Marine Iguanas

Our day started with a 6 A.M. hike to Tortuga Bay on the south side of Santa Cruz Island. The white sand beach reminded me of our New Jersey beaches. I wondered why the sand was not black from the volcanic rock. I found out it is because the sand on this beach was formed from coral and sea shells, not volcanic rock.

As we walked down the beach, we watched for wildlife. We saw sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, oyster catchers, brown pelicans, yellow warblers, and then, finally, a marine iguana! I had been waiting to see them since arriving on the Galapagos Islands! Just like the tortoises, the marine iguana were very easy to photograph. (See photo link below.)

We saw one marine iguana, then two, then three, and soon dozens! The longer and harder we looked at the lava rocks on the beach, the more iguanas we spotted. Their black bodies camouflaged very well against the rocks. In contrast, the orange-red sally light-foot crabs stuck out like sore thumbs! (See photo link.)

We also saw two blue-footed boobies on our hike, but I'll tell you about them later. In a few days we are going snorkeling on Lobos Island where we should see more blue-foots, and I hope to get video on them.

This link should bring you to a page of photos from the Tortuga Bay hike:
http://www.mtlaurelschools.org/administration/mbpage.php

Smuggling

I was wondering, have there ever been any records of someone trying to smuggle an animal or plant (material) off of the Galapagos Islands?

Greg

Greg, I am sure someone has tried to illegally remove plant or animal material from the islands, but hopefully they got caught! For those of you that don't know, 97% of the Galapagos Islands are protected as a national park, and national parks have rules. Take a look at Alex's post on September 19th entitled, "Park Rules."

"Is it different from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey?"

How are the Galapagos Islands different from here (Mt. Laurel, NJ)?

Caroline

Thanks for the questions, Caroline. Yes, the island of Santa Cruz looks different from Mt. Laurel. There is less congestion here on Santa Cruz, however, the population is increasing (see the "Galapagos Population" post by Sanil). There are fewer cars, there aren't any huge shopping areas or large grocery stores, and the homes are much smaller than what we see in Mt. Laurel. People seem to life a simpler life. However, many people from the United States may think the life is harder because people here on the islands do without many of the luxuries we are afforded in the US.

But this island has its share of problems, and fortunately for us, one of these problems we don't have to deal with in the United States. It is the lack of clean, fresh water. We are not allowed to drink the water that comes out of the faucets here on Santa Cruz. It is contaminated. In our hotel, there is a container of water on the sink that we must use to brush our teeth. We also have to drink bottled water. Can anyone find out exactly how the water here on the islands is getting contaminated? Ten-point BioBuck offer!

"Meetings and Stuff"

I wanted to ask a question about your trip. Are you going to have meetings and stuff or are you going to travel as a group and just go around the island? And where are you going to be staying during the trip too?

Sonal pd.1

Sonal,
Yes, we definitely have meetings...everyday! The Institute of International Education (IIE) and Toyota have arranged for us to have discussions with several people on the islands: educators, conservationists, students, etc. so we get a good understanding of the educational system on the islands and the environmental programs that are taking place. I spent yesterday morning at a school. It was really fun! (Yes, I miss school!) When I get back, let's send some projects or something down to them. I would like to share your work with them.

We are on the island of Santa Cruz for another day or so, then we travel to San Cristobal. I hope I can stay in touch with you at San Cristobal.

I'll post pictures of the school visit soon. Yes, we have meetings!

Charles Darwin Research Station

We spent part of yesterday at the Charles Darwin Research Station, an organization that in trying to conserve the Galapagos tortoise. Before seeing the tortoises, we spoke to the education outreach person, Sandra Tapia. She shared with us a pilot program they are doing with schools on Santa Cruz. By providing environmental lessons and activities, they hope that the students will maintain an interest in the natural environment, learn to solve environmental problems, and develop environmental values and ethics.

After our meeting, we walked around the research station with our naturalist guide, Morris Garcia. He explained the work being done at the research station. I thought you should meet Morris and listen to him as he explains some of the work being done at the Charles Darwin Research Station.

http://www.mtlaurelschools.org/mbmovie3