CEES

My watch alarm beeps at 4am, and I sleepily paw my way through the soft mosquito net that surrounds my bed. Miches, which is usually alive with a cacophony of sounds from motorbikes, roosters, barking dogs, merengue music, and vivacious neighbors, is surprisingly quiet at this hour. As I light the lantern in the kitchen, I smile in anticipation of the day’s fieldwork in Bahía de San Lorenzo, where I will be conducting marine mammal surveys with local volunteers.

At 4:45, I hear a quiet knock at the front door. Moments later two volunteers named Ramón and Miguel appear, eager to begin our day of observations. Both Ramón and Miguel live in Miches and would like to pursue a career in computer programming. Ramón currently attends university in Santo Domingo, and he travels three hours to the capital city every week in a bus from Miches to attend classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Miguel will adopt a similar lifestyle when he begins college this spring.

Fifteen minutes later, we hop in the car with Erasmo, the ESSEG project driver [Note: it is worth mentioning that in this case, “driver” has become a general term for project field assistant, logistics facilitator, community outreach aid, bodyguard (just in presence, not in practice - thank goodness), and actual driver.] With merengue music blaring, we bounce along the dirt road towards Sabana de la Mar, which is the take-off point for the boat surveys in the nearby Bahía de San Lorenzo. I chuckle to myself as I realize that to someone who is unfamiliar with the DR manner of driving, we would look like lunatics swerving across the road at such varying speeds. However, I must commend Erasmo on his skilled driving, for he managed to miss every pothole!

By 7am, we are perched on the boat with binoculars in hand. We have acquired one more volunteer named Joel. He lives in Sabana de la Mar and is the son of our Captain, Tin Mauricio. Our team of six savors the morning’s cool breeze as we make our way through the mangrove-lined Río Hayan. A little blue heron stands watch as we pass in our small motorboat, and Ramón and Miguel identify the bird on our laminated field guide. Minutes later, our boat passes through the river mouth into the bay and we are greeted by a group of brown pelicans that are out for their morning breakfast.

In the distance to the North, we can see the Samaná Peninsula which is known for its whale watching and white sand beaches. The west side of Bahía de San Lorenzo harbors a host of coves and limestone caves, which were once home to some of the Taino Indian population who painted petroglyphs and carved faces into the rock walls. These same dwellings were later used as hideouts by pirates. The south and east sides of the bay are lined by dense mangrove swamp, which we had just passed through via Río Hayan.

We begin our first 30-minute observation at a mouth of a smaller river, and continue in a counter-clockwise direction to complete all 9 of our carefully selected points. One of the most difficult challenges of the day is remaining silent and maintaining focus on the water for 30 minutes at each observation point. Everyone in the boat is actively involved in the study, and the captain enjoys identifying the various fish and birds that we see. Capt. Tin has been navigating these waters for over ten years, and I remember my delight when he shyly shared his great knowledge of manatee facts with me the first time we met. Over the past month that we have worked together on the surveys, he has taken the initiative to give me weekly reports of manatee and dolphin sightings that he discovers through his network of fishermen in the Sabana de la Mar area. He is eager to learn to use the GPS to navigate between observation points, and by the end of the day, his son Joel has taken the motor while his father acts as the navigator.

After each observation, Ramón, Miguel, and Erasmo are quick to take measurements of wind speed and water turbidity, salinity, temperature, and depth. They also report the sights and sounds that they observed. As the temperature rises and the effects from our “cafecitos” dwindle, we become eager to jump into the refreshing water to collect Seagrass samples after each observation.

By 3:00pm, we have finished our observation route and are headed back through the river that snakes through the mangroves to the boat dock. I look around the boat and find that although we have completed the study for the day, the volunteers and Captain are still pointing to various trees and critters, each person excited to share their find with the rest of us. I have noticed that new volunteers are eager to see a manatee, but after a few observation points, they begin to see that there is much more beauty and wonder to the marine environment aside from the elusive manatee. During the boat surveys, we learn that with our eyes and ears open, we see a world that is rich in beauty and excitement. Similar to what I have witnessed with today’s volunteers, I hope that the current study encourages an appreciation for the natural environment that continues with our other study participants and the larger community, as well.

I was recently in the Dominican Republic assessing first-hand the economic potential that thriving marine mammal populations might offer to the rapidly developing but still poor communities of Miches. Tourism is coming to Miches, and is coming in the near future. The proximity of Miches to the overwintering site of whales around Bahia de Samaná, the many dolphins in the Bay, and the nearby possibility of rarely spotted manatees, presents a very real opportunity for marine mammal based tourism that might generate significant revenues for the people in and around the municipality of Miches. Whale watching currently generates millions of pesos in the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic. However, water-based, environmentally sustainable ecotourism focusing on near-shore boat rides and estuary explorations that may also encounter manatees, porpoises, and whales is an underdeveloped aspect of that industry.

Before we can assess the economic opportunities that marine mammal watching may offer the communities of Miches as a part of the coming tourism boom, we need to conduct a baseline survey to know how many of each species are nearby and where they are located. If the marine mammal populations are too small or too distant from Miches for an easy boat trip, watching them is unlikely to form a significant part of the new economy of Miches.  If the populations are biologically too fragile to for regular visits by boats, marine mammal watching would equally be unwise and unsustainable.

Working with researchers from Wildlife Trust, the Dominican Ministry of the Environment (SEMARENA), and a Dominican marine mammal conservation organization (FUNDEMAR), we began our baseline marine mammal surveys in mid-October 2008. At every step in the process, the most rewarding part of the entire trip was the enthusiastic reception that marine mammal conservation and ecotourism received from local Micheros.

Two specialists from Wildlife Trust, Monica Ross and Nicole Auil, came to the DR from Florida and Belize to give a stimulating talk to the community about the important value marine mammals offer Micheros as part of a healthy local tourism industry.  A total of 21 locals attended the presentation, including fishermen, taxi drivers, marine guards, tour guides, and other urban dwellers. The energy was palpable and there was not an empty seat in the room.

Discussion after the talk quickly established that manatees and other marine mammals are worth many thousands of dollars more to the local communities when alive, because of their tourism value, than if they were killed for their low-quality meat. The group came to this consensus despite their diverse backgrounds and interests. In large part, this was due to the skilled facilitation of Monica and Nicole.

Darien Clary, CEES marine mammal coordinator, has since been recruiting volunteers to go out on the boats, get some training in monitoring marine mammals, and do some of the hands-on work of the surveys. It is our hope that some of the people who are trained to accompany Darien on these surveys will eventually be able to use their newly acquired skills to become tour guides once marine mammal based tourism expands in Miches. Nicole, Monica, and Darien began to train the six people who came to the first training session the day after the public presentation.

Since that first training, Darien has conducted three additional training sessions and has trained an impressive total of 21 locals. Certainly, Darien’s skills as a scientist and public advocate have played a large role in the great number of people who have wanted to volunteer. These volunteers learn to evaluate marine mammal habitat, navigate the boat using GPS, and perform environmental measurements that include water depth, turbidity, salinity, temperature, and wind speed. Consequently, volunteers are now knowledgeable about the basic biology and ecology of marine mammals and estuarian ecosystems, as well as how to conduct surveys for manatees and dolphins.

Hopefully, some of these young people will be able to use the skills they are now gaining to make a living as naturalists and tour guides when tourism expands in Miches. The number of people who attended the initial public information session and who have since volunteered in the effort to survey marine mammals has pleasantly surprised us. This has lent credibility to the idea that environmental sustainability would be attractive to Micheros if that sustainability was linked to opportunities that benefit the health and economic well being of their families, themselves, and their communities. In this case, the sustainable management of marine mammals could bring great benefits to Micheros.

Looking out over the waters of Samaná Bay while surveying for marine mammals, with the stunningly beautiful landscape of Miches in the background, I am convinced that conserving these animals is not only important in and of itself, but could also be valuable for the future of tourism, the economy, and society of Miches. Environment, economy, and society are truly “in it together”.

Many believe that integrated, project-oriented learning is more effective; but it's also a lot of fun! Groups of 30 students each tackled projects such as "the Mean Green Growing Machine" (combining botany, urban planning and community service to re-landscape a local park), "The Best of NY Boroughs" (exploring advocacy efforts for environmental issues in each borough), and "Hazte Verde!" (or "Go Green!" giving students an all-Spanish language immersion in green efforts around Brooklyn).

IPW at MS88 represents only one part of CEES' efforts in education and professional development, which also includes the NY Times Institute for Environmental Journalism, and the development of professional and advanced certificates in environmental economics and science. Secondary school programs have the potential to wield the greatest influence, however. By training a teachers in conservation science and environmental biology, literally hundreds of K-12 students are educated in turn. Because children are the next generation of environmental leaders, CEES aims to ensure that students are exposed to environmental education at a young age.

CEES' Integrated Ecology Curriculum program will be extended to 2 new schools in the coming 2008-9 academic year.

The initiative is made possible by a major grant awarded to CEES by the Robin Hood Foundation.