Home Again

What a fantastic trip!

It has been our special privilege to accompany the North Collins Marine Biology Club on an adventure to visit a tropical coral reef ecosystem. The pressures on the reef are so great many leading scientists believe the experience we had will not be possible in a few years because of degradation to the reef. This may truly have been the opportunity of a lifetime.

We would like to thank the students for their careful respect of the reef and it's inhabitants as well as their exemplary behavior on the trip. Hard to believe but I don't recall any complaining! Thanks to Julie Palmer for advising the club and planning the trip. The trip represents an extraordinary effort on her part, well beyond the expectations of a dedicated teacher. We would like to thank the North Collins Central School for allowing the MBC to travel to a healthy coral reef. I believe this decision reflects a vision that embraces education beyond academic achievement to educate the whole child. And finally, a special thanks to Lynn & Bruce Ford for their generous donation of scholarship money for this trip to RIMS.

Thanks Everyone,
Garry & Kathy Dole

Hydroponics in Roatan

After we went to the iguana farm, we had a bus ride to a hydroponics farm. Val, the owner, grows types of lettuces that otherwise could not be grown in the soil of Roatan. He uses PVC pipes with holes in them and a steady stream of water to grow out the roots of the plants to create lettuce to supply the island. This is more efficient and the plants are more nutritious because the stresses of soil are not acting upon the plants. Along with the farm he had a huge orchard full of different plants ranging from cashew and grapefruit trees.
-Brandon and Alicia

The Iguana Farm

Today after lunch we went on a half hour bus ride to the Iguana Farm. When we got there, there were hundreds of Iguanas everywhere. The owner of the farm said that there were over 4000 Iguanas. Some of the bigger male iguanas were fighting over a mate. Then after looking at the iguanas there was a very friendly spider monkey in a cage. He would reach his hand out and grab your finger. Soon after we went down to the dock and saw plenty of giant Tarpon fish and some lobsters as well as a hawksbill sea turtle. It was a very fun filled afternoon. - Lacey and Jeremy.

Snorkel at Gibson Bight

After Carombla Gardens we returned to RIMS for the boat ride to Gibson’s Bight. There were all kinds of cool fish that we saw including a sea turtle. We also saw Fire Coral and Christmas Tree Worms. In the lettuce coral we saw a lot of fish. At one point it got quite shallow and we kept swimming into cold and warm spots. By the end, some of us were very chilly but laid in the sun on the way back.
Jake and Dan

Carombla Gardens

The first thing that we did today was take a hike up to the Carambola Gardens.
There we were shown the different spices that we use every day, such as sage, oregano, basil, and cinnamon. We also learned where vanilla comes from, and what the difference is between vanilla extract and vanilla essence. Finally, on the tour we stumbled across leaf cutter ants as they carried leaves from trees and on the ground, back to their underground colony to cultivate the fungus that they eat for food.
-Toni and Mike-

Thursday, April 12

The very first thing we did today after breakfast was go horseback riding. After being shown the reigns of how to ride, we set off at a light trot down the beach. Once the slower horses caught up with the rest of the group, we were shown how to go a little faster. Some of us shot away in a gallop, while some of the horses still needed a little coaxing to go a little faster. However, for some us, the horses were held back, for they had too much horsepower than their riders could handle.
-Mike and Toni-

DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER!

This morning we had a dolphin encounter and snorkel at Baileys Key. It was awesome! The trainer taught us all about the bottle nose dolphins and thier behaviors, which afterwards they did some amazing tricks such as the wave goodbye and hello, jumping and the moonwalk. Everybody got pictures hugging and kissing the dolphins. Then after we got to snorkel with the dolphins, and they were very playful. They liked to take the sea grass out of peoples hands. The bottom picture is the dolphin named Anthony. He was really fun because he is only a baby (16 months old) The dolphins were wonderful and it was an experience that we will never forget. Jeremy and Lacey

Morning Snorkel

The first snorkel of the day today was held at a place called Four Sponges. It was one of the more beautiful sites that we have been too. There was a big cliff where the boys competed to see how far down they could surface dive. Dan was most likely the winner of this. In the water we saw a huge school of blue tang and a few queen angelfish. When we got out of the water the boys jumped off the boat trying to do as many tricks as possible. Each of the boys almost lost their trunks during this and it was very funny.

-Brandon and Alicia

Relaxing in Paradise

Staying hydrated!

In between snorkels we had our first buffet lunch on Anthony’s Key. We have to take the water taxi over. It consisted of pork, kabobs, beans, salsa, banana bread, and more. We then went to the pool where we played water tag and had chicken fights. Alicia and Brandon beat out 4 groups at chicken fighting and then the group bathed in the sun for a short time before heading to the boat for the afternoon snorkel.
Jake and Dan

Fiesta Night on the Key

Today at around 6:00 we had the fiesta of a lifetime. It started with a giant barbeque followed by two fire dancers that threw flaming batons in the air. Then we had a limbo contest where Jake was the only one left along with three ten old kids. He was knocked out due to size. After, the traditional dancers came out and they could really shake it. The dancers pulled Jake, Brandon, Alicia, and Mike who were all very hesitant. This was followed by a dance contest where Brandon and Jake surprisingly joined in. They could really shake it too. We soon found this same thing out when Ms. Palmer danced and won the adult contest.
Jake and Dan

Biodiversity Lab

Today following the afternoon snorkel we did a really interesting biodiversity lab on the boat. We ripped apart algae and gonolithian algae that we got from the snorkel in the afternoon. We found many fascinating creatures in the algae such as small crabs, brittle stars, starfish, fire worms, mantis shrimp and a Caribbean Sea anemone. Everyone learned a lot and was very surprised to see all of the life in the small amount of algae. We were careful not to harm the organisms and then returned them back to their natural habitat safely. -Jeremy and Lacey.

Wednesday Snorkel Sites

After a large lunch, we headed 3-4 miles east to Man O’ War Key. On the way, Jo-Jo let Toni drive the boat while some of us rode on the bow. In the mangrove we were able to see an arrow crab and many feather dusters. On the back reef, we were allowed to catch organisms with nets as long as we didn’t hurt the reef. Some of these organisms included, sea cucumbers, conchs, and a fire worm. After studying these animals we released them back into the water and headed back to the resort.
-Mike and Toni-

Bilingual School in Coxen Hole

Today we got to sleep in a little later and headed out to the bilingual school. This was established by Cheryl Galindo, who is the wife of Julio Galindo who founded Anthony’s Key Resort (Where we are staying.) We sat and talked to a group of kids who had just as many questions about us as we did them, ranging from the USA to love lives. We had a tour of the entire school and gave the kids bags of crayons, markers, pens & pencils. They were very appreciative and it was an awesome cultural experience. Also very hot (not rubbing it in.)
Brandon and Alicia

Tuesday, April 10: Don Julio

This morning before breakfast we met with Julio Galindo and his two sons, Julio Jr and Samir, who are the owners of the resort. They were very interested in what we thought about the resort and Roatan but, also home life back in the United States. We found Don Julio and his sons to be very politically active and they showed a strong interest in the people of Roatan along with the environment and the education of the people. We were very fortunate to have such a vivid conversation with such powerful figures in Roatan.
-Lacey and Jeremy

Morning Snorkel at Bailey's Key

Today the gang experienced a very scary situation. We went snorkeling at Bailey’s Key in the morning and saw many small jellyfish. We even came face to face with a few of them. Luckily we got out in time and no one got stung. They surrounded us at one point and Dan had to push Jake away because it was 2 inches from him. We still did get to see some pretty cool stuff. Today was very hot and muggy but we had an adventurous day. I’m glad to hear that 24 was finally good. Thanks for the info. -Jake and Dan

Canopy Tour

This afternoon we went on a trip to visit the canopy in the West End area of the island. After a quick briefing on what not to do, we began to fly through the magnificent flora of Roatan. Some of the best parts of the trip were when we rode through the canopy superman style, or when Gary Dole rode the zip-line upside down with the rest of us.
-Mike and Toni-
P.S. Miss Palmer says she would like to hear her from family or friends.

Night Snorkel

After the morning snorkel, we were a little shaky on going back into the water after the jellyfish incidence. We daringly jumped into the water and found the water clear of the jellies. The water was full of sea cucumbers and anemones but the best was the octopus that we saw. We decided to go to dinner around 7:30 but got lost on the way to the dock, and were swimming towards the wrong dock. Oops!! But everyone made it back ok.
-Alicia and Brandon
Hey guys!! Its so awesome here! I love it, I understand why Rae wanted to come back so bad. And the canopy tour was sooo cool. I was superwomen 2 times, and went upside down once. Mom won’t like that, but o well. I’m fine. Well, Brandon wants me to say goodbye now…so bye!!! Love you guys tons!! xoxoxo! Love lee.

Hey everyone, just a quick check in and I wanted to make sure that Tara has gotten the dress and that it is awesome. This place is so awesome! Love Brandon

Monday Morning at Smith Bank

We left at nine o’clock after the lecture for our first snorkel of the day. To get there we had to travel around the western tip of the island and got to see the awesome scenery views. When we jumped in, we saw massive amounts of staghorn coral. Jen helped show us types of fish and corals. The water was very warm and it was a great experience. Brandon and Alicia

Lunch on the Key

We had a great lunch today. The locals made food like hamburgers, homemade potato chips, and carrot cake. Then the guys went beach snorkeling with Gary “The Dolphin” Dole. He is good at diving. Then the girls went kayaking while the guys got ice cream. It was an intense day.
Jake and Dan

Dolphin Training Monday

Today at Fins and Flippers Key, we learned how to train a dolphin by using positive reinforcement. We were shown the different hand signals and were able to have the dolphins do their tricks. Some things that they did were shaking hands, waving goodbye, and jumping. At the end, we went on to the platform to get a kiss from the dolphin Fiona. The highlight of the session was probably when Lacey went to get on the platform, and missed horribly, landing on her face with a loud thud.
Mike and Toni

Monday Afternoon Snorkel

For this afternoon snorkel experience at Key Hole we were all very tired from the mornings’ exciting events. We were snorkeling one mile off the coast which was covered in ancient coral. The natives call all of this the “Iron Wall”. Gary and Kathy were diving in Key Hole and saw two seahorses and others saw a squid. The water was great and many people got sunburned.
Jeremy and Lacey

Snorkel On Sunday

Snorkeling
Today we snorkeled at Deep Eel Garden. It was a very exciting experience. We saw many varieties of fish and an octopus that we learned about at the lectures. Some thought that the salt water tasted gross, but looking past that the water was great, really warm and refreshing. We are looking forward to the remaining snorkeling here in Roatan.

-Jeremy and Lacey

Dear Tara or Mom, I hope you are feeding my chinchillas and they are happy!! Dad please don’t let Tara crash the car, I would like to see it! Love Lacey.

Bailey's Key Visit

When we visited the island of Bailey’s Key, we found a lot of hermit crabs. Afterwards, we sat at the dolphin pen and got their attention by splashing around in the water and played with them. On our way back to RIMS we were able to see an old sunken seaplane that had crashed in the bay a long time ago.
Hey, how’s the snow up there? It’s eighty degrees and nice and breezy here!!!!(Mike)
-Mike and Toni

Easter Church Service

Easter Service
For Easter service today we walked through the village meeting the local minister. We were informed on the custom where women must wear skirts and have their shoulders covered while men must wear long pants and collared shirts. We had to go back and change to meet the requirements. The congregation sang a lot during the service. The contest for the loudest singer was definitely not won by us.
-Brandon and Alicia

Dear Mom and family, hope you miss me a lot, because I miss all of you guys!! I’m loving it here, it’s so much fun. Love you guys tons!! xoxoxo!!!! Love, Goomer.

Hey guys, Roatan is just what I needed this place is so nice and looks like Jurassic Park even though lee doesn’t think so. And just to clear things up Miss Barratt I have been very nice to your daughter she doesn’t respond well to sarcasm though. Easter was crazy but ill see you when I get home. Love Brandon

Lectures at RIMS

Lectures
At about 8:00am we learned about environmental issues of Roatan. We also learned about the history and features of Roatan. In the afternoon we had a Fish ID Lecture with Jen Keck, who runs RIMS. She is very cool. We saw all the possible fish we could witness in Roatan in her PowerPoint and they were amazing. We are having a great time. I wish I had a digital camera (Dan).
-Dan and Jacob

Arrived in Roatan!

We have arrived safely in Roatan, a few hours later than planned, but here! Weather here is rainy and cool this evening - about 70. After checking into our rooms, we took a quick snorkel off Anthony's Key. Even with the rain, it felt good to be in the warm salt water.

Departure

You must be at school by 3:30 AM Saturday! We will make a quick check of carry-ons and be on our way....

Bag Check

Thursday Evening, April 5, 2007 at 5:30 PM in the Chorus Room

Checked bags will be inspected at this time. Remember the limit for a bag is maximum 50 pounds and 62 linear inches (total length + width + height).We will have you complete an AKR tag for your bag and add a group identifying yarn tie. Bags will be held until departure on Saturday.

Carry-ons will be checked on Saturday before boarding the bus to the airport. Remember the 3-1-1 rule for your carry-on:
3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3 ounce bottle or less; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin.
Any liquids or gels larger than 3 ounces must go in your checked bag.

For more info check at the Continental web site.

Parent Meeting

The Pre-Trip Parent Meeting is set for Monday, March 26, 2007 at the High School. Parent meeting begins promptly at 6:30 pm. There will be a video of RIMS shown from 6 - 6:30 and pizza will be served. Please contact Miss Palmer if you are unable to attend.