Tropical Ecosystems: In your face!

BELIZE--

As our Spring Break travel week adventures came to a close, the CCSP 2011 crew regrouped, coming from all corners of Belize and Guatemala with stories galore and a recharge of R&R. We were now ready to take on a week of Forest Ecology with Dave Foster (Messiah College) spearheading the way.

Class didn’t spend much time in the classroom this time around. After one lecture at our Nabitunich campus home we were off to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Established in 1986, Cockscomb is unique in that it is the only wildlife sanctuary in the world established primarily for the conservation of the Jaguar (Panthera onca). While we didn’t happen to spot any Jaguars in our many hikes, there was much to behold in this astounding tropical patch of the creation. Our accumulative bird list from the whole week consisted of 139 species! Other exciting sightings out on the trail included Brocket Deer, Morlet’s Crocodile, Box Turtles, Gibnuts, and Agoutis. Thanks to David’s heat sensing camera traps, we were lucky enough to catch a Puma on camera! The week was indeed one thrill after another as we experienced the rainforest up close and personal. From scenic overlooks of endless hills densely forested to swimming holes, Cockscomb isn’t a place any of us will soon forget.

During a night hike, Heather Pagelkopf (Northwestern, '12) examines the intricate feather detail of the Common Paraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)

The bizarre Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) perches over the swamp where it nests during the day, but will prowl the waters for food by night

On our way back from Cockscomb, we stopped in Red Bank at an organic cacao farm to see how cacao (used to make chocolate) is grown in Belize, along with many other traditional Belizean crops. This particular farm also happened to be near to where the Scarlet Macaws (Ara Macao) gathers at this time of year. How does the community incorporate eco-tourism along with their farms? How do these small-scale agriculture operations interact with the nearby rainforest? How do they benefit the community and the Belize market? These were just some of the questions we were able to contemplate and bring to life in the dialogue with the community of Red Bank.

One of the most thrilling moments of the week was the first glimpse of the Puma (Puma concolor) caught on David Foster's heat-sensing camera trap! Pumas are actually more rare than Jaguars in Cockscomb

The class wrapped up back home in the nearby mountain forests and on campus with a few more lectures to encapsulate the course and presentations from student projects that were completed throughout the week. Projects were diverse, ranging from leaf cutter ant studies, to fungi, to epiphytes, to of course birds. With the satisfaction of our final night of class looking back at our behemoth bird list, completed projects and field journals, countless laughs and memories, along with some sore muscles, Nabitunich was soon fast asleep with dreams of Jaguars prancing in our heads.

As we studied so many plants, we just had to try the wild blueberries we stumbled across in Mountain Pine Ridge forest reserve

A view from the top: The journey was just as inspiring as the photo