We spent the day with a marine biologist, Rita Sellares, in one of the DR's national parks. She works with FUNDAMAR, an organization dedicated to marine education and conservation. We met her at the park office early in the morning, picked up some cold drinks and ice, and we were on our way to the boat where we would spend the day touring one of the few places in the DR that is protected. I have felt all along on this trip the sense that environmental issues and conversation feels like a luxury here, that food, water, and shelter are the basics and they have to come first. Yet, I also feel that conservation, like education in this country, is deeply ignored and that the country could only benefit if more focus was placed on these issues. Again, though, like with education, we saw the mix of poverty and people who are truly in need, mixed with a need for a great focus on environmental awareness. These are very complicated issues and the three of us are struggling with how to reconcile all the needs of this small country.
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| our transportation for the day |
The beauty of this area of the DR is hard to imagine. The water is turquoise and crystal clear. The sand, which is white and very fine grained, is mainly formed from a plant that calcifies and decomposes. The main industry of this area is tourism. You can imagine the double edged sword that this creates. If it is done properly it can help, but when the tourism goes too far it destroys the natural environment. Rita explained that they have "agreements" (nothing in writing) with several of the resorts here to tread carefully on the environment and to maintain this place as much as possible. There are several tours that bring people out to the water to swim, scuba dive, and mostly party on the water.
We were in the boat for about an hour (with a stop for a swim!) to reach Isla Saona, the tiny island in the national park. It is a mix of the Dominicans who have lived there for a very long time and some small tourist operations. It was quiet, hot, and peaceful on the day we were there. There are a couple of people dedicated to conservation of sea turtles there. There is a problem with people catching sea turtles and sea turtle eggs for profit, so there is an effort to gather the eggs and hold them til they hatch and then release them back to the water.
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| turtle eggs are kept in the coolers locked up in this area |
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We wanted to meet the man in charge of the sea turtles, but we arrived around 12:30 and he was sleeping, as is the custom here.
There are several small houses on the island, a clinic, and the school. There is also a lot of trash. Rita said it is difficult to deal with the trash. If the people do collect it, then their way of getting rid of it is to burn it. She also said there is very little water, electricity infrequently (there had been no power for 8 months), and tons of mosquitoes in the evenings. A beautiful setting with many problems. Also, one of the hottest places I have ever been.
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| The school on the island. They only have classes until the 8th grade |
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| Many donkeys and horses here |
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On our way back from the island the boat captain took us close to the shore so that we could see the rock, mostly made from limestone. We could clearly see where erosion from the water had worn away the rocks. We also was an area where there was a natural spring underneath the rocks creating a whole different ecosystem, one that was filled with little crabs running sideways.
On our way back we also saw the sea stars we had seen in Salinas and some new birds.
A final interesting note. The whales that live in Stellwagen Bank in Boston Harbor migrate here in the winter. Another Boston/Dominican connection! I know that this will offer a wealth of teaching opportunities for our students.
Everyday we learn more, gain understanding, and in the end, have more questions about this country. What an amazing experience this is.
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