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Cacique Update April 24, 2011
by Caciques Caroline V. and Lindsey
Today, we went to Princess Keys and experienced our first taste of returning home to an environment that is not as aware or concerned with sustainability as The Island School is. As we stood in the heat listening to our tour guide, many of us were shocked by what we heard. Because of all we’ve learned here, we were interested to know if they were environmentally friendly. It turns out that our tour guide didn’t even know half the answers to the questions we were asking her. A lot of us starting thinking about returning home and what it was going to be like and how we could help to make a difference. But we didn’t have too much time to ponder about home because of our upcoming 8-day kayak andDownIslandadventures that were soon to come. Feeling intense anticipation, we are all very excited about our trips and can’t wait to embark on our upcoming journeys.
Cacique Update April 23, 2011
by Caciques Alec and Annie
We started out the day with a competitive fun loving game of capture the flag in the inner loop. This unique morning exercise set the attitude for the rest of the day. We had an extraordinary math class that involved going to Schooner Cays, a thirty minute boat ride from The Island School, and taking sextant readings to improve on our celestial navigation skills. Once we got back we headed straight off to the Rock Sound Homecoming, where we made our Human Ecology presentations. When we got class out of the way we were able to experience the true Bahamian homecoming at its fullest. There were vendors with many Bahamian delicacies, including conch fritters and guava duff. Once the sun had set and the party began, we danced the buckles off our shoes with local residents. All this activity left us with full stomachs and aching feet, which lead to a great night’s sleep.
Lionfish dissection day
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Recently in patch reef we learned about the internal and external anatomy of red lionfish. We had an example lionfish dissected for us and we learned about how the different organs work inside the lionfish and their function. It was a good lesson in fish anatomy. We studied lionfish because they are an invasive species in The Bahamas, so catching lionfish increases survival of native fish. Afterwards, we went to our patch reef research sites in Rock Sound and recorded the fish species and abundance of fish we observed. In the field, we observe one patch reef at a time. In order to minimize double counts of a single fish, we observe the reef in an “S” pattern over the top and then explore underneath the reef. However, there is no full-proof way to not have any double counts. The best we can do is decrease the possibility of counting an individual twice. Some responsibilities we have on the water include boat chores. These tasks can range from preparing the engine to dropping the anchor. After our surveys, we returned to school to input the data that we collected into REEF.org.
- Damian Bleiberg
Lionfish Ninjas Swim With Cinderblocks (read with intensity!!)
Ninja Black Fingers (Jessica) and Ninja Skye started our lionfish research class by running in dressed in black and carrying palm frond ninja sticks, like true lionfish ninjas do. We are not ‘normal’ ninjas. We are lionfish ninjas! Our efficient ways help with our ridiculously rapid clod card deployment. We had a mere 3.5 hours to visit 16 different sites, deploying a total of 32 clod cards. These clod cards aren’t so simple and easy to carry. They were attached to cinderblocks and we lionfish ninjas had to carry them above the water through treacherous currents (see awesome-amazing-super ninja video and pictures). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eTKFdGT0bc I’m sure you’re just dying to ask what clod cards are. Well, hey, good thing you’re reading this blog. We’ve got your answer! Clod cards are a plaster-like substance that slowly dissolve away as the current runs over them. We take the initial and final weights of the clod cards and use a formula to find the current speed of each site. We think that these currents may affect the lionfish distribution around South Eleuthera. Well, I hope you’ve got your answer. Peace out lionfish ninja blog followers.
-Ellie, Jessica, and True
Adios Poo-Poo Garden, Hello Biodigestion!
One topic we think about a lot here at the Island School is how to live as sustainably as possible. Dealing with human waste is an issue that we’ve tried to confront many times in the past, but until now haven’t found a practical solution. There are several reasons as to why the issue of human waste is so problematic. First of all, pumping it out to be driven to a landfill is bad for the environment since it leaches into the ground, which can pollute both fresh groundwater and ocean water. Also, burning it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which contributes to the widely discussed issue of global warming. Currently we have created a waste water, or, as it is more affectionately known, “Poo-poo” garden on campus to handle our waste. Toilets, sinks, and showers run into this garden, where solids settle out and liquids gravity flow to two beds, providing nutrients that promote plant growth, especially for thirsty plants like bananas. But what about the solids? How can we find a final resting place for our human waste? Continue reading
Cacique Update April 22, 2011
by Caciques Ellie and Austin
Happy Earth Day! Our very own Lissa Eidelman greeted us at dinner circle with an excerpt from President Obama’s Earth Day speech. Being so disconnected from the outside world, it was pleasing to hear that others are also putting effort into a greener, more sustainable world. Obama talked about how our world needs to use less energy and conserve more. The little efforts are what count. Here at The Island School, we try to do this by turning off the lights whenever we leave a room. We also try to be as sustainable as possible when eating our food. We buy as locally as we can to reduce the carbon footprint, and in many cases, we grow our own food. Before I came to The Island School, I never considered the aspect of food in sustainability. I never knew that buying so locally and organically could make such a big difference! Continue reading
Cacique Update April 21, 2011
by Cacique Jessica and Marco
We all came to The Island School expecting our math class to be Celestial Navigation. A lot of us, including myself, were disappointed to find we would be doing statistics instead. I understand that statistics is much more helpful when it comes to Research Class, but I wanted to know how to do celestial navigation also. I have taken astronomy at home and know quit a bit of trigonometry, so I thought it would be neat to apply it to find my latitude. Today in math class we were surprised to find that, due to popular demand, we were doing a crash course in celestial navigation. Matt taught us a little bit about how celestial navigation works and about how to use a sextant and then we were off to try it on our own. To use a sextant you look through the eyepiece at the sun (don’t worry, there are filters) and adjust it until you can see two suns. Continue reading
Start of the Fourth Season of Caribbean Reef Shark Study
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April 4, 2011 marked the start of the fourth season of the Caribbean reef shark offshore research project at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. The day began at 6:45 am, packing the boat with necessary equipment, bait and tools for a full day of field research on the water. A team of four headed three nautical miles southeast of Cape Eleuthera to a sampling area known as ‘zone four’, where the oceanic shelf drops off dramatically. This interface between shallow mid-bank waters and extreme depths in known as “the wall”. The wall is a popular site for fish aggregations, and therefore, all offshore surveys are set in close proximity to it. After an hour and a half soak time, the team began to haul in the 500m long scientific survey line and its 40 hooks, hoping that at least a few had sharks attached. Just before unclipping the second gangion from the line, a large dark vision approached the surface. Continue reading
Kayak Rotations Begin
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On Monday of this week K1 departed girls dorm cut and began their 8-day kayak expedition as the kayak rotation got underway. While they were headed out on the water, K2 headed down island for their trip to the north end of Eleuthera. After returning yesterday from their trip K2 left The Island School this morning for their 8-day trip. The first group of kayakers are preparing for their solo experience over the next couple of days and will be back next week. The other groups, K3 and K4, are on campus doing their academic rotation and will be doing their own trips in the upcoming week. To see more pictures, don’t get forget to check out our Flickr photostream.