“Bee-ing at Island School”

October 13, 2010

By Caciques Charlie Fichtner and Ellen Doughty

This morning we were treated to an eight o’clock sleep-in, followed by an energetic rush to the granola and yogurt. We began our day with an hour long class, prior to our two-hour class followed by lunch. After lunch, we continued with the remainder of our classes and a bit of exploration time, leading up to dinner.

For many, today was the beginning of our Human Ecology electives, marking a substantial milestone in our semester. Following four weeks of normal Human Ecology classes where we learned about our ecological footprints, environmental ideologies, food processing and consumption and consumerism, we began a new unit. Each one of us had the opportunity to choose our top two elective preferences from the following: Bees, Biodiesel, Compost, Conscious Consumerism or Water, and from there, were placed in a group. Within each elective, we will be able to benefit the future and present state of The Island School. For example, I was lucky enough to receive my first choice of Bees! Continue reading →

WATER: We are surrounded by it.  We all are.  We need it. 

Join us as we address the global issue of WATER.  Tomorrow is Blog Action Day 2010 and our blog will be considering WATER alongside thousands of blogs across the world.  Members of The Island School, Deep Creek Middle School and The Cape Eleuthera Institute will be offering different perspectives on what water means to us. http://blogactionday.change.org/

Come see what water looks like through our goggles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFCIF-1YS6g

Skylar Miller came to CEI this Fall, to work with the Flats Ecology team and to lead the Patch Reef/ Lionfish IS research project.  As a spring 2003 Island School alumna, Skylar is excited to be back on Eleuthera getting to experience The Island School from the other side.  She grew up in upstate New York and bounced around a bit during her undergrad work – starting in Hawaii, studying for year abroad in Australia, and eventually graduating from Oregon State University in 2008 with a B.S. in Biology with a Marine Science concentration.  Most recently Skylar was living in the Florida Keys teaching marine science field programs and working as a guide on ecotour boats.  At Cape Eleuthera Institute, Skylar is hoping to gain valuable research experience while preparing to attend graduate school.

[slideshow]

By Chris Pibl and Jackson Rafter

The Red Lionfish is an invasive species in the Southern Atlantic, originally from the Indo-Pacific waters, and was first sighted in the Bahamas in 2006. In the Caribbean, the lionfish has no natural predators, and has been found to prey on many ecologically and economically important species. There have been up to 20 juvenile fish found in the stomach of 1 average sized lionfish! Lionfish have venomous spines which give it a feared reputation,  and thus, many local fisherman avoid these fish for harvesting and consumption.  However, we know that their meat is safe to eat and think they are actually quite a tasty fish!

In an attempt to bring awareness to the local community, the patch reef group gave a presentation on the lionfish during the Wemyss Bight homecoming. We demonstrated the proper way to handle and prepare Continue reading →