Bahamian Reef Survey with Ms. Ruggero

A Recycling Blog

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Check out this blog by another teacher who went on a research trip to the Arctic! It is all about recycling. There are a lot of ideas of "green" things you can do to keep our planet clean. My favorite post is about recycling in Egypt! You can click on the months list in "Archives" on the right side of the blog page to see more postings. Ms. Santoro is the teacher's name and she went on her trip last year so she has a lot of postings! If you have a new idea about how to recycle, post a comment on her blog and tell her you are from Pinckney, Michigan!
http://www.earthwatch2.org/lff/sant oro

Recycling Game!

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:48:00 +0000

I found this cool recycling game on line! Use the arrow buttons to move Michael around town to pick up the trash and take it to the recycling containers.
Click here:
http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/earth-day/games/game_michael_recycle.html

E Cards!

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Sending an e-card is fun because you can be creative with the animation and music you use and type your own personal message. You can also save paper! You will need your own email address to send an e-card (or ask your parents to use theirs) and know the email address of who you want to send it to.
Try this website:
http://www.egreetings.com/

GREEN IDEAS

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:43:00 +0000

After visiting the coral reefs around San Salvador Island and seeing the reefs that are struggling due to warmer ocean temperatures as a result of climate change, I am aware of how important it is for all of us to do everything we can to keep the Earth clean for all living things.

Compare these two photos: a healthy reef and the photo I took underwater on the island.

Link to healthy reef photos:
http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/photos.html

Compare with this picture I took underwater:

We can all help the keep the oceans and land clean for people, animals, fish and all living things.
Take the quiz on this website to see how much pollution you create:
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/carbon-calculator.htm l

Leave a comment about what you found out from this website and what GREEN choices you are making for the earth!

Bahamian Music

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:09:00 +0000

I love the music of the Bahamas! It is so fun and upbeat. Many of you asked about the music so I am including this link to some radio stations from the Bahamas you can listen to right on your computer. I like the DBT Radio link.
http://www.dabahamianting.tv
Post a comment about what you think of the music!

Tide Pools

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Tide Pools

Last night, Thurs. Feb 19, we went out at low tide to see what creatures we could find in the tide pools. Low tide was at about 9:30 p.m. so it was really dark! We could see a lot of stars and even the Milky Way Galaxy. To understand the ocean tides, imagine you are standing in the end zone of a football field and that’s where the water touches the beach. At low tide, gravitational force pulls the water out to sea. So now the water touches the beach at the 50-yard line of a football field. We explored pools of water that remain in rock and little sand holes in a space as big as from the end zone to the 50 yard line. Check out this link to learn anything about oceans:
http://www.cybrary.org/ocean.htm
You can go to Wikipedia or Encarta to search any of the sea life I saw. Also there are some fun things on Neat Links I think you will like.

We saw sea Anemones, Blunt-Spined Brittle Star, An Octopus (can you see it in the photo?), another Sharp Tail Eel, lots of Sea Urchins, Snails, Crabs, Sea Cucumber, Coral, Sponges, Minnows, Tiny Golden Coral Shrimp, and Bearded Fireworm. The rocks are jagged and very slippery so we had to be careful!

I had so much fun exploring the tide pools last night I decided to do it again this morning since it was our last day here and we could choose what we wanted to do. For lunch we went to a local restaurant to have traditional Bahamian food: fish, chicken, macaroni and cheese, fish fritters, beans and rice, rolls, coleslaw and for dessert, guava duff! I thought it was delicious! This evening we will get together to talk about the data we collected and how each of us will take this experience home to impact our students and communities.

CHALLENGE: Bring your ocean drawings to school the week of March 2nd that represent how many times you have been on the blog and worked on a challenge question. If you painted, drew a picture or wrote an answer on paper, bring that, too. I will have some things from the Bahamas to show you and some photos next time I see you.

Water Testing

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Another windy day! Most of the group went to visit a lighthouse and swim in a cave. I stayed at the research center to help with testing the water samples we took from two reefs on the island and video conference with the third graders at Pinckney Elementary. I was the only teacher that was able to successfully have audio and video! The internet service is not very reliable here.
To collect the water samples we had to swim down to a marker on the reef and scoop up one cup of water. Then in the lab we do about 20 different tests. One of the tests I did was to determine the pollution level. I was supposed to add one drop of a chemical at a time until the reef water turned yellow. Each drop that it takes to make the water turn yellow indicates a higher level of pollution. I added 22 drops and it still did not turn yellow! What do you think that means?
This afternoon we tried to go to one of the testing sites but the water was too rough. So we went to another reef and mapped out what shape the patches of coral are and measured their size. The coral reefs here are not very healthy. They are not colorful and full of fish like other reefs I have snorkeled. When the next research team is here in July they will look at our maps and see if the coral has changed.
Yesterday before dinner a wood carver from the island came to display his work. He carves from trees on the island in the shape of fish, turtles, fish or whatever you want. I put in a special order for a starfish.

p.s. We just got back from tide pool exploring at night! More about the octopus tomorrow!

CHALLENGE QUESTION: Why do you think the water is so polluted here? Why do you think the reef is not colorful? What do you think you can do about it? Do some of your own research to find the answers. Write your answer or post it on the blog. I love reading your comments!

Everybody ready? OK! Everybody out of the water!

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:53:00 +0000

This morning, Wed. Feb 18, the water was still pretty rough so we did a tour of the island instead. We saw the Elementary School and the High School, mangroves (I will add a link here later about what these are), some more inland lakes, ruins of old English settlements from the 1700’s, fossilized coral in rock by the shore, and we had some time to walk around the town, which is very small. I bought a small flag from the Bahamas and a bag of Munchies Cheese Fix Chips, which cost $5! Everything here has to be brought in by boat or plane so everything is more expensive than we are used to. I tried to call the 3rd graders at Pinckney Elementary from the satellite phone but it was not charged. Bummer! The internet has been down for 24 hours at the research center due to overuse.
After lunch we got ready to go collect data at French’s Bay but when we got there it was too rough so we went to the Pigeon Creek inlet to snorkel around the mangroves. Just as we had all our wetsuits and snorkel gear ready to go in the scientist in charge said, “Everyone out of the water, there is a shark!” It was only about 5 yards away from shore in very shallow water. It was about 3 feet long but we could not tell what kind it was. It was fun to see it from a safe distance. So we left and went looking for another place to snorkel. We snorkeled for fun close to the research center but we did not collect any data since it is not a place that is part of the research project. I saw a lot of fish, some that I listed before and some new ones: Ocean Surgeon, Yellowtail Snapper, and Red Hind.Every evening at 7:15 we meet for a class. I have learned about types of corals, the geology of island and climate change.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: What do you know about climate change? Research some causes and write on paper or post a comment about what you find out about how it effects the coral reefs or draw a picture.

Windy Day

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:44:00 +0000

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?!)

Collecting Data

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Today we started identifying the 7 different surfaces of the reef: hard and soft coral, sponges, sand, rock, algae and other. I worked on this part with a teacher from Colorado. The waves made it challenging to stay in one place to look at what was under the water. Other groups took air and water temperature readings, took water samples and looked for coral bleaching. There were 2 highlights today: seeing the biggest crab I have ever seen, a Batwing Coral Crab (about the size of the seat of a chair,) and 6 foot Sharp Tail Eel swimming in the reef.

A group of us also went on a hike before dinner to see the sand dunes, which look like sand from far away but are actually hard as rock! We saw a couple of hermit crabs and took some scenic pictures. We had to walk on the road part of the way and we had to remember that cars drive on the left side of the road, like in England. Everyone is friendly and they wave, one person even stopped to see if we needed anything. I found out from the taxi driver in Nassau that there are over 700 islands in the Bahamas, and only 30 are inhabited.

I am surprised to see so much trash on the beach. There is no where to put it because so much of the island is inland hyper saline lakes (even more salty than the ocean!) We eat Jolly Ranchers after snorkeling to get the yucky salty taste out of our mouths. I have been in the water so much today I still feel like I am in the waves! I painted 2 watercolor pictures: one of the beach and one of the reef. They are not very good but it was fun!

CHALLENGE:
Make a prediction for the data we collected. How much of the reef do you think are hard or soft coral, sponges, sand, rock, or algae? How much of the reef do you think is bleached? Post a comment here about what you think and why.

FOR MORE FUN: Paint your own picture above or under the sea. Bring it to school to be posted on a bulletin board.

What will you see snorkeling in the reef?

noreply@blogger.com (Earthwatch Institute: Live from the Field) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:09:00 +0000

I arrived on Saturday, February 14, for the research expedition. We went out snorkeling that afternoon. At night we learned about the history of the coral reef project and the names of some of the corals. Did you know they are considered to be animals? Sunday, we went snorkeling at the place where Christopher Columbus first landed, called Monument Park, (shown in photo) and in the afternoon by a pier. We practiced on land what we will do in the water this week to record data about the hard and soft corals that are in the reef. Here is a list of all the fish and other organisms I have seen snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean so far: Live coral: Golfball, Mountainous Star, Cactus, Brain, Fire, Finger, Sea Fan, Rose, Sea Rod, Mustard Hill Fish: Barracuda, Yellowtail Parrot, Bluehead, Blue Tang, Stoplight Parrot (initial phase), Sergeant Major, Lionfish, Rosy Razorfish Other: Ghost crab, Sea Cucumber, Queen Conch, Sea Star, Flamingo Tongue (a lot on a purple Sea Fan), Long Spined Sea Urchin, Turtle Grass, Star Horseshoe Worm

CHALLENGE QUESTION: Pick out at least 5 living things in the ocean from the list above. Look up on the internet what they look like. (sorry I can not provide internet links or pictures right now because the service here is not very good.) Pretend you are here and draw a picture of YOU snorkeling and looking at the 5 things (or more) under water. Label them on your drawing. Wouldn’t it be fun to put your drawings up on a bulletin board at school?

BONUS: Write a story about your picture or write something in Spanish about your picture. Post a comment explaining what you did.

New Friends in the Bahamas

noreply@blogger.com (Earthwatch Institute: Live from the Field) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Before I left for this trip, I signed up with the Ministry of Tourism in the Bahamas to participate in the People- to People program on Friday, Feb. 13. I was excited to meet some new friends living in the Bahamas so I could see what their life was like. So a teacher, her husband and their 5 year-old son picked me up at my hotel and took me to their house for dinner. Their ranch house was made of cement painted a pretty green-yellow. Like a lot of people in the USA, they have done a lot of the work on the house themselves and they are proud of their home. The son liked to talk a lot about his toys and friends. He is in Boy Scouts and loves to play on the computer. I showed them pictures of snow, my family and dog. I brought them a serving tray with snowflake decorations. The mom is actually from another country, Trinidad, which is an island in the Caribbean near Venezuela. See this map link and find the Bahamas and Trinidad:
http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/caribean.htm
She gave me a pretty necklace and earrings from Trinidad. Then we went to go for a walk and have ice cream. There was a band playing some music from a Bahamian festival called Junkanoo, which is kind of like Marti Gras and takes place twice a year. See some pictures and read about it on this link:
http://www.travelmuse.com/articles/bahamas/junkanoo
We talked a lot about the schools, the culture and the economy. Everything is imported in the Bahamas, nothing is grown or made here. Their main industries are tourism and banking. It was a very special day and I learned a lot about what it is like to live in the Bahamas.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: If you could travel to any country in the world and spend a day with a family, where would you go? Why? What would you like to do with them? Write, draw or post a comment.

Que tiempo hace en las Bahamas?

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:55:00 +0000

What will the weather be like in the Bahamas? Lots of students asked this question. I found website where you can practice reading and listening to Spanish phrases:
http://www.spanishdaddy.com/
Click on the weather link and learn some new words or practice pronouncing them correctly in Spanish if you already learned them! Click on some of the other categories, too, and practice lots of Spanish words!
Now, to check to weather in the Bahamas, or Pinckney, (or any place on Earth!), go to
http://www.weather.com/
Type in Nassau, Bahamas because the island I am going to is too small to be listed but Nassau is close. Click on "10 day" to see the forecast for several days.
CHALLENGE QUESTION:
Keep track of the weather in the Bahamas over the next week. Write and draw the weather each day on paper or leave a comment on the blog about weather words you learned. Be ready to say them to me in Spanish next time I see you!

Did you know Michigan used to be a coral reef?!

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:21:00 +0000

I'm not kidding! Where you are sitting right now used to be an ocean 350 million years ago. If you have ever found a Petoskey, our state stone, then you have proof. Our state stone is actually fossilized coral from millions of years ago when Michigan was an ocean. At this time in history, called the Devonian Period, North America was not in the same place on Earth as it is now. Check out this website to see a map of the Western Hemisphere when Michigan was under water and what a Petoskey stone looks like:
http://www.statefossils.com/mi/mistone.html
If you really want to see something cool, check out this next website to see what kind of prehistoric fish lived in the ocean during the Devonian Period:
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/devonian.html

CHALLENGE QUESTION:
Write a story about the past experience of a Petoskey stone sitting on a beach right now in the Sleeping Bear Dunes waiting to be discovered by you on summer vacation. What was it before it became a Petoskey stone? What fish has it seen? How did change from a coral to a rock? Post your story as a comment here or draw a picture and write it on paper and save it to show me later! Or continue one of the stories I started with a few classes from Pinckney Elementary (see comments.)

Fun with sharks

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:35:00 +0000

I enjoyed recording the questions all of you asked me about my upcoming science adventure. The most popular question at every grade level was about sharks. I found a great website where you can explore learning about sharks and even play some games or print out a coloring page.

http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

After you check out this website, practice leaving a comment on this blog posting about something you learned about sharks. Click on comments in blue, write in the box that pops up (include your first name, grade and school abbreviation), select anonymous in the "comment as" box, then click on post comment. I will read your comment and then after I approve it, you will be able to see it on my blog. Click on the blue home word to get back to the blog page.

The Life and People San Salvador

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:55:00 +0000

I found this video on YouTube. It is a great insight to island life and the people. I decided I am going to love it already because it sounds like it has a small town feeling, just like Pinckney! You will be able to see where I will be staying, The Gerace Research Center.
CHALLENGE QUESTION: Watch the 10 minute video. Focus on the children. Think of 2 ways you are like the children in San Salvador and 2 ways you are different. Write out or draw a picture of your answer.

How did you get interested in doing a project with Earthwatch?

vruggero@pcs.k12.mi.us (senorita Ruggero) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:54:00 +0000

I have been doing beach clean-ups along Lake Michigan with my family and friends for about 5 years now on behalf of an organization called the Alliance for the Great Lakes. We camp out at Nordhouse Wilderness Dunes and spend a few hours walking the beach picking up things like food wrappers, cigarette butts and pieces of plastic that wash up on the shore, or that people leave behind. In the photo I am holding a bag of trash with my dog, Coco.
My son Carlo and I like to snorkel in Lake Michigan and even in Pinckney! We look for fish and interesting things underwater. I will be snorkeling every day on the science expedition with Earthwatch in the Bahamas. I will be recording data about the coral reefs around the island of San Salvador.
CHALLENGE QUESTION:
How far is it from Pinckney (Michigan, USA) to San Salvador Island, Bahamas in miles? In kilometers? Draw a picture and explain how you found your answer. Hint: try this website http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm