Belize Institute 2005:
Tuesday July 19 - Wednesday July 27

Day 1 – Raleigh/Dallas/Belize/Belize River
Gather at RDU Airport Monday morning, connect in Dallas, and arrive at Belize International Airport. After clearing immigration and customs, meet Museum educator Bill Hasse, two Belizean teachers and Nathan Forbes, our guide for the first five days. Proceed to Baboon Sanctuary and then to Warrie Head Lodge, our base for the first three nights. An evening meeting includes a nocturnal fauna field study.

We’ll preview each day the evening before, answer questions and provide suggestions on what to wear and bring. We’ll also meet most evenings, either before or after dinner. Usually we have after-dinner activities as well.

Day 2 – Mountain Pine Ridge
Pre-breakfast nature observation at 6 a.m., breakfast at 7 a.m., then leave for Mountain Pine Ridge, Domingo Ruiz Cave (cave ecology), Rio On Rapids and Rio Frio Cave. Return to Warrie Head Lodge. Evening meeting covers basic field I. D. techniques and field notes.

Day 3 – Xunantunich/Macal River
Pre-breakfast nature observation. Maya study at Xunantunich. Walk Chaa Creek trail to look at medicinal plants and discuss current research. Lunch at Chaa Creek. Post-lunch canoe trip down Macal River. Observation of land forms, fauna. Evening meeting to include discussion of the Belize Zoo and local fauna. Slide presentation of marine/mangrove flora and fauna.

Day 4 – Warrie Head/Belize Zoo/Cockscomb Basin
A travel day. After early packing, visit the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center. Eat lunch at Cheers (really!), swim at the Blue Hole and end up at the first preserve created for the protection of the jaguar. After our evening meeting, we’ll take a night walk to look for fauna— maybe we’ll see jaguars! Sleep in the Cockscomb Basin.

Day 5 – Cockscomb Basin/Placencia
Early morning observation; field excursion into rain forest. Search for signs of fauna; observe several stages of forest succession. Lunch in Cockscomb. Depart in afternoon for the coast. Arrive in Placencia at Kitty’s Place and try on snorkel gear if there’s time. Dinner; evening meeting; field notes session.

Day 6 – Beach/Barrier Reef
We’ll take a daylong field trip to study the barrier reef while snorkeling and have a field session on a small cay. Compare conditions in different habitats and relationships among the habitats. After dinner, discussion of field I. D. techniques for fish, coral and other invertebrates.

Day 7 – Mangrove ecology/Reef snorkel/Bird Rookery
Snorkel at a Mangrove Island. Observe behavior of specific fauna in community and observe adaptations and resource partitioning. Compare mangroves to salt marshes for their productivity and function as a nursery for fish. Snorkel on reef and use I. D. techniques learned previous evening. Practice observation and field I. D. of tropical birds on rookery islands during transit.

Day 8 – Monkey River Village School/Mangrove Community
Take boat trip to Monkey River Village, and present lessons and activities to students at Monkey River School. Closure: last whole-group meeting.

Day 9 – Placencia/Dallas/Raleigh
Say farewell to Belizean teachers. Leave Placencia at 10 a.m. by plane to reach Belize International Airport. Travel to Dallas, clear U.S. immigration and customs, and return to RDU Airport, North Carolina.