A crushed Orange Fanta can. A cigarette butt still burning on one end. A torn plastic bag tangled among roots. One by one, we wrestle the brightly coloured traces of human footprints from the surroundingContinue reading
Category: travel
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Wheels up to St. Croix: Day 6
After five days of wrangling green and hawksbill sea turtles and punching holes in their flippers for science, we were off to the US Virgin Island of St. Croix. In the midst of our usualContinue reading
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Day 5: ¡Hasta la próxima vez, Culebra!
Friday, 22 April 2015 *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* “Good morning!” It’s 5:45 a.m. and Matthew, our professor, is right on cue with our morning wake-up call. Today is our final day in Culebra, but that doesn’t mean weContinue reading
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Turtle Tangling – Day 4
I started swimming the net and saw a large green turtle with 2 remoras under it get tangled toward the bottom of the net. I started pulling up the net to lift the turtle and then swam down to try to bring the very heavy and frantically flailing turtle up to the surface.
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Day 3: Tortuga!
After adjusting to our new sleeping hours, we all woke up bright and early and full of pep for another hike to Brava and Resaca beaches. Although there were still no new turtle nests, theContinue reading
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Day 2: Our first Day in Culebra
Today we spent our first full day on Culebra Island, Puerto Rico! At 5:45 am. we woke up bright and early to begin our daily beach patrols. Half the group, fully clad in closed toedContinue reading
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix – 2016, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Day One-The Start to a Marvelous Adventure
Today was an exciting day full of travel! We all arrived safely in San Juan, Puerto Rico by noon after an early-morning start. We greeted each other at the airport, and then we hopped intoContinue reading
conservation, Culebra and St. Croix - 2015, Duke Marine Lab, marine studies, students, travel
Day 10: A Farewell to St. Croix
Day 10: Wednesday, April 22 Today we drove over to the easternmost point of the island of St. Croix and of the United States. It was quite different from the western part of the island,Continue reading
Day 9 – It Takes A Village
For the past few days, we have been lucky enough to have guest lectures from experienced professionals involved in many aspects of turtle work. Mike Evans from the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, Zandy Hillis-StarrContinue reading
Day 7: Bright Stars and Turtle Eggs in St. Croix
I’m laying on my stomach in the sand, arms outstretched, reaching and catching a leatherback’s eggs as she lays them. The power is out on the entire island, so I’ve never seen so many starsContinue reading