Great workshop at AUC

We had a great 2-day workshop for the sophomores at AUC.  The first day was in the classroom, where Dr. Donald Huggins and I discussed the biological, chemical, and physical components of watersheds and water quality.  Students asked a lot of thoughtful questions.  The second day we all went to a river crossing in Simon where we applied all the classroom concepts by filling out a stream evaluation form and measuring the in situ chemistry of the stream.  Dr. Huggins even found a dragonfly nymph to demonstrate how they catch prey.  Thanks to the University of Kansas for helping with funding and to AUC for hosting us!

Aquatic Ecology workshop for AUC students

Here is the schedule for the Aquatic Ecology workshop that Dr. Donald Huggins and I are presenting at the American University of the Caribbean in Les Cayes Haiti.  This is for the SOPHOMORE class at AUC, since they took Tropical Ecology last fall but we never got to go in the field.  There is room for 30 students.  Other students may come if there is space, but no more than 30 total may be in the workshop. 

Tuesday May 7th
9am - 12:30pm Classroom lecture about water quality and importance of watersheds

Wednesday May 8th
8:30 - 10:00 am Half the class will meet to learn about equipment and how to evaluate the stream behind campus.
10:15 - 11:45am The other half of the class with meet to repeat this.

3:00pm  Dr. Huggins will give a talk to everyone at AUC about environmental engineering.

Thursday May 9th
 8:30 - 10:00 am Half the class will meet at AUC to walk to the canal near SEED to learn how to evaluate it.
10:15 - 11:45am The other half of the class with meet to repeat this.

Dr. Huggins will also speak at the Botanical Garden at 4pm on Friday May 3 about why we need to protect Haiti's watersheds.  Dr. Huggins is a scientist in the aquatic ecology unit at the Kansas Biological Survey in the USA. 

Thanks to the University of Kansas for contributing travel funding for this trip!

The Audubon Center of Les Cayes Haiti

This past week, in addition to becoming the newest member of the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) Board, I am also in the process of resurrecting the Audubon Center which is housed at AUC.  Over the past 4 years I have developed an ecology program for schools and adult groups in Haiti, with no definitive home for it.  I started the program through United Christians International in Caiman.  In April I taught in a school in Merger, near Port au Prince.  In July I taught at HAFF back in the Central Plateau.  Basically, I have gone to whatever missionary group would have me.

But now I have found a home for the program!  The Audubon Center here at AUC.  The Audubon Center was started several years ago by people in the area who were interested in birding around Cayes.  And named after the world famous bird painter John James Audubon who was born here in Les Cayes in 1785.

The Center has a room at AUC where books, binoculars, and a GPS unit are housed for those interested in birding and the environment.  But the Center does not receive much attention.  So I have taken on task of reviving it and making an environmental education resource center for the area.  Here is the webpage of it and the activities we have going on.

Grassquits of AUC

I just had to post these very cute yellow-faced grassquits I saw while birding one morning at AUC.  This pair was hopping around with tufts of dried grass in their beaks.  I never did see them put it anywhere.  Also included are pictures of my ecology classroom and the balcony outside.

3rd year Agriculture majors.  1st year is a prep year, so these are sophomores.

The classroom.

Outside the classroom.

Grassquit.

Les Cayes, Haiti

Entrance to AUC, with the Les gate in background.

Hurricane Isaac greeted me in my new home at the American University of the Caribbean in Les Cayes on the southern coast of Haiti’s southern peninsula.  Fortunately for us the worst Isaac did was interfere with internet.  It rained steadily Friday evening and Saturday, but the sun was out on Sunday when we went on a road trip to explore the coast between Les Cayes and Roche a Bateau.  Near Les Cayes the surf was very turbid from all the run and runoff.  Closer to Roche the water became more blue, but still not crystal clear like one might imagine the Caribbean to be.  We stopped at the restaurant of Hotel Reposoir du Village in Port Salut and ate right on the beach.  I had a slightly spicy pikliz salad (cabbage and carrot coleslaw) with citwon jus (lime juice).  Rhoda had shrimp and pomme frit (French Fries) and Tim had a chicken sandwich.

Crab at the restaurant beach.

Our meal at Hotel Reposoir.

River is high from Hurricane Isaac.

Teaching at a Haitian college!

At long last, the past four years of informally teaching ecology in schools and workshops in Haiti has led to an opportunity to teach at a small university on Haiti’s southern coast!*  This fall I will teach (in English) Tropical Ecology and Project Management at the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) in Les Cayes. 

Les Cayes is a coastal town, Haiti’s 3^rd largest city.  Here’s a video of the town (if you’d like to visit please note that it has resorts!).  AUC is a Christian college of about 300 students and is accredited by the Haitian Dept. of Education.  They offer three degrees: Civil Engineering, Agriculture and Environmental Science, and Community Education.  The dean of the college, has a blog which will give you a sense of the classrooms and labs.  She indicated that though tuition is very low by US standards, students make a big sacrifice to attend the university.  Also, students are not able to afford textbooks, but photocopy relevant pages of textbooks to share. 

I will basically have no budget for classroom activities but will use the resources I’ve acquired for the informal education I’ve been doing in the central plateau, and binoculars and items recently donated.  I will also be looking for opportunities to continue teaching ecology in the local schools and perhaps community centers.  AUC cannot afford to pay their American teachers, but I’ll be teaching in exchange for room and board.  My church has set up an account for any funds that people wish to donate to help with education on or off campus (to donate on-line look here under GIVE).  Some of my expenses will include: a cell phone, food for days the cooks have off, transportation around town, taking the students on field trips, travel back and forth from the capital, and teaching materials.  See this blog's side bar for how to donate to these projects directly.  And one of my biggest needs will be your prayers and support as I figure out how to teach college students who have not had the educational opportunities we get in high school and for whom English is a second language.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates about this new adventure!

*Here’s the back story for those just joining this blog.  My dream of moving to Haiti is to teach both adults and kids about science and the wonderful creation that surrounds them in Haiti.  My experience in rural Haiti is that people rely so directly on their environment for their agriculture and water, yet have many misunderstandings and superstitions about nature, many tied to voodoo (Such as snakes actually are the devil and should be killed!  But in reality there are no venomous snakes in Haiti and they eat the rats that eat grain and chew on the people’s feet at night).  People have told me they thought they couldn't do anything to improve their environment because the degradation was all due to evil.  They were elated to learn the science behind it and realize they could make a difference.  It's sounding like teaching at AUC will be a perfect first step, or maybe long term fit, for this vision!