Windy Day

Windy Day
Tuesday, Feb 17, was too windy for snorkeling and data collection. It was blowing 25 m.p.h. and the waves were choppy, so we spent the day building artificial reefs and repairing equipment. We used sand molds and quick setting marine grout. Imagine you are on the beach digging a big letter X in the sand, then you fill it with cement. This shape is thought to mimic the declining Elkhorn Coral. We will take them out to the reef on Thursday when the wind dies down.
In the underwater photo taken on Monday, Feb. 18, I am using a point intercept method to identify the types of coral present on the reef. This means that I randomly drop the frame you see in the picture in the reef and count what is under each of the orange tags. Today, I was retying the ropes on it since some broke due to the heavy current and waves. We also had time to do two short hikes to some of the inland hyper saline lakes and see the tropical trees and plants on island. No fish or frogs live in the lakes because they are twice as salty as the ocean. Only some tiny clams and snails can survive. I found out today there are scorpions on the island but no one in my group has seen one yet. I saw a gecko on the wall in another teacher’s room, I wish it would come to my room! There are some feral cows on the island from when some settlers about 100 years ago tried to have farms, but the environment was too harsh on the island for them. So the ones that have survived and adapted are wandering around drinking rain water and grazing on whatever plants they like to eat. I know they walk around here because I have seen evidence! (can you guess?) But tonight after dinner while resting before our evening meeting, we heard loud, heavy hoof steps in the dry leaves in the trees behind our room. We shined a light out the window and could hear some movement but we never saw anything. (Chupacabra?!)