We’re well settled into a routine the ITEC field station that keeps all busy as well as enjoying ourselves. The ITEC field station is located in Boca del Drago (“Mouth of the Dragon”) on Isla Colón. There is no Internet connectivity in the end of the island where ITEC is located, and this is the first chance we’ve had to update you directly. Thank you Anne for keeping the group updated in the interim. Below find a blog entry from Will Freedberg that captures our experience well. I also include some photos. Click on “Photo Albums” or the photo to to see a photo album. The next time we can definitely update is Sunday late afternoon or early evening. Other than one encounter with sea urchin spines and some mosquitoes bites and some sunburn (we are taking sun protection measures) are well, productive and happy. The following is Will’s blog entry.
“All is well with our group here on Isla Colon. Students have snorkeled three different sites and compared them, and worked on field journaling in the nearby secondary forest. We’ve already managed to turn up large groups of howler monkeys, a three-toed sloth, and a wonderfully diverse spread of tropical birds. Folks are generally surprised with the quality of food and accommodation here, (although there have been a few minor hitches, like the occasional frog chilling out in a bathroom stall).
The past couple of days were jam-packed but carefully planned. After arriving in Panama City with no delays or inconveniences, we went to see the famous Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, and the accompanying museum. The museum was informative but admittedly cheesy, although everybody marveled at the locks- true masterpieces of engineering. After seeing the Canal, our planned rainforest hike was precluded by a rainstorm, so we quickly regrouped and decided to hit the local mall for snacks and supplies. As a wildlife enthusiast I was pretty down about missing the lowland forest hike, but I don’t think anybody else minded. Our hotel for the evening was comfortable, with potable tap water.
We slept well and were up early for our trip to Bocas del Toro. Everybody settled in nicely yesterday, and we’re getting used to the rhythms of life at ITEC. Between excursions, classroom discussions, lectures, and meals, we’ve got plenty of downtime to explore the area- although most folks spend their free time exploring the same areas we’ll have just come back from! The ocean is calm, and the forest rich and steamy (and of course, intensely hot). It’s also nice to sit on the beach and reflect on what we’ve seen so far, and in my case distance myself from last mod’s stresses. We’re just now beginning to brainstorm and organize for our upcoming group projects, which should include studying frog populations, Heliconia ecology, and mapping transitions of Oyster populations between mangrove and reef ecosystems. In the next couple of days we’ll be focusing on these as well as individual initiatives, producing two polished studies and a field journal by the end of our stay- then, off to the cloud forest! The group is starting to gel and work better as a cohesive unit, and I’m looking forward to seeing how our dynamic develops.
We’ll try to post again soon, but internet is limited. I’m writing this for Steve to upload it at the airport as he picks up our missing faculty member, Tom, who got held up in Boston because of passport troubles. Until we get internet next—
-William Freedberg
Update: We didn’t get access to the Internet when we thought we could, so the last post is a little late. Since then, we’ve had two more very full days of early morning excursions, afternoon projects, and evening classroom work. Projects include reef transects, studies of microorganisms in Heliconia flowers, and mark-recapture methods with frogs. I have to run unexpectedly- projects call- but we’ll try to write again soon.
-Will Freedberg