The Field Trip of a Lifetime
 |
Milwaukee teacher Daniel Lesniak and five of the winning students met at the Zoo last June for a preview of their August trip to Belize. From left going clockwise are Scot Frassetto, Matt Rick, Lesniak, Kristin Olson, Bethany Simard, and Natasha Bolz. Not present was April Janssen. An illustration of a jabiru stork is in the background. Photo by Richard Brodzeller |
Bags packed and passports ready, six Wisconsin high school students and one teacher boarded an airplane last August destined for the Central American country of Belize. As part of the Belize & Beyond program – a joint effort of We Energies and the Zoological Society – the students were selected to join instructors Kerry Scanlan and Francesca Jeffries of the Zoological Society and Sue Schenk Drobny from We Energies as “eco-scholars” in Belize. The group spent their week exploring and learning firsthand the importance of international conservation.
The students were only six of 600 students from nine Wisconsin high schools who participated in the Belize & Beyond program in 2003. The program has classes and field trips each fall that focus on comparing the ecology of temperate and tropical forests and how economic factors can affect the environment. Daniel Lesniak, the teacher who accompanied the students to Belize, is from South Milwaukee High School. The six eco-scholars were selected based on essays, interviews and activities:
| Natasha Bolz Port Washington High School |
| Scot Frassetto Kimberly High School |
| April Janssen Sheboygan North High School |
| Kristin Olson Oshkosh West High School |
| Matt Rick Kimberly High School |
| Bethany Simard Appleton North High School |
What follows are personal accounts of their experiences (with explanation in italics), taken from the daily journals they kept while they were there.
 |
| Students stayed in this tent camp at the Chaa Creek Nature Preserve. Photo by Sue Schenk Drobny |
Day 1: Aug. 7, 2004 – “Arrive in Belize!”
The group flew in to Belize City and were greeted by staff from Programme for Belize, a Belize conservation group that works in conjunction with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM). The staff drove them to the Hillbank Field Station, a research station in northwestern Belize within the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area. This was to be their home for the next four days.
“On the way to Hillbank we saw a ton of wildlife, including large green iguanas, black howler monkeys and a spotted racer snake. Once we got settled in at the station, we took a walk around the grounds and spotted a falcon, grasshoppers of all different colors, and even a red butt tarantula!”
Natasha
 |
| Belize & Beyond participants gather in front of a Zoological Society sign outside the Tropical Education Center, one of their “homes” in Belize. From left are Sue Schenk Drobny of We Energies, April Janssen, Scot Frassetto, Milwaukee teacher Daniel Lesniak, Zoological Society instructors Kerry Scanlan and Francesca Jeffries, Matt Rick, Natasha Bolz, Kristin Olson and Bethany Simard. |
Day 2: Aug. 8, 2004 – “Early start today…”
Up at 5:30 a.m. and “birding” with Programme for Belize’s tour guide, Jose, by 6 a.m., they were in for a long day.
“We actually got a late start because April’s bags and our floors became infested with red ants. By 6:15, we were on our way to a very hot bird hike. Jose led us, using a telescope to point out everything he saw. The brown-hooded parrot was very cool, as well as the rufous-tailed hummingbird that we saw both in flight and perched.”
After a presentation about the different eco-systems found in Belize – broadleaf forests, savannas, wetlands, and caves in limestone hills – they set out on a hike to experience the Belizean wilderness. “It was amazing! There were gigantic palms, long vines and a canopy keeping us covered and cool.”
The afternoon brought more eco-adventure. They were introduced to the New River Lagoon and educated on its impact on the environment. “After the presentation, we paddled across the lagoon to Ramgoat Creek to see a forest of mangroves. It was incredible! We learned that the ones that don’t touch the water are known as “fingers,” or “appendages.”
Natasha
 |
| The New River Lagoon stretches out behind Hillbank Field Station in the Orange Walk district of northwest Belize. Photo by Sue Schenk Drobny |
Day 3: Aug. 9, 2004 – “Exploring Maya Ruins”
“After a few extra hours of sleep this morning, we took a large motorboat across the lagoon to the Lamanai Outpost Lodge, where the ancient Maya civilization once flourished. There we saw many cool artifacts like incense bowls, sculptures and stellae (massive stone slabs with carvings that tell stories about the lives of Maya rulers.)”
Jose led the students on a tour of the tropical forest where they came upon three Maya temples: Mask Temple, High Temple and Jaguar Temple. “The sun attacked us through the openings in the canopy, and although we were dressed lightly, we were consumed by sweat as we examined the three temples.”
After their trek, everyone piled into the motorboat and headed back to the Lamanai Outpost for some much needed R and R. “On our way there we spotted a jabiru stork with the wing span of 9 feet!”
The busy day concluded with a tropical forest “frog walk,” led by Jose. “We saw several cool tree frogs, but the best part was when everyone turned off their flashlights. It really allowed us to appreciate the blue-black vastness of the sky and the exuberance of the stars. The stillness of the night was amazing.”
Bethany
Day 4: Aug. 10, 2004 – “Our first rain!”
“We began our day with an early rise to go bird-watching, by way of canoe, to see more of the lagoon’s nesting birds. We saw a limpkin, whistling duck, muscovy duck, pygmy kingfisher and laughing falcon. The bird we got the closest to, the boat-billed heron, was my favorite.”
During a presentation on the adverse affects of global climate change by Sue Schenk Drobny, the group experienced their first downpour in Belize. Although this was Belize’s rainy season, rain had been scarce and the heat intense, even under the shade of the forest canopy. After a forester named Rick, who works for Programme for Belize, discussed forest protection and management, students ventured into the bush to see him in action. “Rick led us along a thick and winding path through the forest to show us some of the trees he’s tagged.” The tags are used to tell which trees can be harvested.
April
 |
| April Janssen climbs a tree in northwestern Belize as the others watch. Photo by Sue Schenk Drobny |
Day 5: Aug. 11, 2004 – “The animals of Belize”
“Today we waved goodbye to our Hillbank Field Station home and set off on our way to the Community Baboon Sanctuary.” The Sanctuary is 20 square miles of dense jungle, farmland, pasture and small villages. The area provides a sanctuary for large black howler monkeys, called “baboons” by the locals, and is home to several plants and trees known to have medicinal value.
“We were greeted by Fallet Young, our very knowledgeable guide, who told us that the sanctuary is supported not only by the surrounding villages, but also by organizations such as the Zoological Society of Milwaukee!” After a tour and lunch, they headed to the Tropical Education Center (TEC) near the Belize Zoo, their second “home” on the trip.
“The Belize Zoo was nothing like our zoos in the States. You could walk right up to the enclosures, and all the signs were hand-painted. We saw many animals native to Belize, such as jaguars, spider monkeys, tapirs, jabiru storks and scarlet macaws.”
Back at the TEC, Tony Garel, a Belize Zoo employee, talked about the problems that the proposed Chalillo Dam would create for scarlet macaws. “We learned that the dam would flood the macaws’ breeding grounds, thus decreasing their population. What we hadn’t realized was that the dam, despite its harmful effects on the macaw, was no longer ‘proposed.’ Unfortunately, it was actually being built while we were in Belize.”
Later, they went on a special behind-the-scenes night tour of the zoo. “The girls got to hold a huge boa constrictor, which was kind of freaky. As we walked, we saw many of the nocturnal big cats, and got pretty close to the tapirs, too. It was a very neat experience.”
Kristin
 |
| Getting around Belize by truck was part of the bumpy fun. Photo by Sue Schenk Drobny |
Day 6: Aug. 12, 2004 – “Morning bird-banding”
The travelers packed up again and headed west to Chaa Creek Nature Preserve for their final two days in Belize. From Chaa Creek they drove to Runaway Creek Nature Preserve, which is privately owned by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s sister organization, the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. (FWC), and is a ZSM conservation study site in Belize.
“We were greeted at the bird-banding site by David Tzul and Reynold Cal [ZSM employees who are Belize natives]. We were told to wear our rubber boots because it was wet and we were going to explore an underground cave!” David and Reynold described how they study birds for the Birds Without Borders-Aves Sin Fronteras® research, conservation and education project coordinated by ZSM and FWC.
“After the lecture, it was time to check the site’s net for fallen birds. We found two: an olive warbler and a slate-colored seedeater. We took the birds back to the banding table where Reynold and David measured their wing length and leg size. Finally it was time to band the bird. Reynold took out a tool that resembled a pliers, placed a tiny metal band around its ankle, and released the bird.” Bird banding is a way for researchers to track the migratory habits of these birds.
Matt
 |
| Dan Lesniak keeps still so as not to disturb the butterfly on his neck. Photo by Sue Schenk Drobny |
Day 7: Aug. 13, 2004 – “Last Day”
A long drive through Mountain Pine Ridge, a butterfly garden, and an excursion to Rio Frio Cave was how the eco-scholars spent their last day in Belize. On the way they discovered the damage that certain species were creating. “We learned that a tiny beetle was responsible for the destruction of many pine trees.” Overpopulation of the southern pine beetle is a serious threat to the lumber harvest in Belize. So far, clear-cutting a buffer zone in the forest is the only way to prevent the beetles from spreading.
After a quick dip in the river, they pressed on to the Belize Botanic Gardens for a conservation and native flora tour. “One cool plant we saw was shampoo ginger. These plants’ cones contain milky mucus which makes a great shampoo.”
Scot
By Julie Lawrence
For information about Belize & Beyond, e-mail education@zoosociety.org or call (414) 258-5058. For information about Runaway Creek Nature Preserve and how you can sponsor an acre, go to www.saveanacre.com or call (414) 258-2333. The FWC manages Runaway Creek in conjunction with the Zoological Society.
