zach) realize now limbo is not for tall kids. Miss Palmer, Clinton and Mr. and Mrs.
Brosnick broke it down on the dance floor during the dance contest. However, the native Garifuna dancers showed
them up with their extraordinary tribal dance skills. We think that playing the conch and the
turtle are much cooler instruments than trumpet and viola.
The real fiesta started when the dance floor opened to
everyone. Some of us found interesting
partners to dance with, while others danced with Miss Palmer and Mrs. Brosnick. Leaving us all tired, we slowly trudged back
to our rooms to go to sleep. You know we
won’t get to sleep in tomorrow.
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