Ramon’s Weekly Report #9
Bioregionalism Education
Summer Session, 2008
July 2 & 4, 2008
This week’s theme was Marine Ecosystems and once again we were accompanied by William and Jaime from Planet Drum. I started the class by asking everyone what they think marine ecosystems are. They answered: The coast and everything in the ocean. I explained to them that the coast of Ecuador meets the Pacific Ocean and that it is home to a very large quantity of life.
After the introduction, the students split into work groups and went over their worksheets. Afterwards there were lots of questions, such as how much could the oceans rise with global warming?
I explained that many coastal areas could be lost with the rising waters. Why do humpback whales swim by our coasts? I told them that during the summer the Humboldt current dominates our waters and brings cold water from the south. The whales travel in this current and come to Ecuador to find a mate and have offspring. Then William and Jaime recounted how they had seen whales in Puerto Lopez the previous weekend. From a distance they observed 6 or 7 whales. And they also visited Isla de la Plata and saw many Blue-footed Booby birds. After the volunteers shared their experiences, we headed home.
On Friday we took a fieldtrip to Playa Gringa. I brought with me two snorkels so that the students could see something in the water. When we arrived I explained to all of the students how to use the snorkels.
Even though the tide was up, Gustavo was able to see a sand dollar. And Carlos and Faviana saw a fish swimming in a wave. Everyone got a chance to use the snorkels.
After swimming and snorkeling we played a game of frisbee on the beach. Faviana got so exhausted that she lay down to rest in a tide pool.
– Ramon
Translated by Clay.
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