NMSU students conduct field studies in Belize over Spring Break
NMSU student Hugo Cobos gets a close-up look at one of the bird species found in Belize.
Courtesy Photo
Field research is the last thing on most students’ minds during spring break, but for 25 New Mexico State University biology and fishery and wildlife sciences students, it was the main attraction.
The students visited Tobacco Caye and the Cockscomb Basin in Belize as part of the Belize Field School program at NMSU.
Belize is a small, English-speaking country in Central America, south of Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s also home to the largest barrier reef in this hemisphere, rainforest jungle habitat – the largest intact rainforest north of the Amazon – Mayan ruins, caves and diverse cultural groups.
Coral Reef Ecology/Marine Biology (BIOL 450/550), led by Michele Nishiguchi, NMSU professor of biology, was conducted on a low island made of sand and coral, known as a caye, (pronounced “key”) with students studying coral reef, marine and mangrove ecology.
“This is an excellent living laboratory,” Nishiguchi said. “We were staying right on the reef so it was really convenient, especially for night-time snorkeling where you could put on your Tevas and go out into the inner-tidal areas and see octopus, squid and different organisms you wouldn’t see in the daytime.”
Tropical Field Ecology (WLSC 450/535) was led by Martha Desmond, NMSU associate professor of fishery and wildlife sciences, for the second year in a row. This year the course was in the world’s first jaguar reserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The wildlife habitat at Cockscomb was incredible,” Desmond said. “We were seeing habitat that earlier in the semester we were reading about in books. It was great.”
“This was the experience of a lifetime all packed into spring break,” said David Briseno, a senior majoring in wildlife science. “I gained knowledge and experience not only in ecology, but also in the history, people and the beautiful culture of Belize.”
Some students volunteered for a river clean-up service project, canoeing and working with Belizean youth to clean river habitat. Also, the marine biology course hosted two Belizean university students who gained a better understanding of reef and marine ecosystems.
The Belize Field School Program is administered through NMSU’s Study Abroad Office in Garcia Annex. Paul Huntsberger, Director of Study Abroad, values this type of group study program and has been involved with research efforts in Belize for many years.
“This is a great program,” Huntsberger said. “It is part of our long-term strategy for Belize and a continuation of what we started 20 years ago.”
NMSU alumnae Kristi Drexler, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize in the late 1990’s, developed this program with Study Abroad in 2006.
“It’s a great field study experience for students, but it’s also a cultural exchange that gets them out of their comfort zone and helps them learn to overcome challenges,” Drexler said. “Also, it supports local communities and conservation efforts in Belize. It’s something the students and everyone involved will never forget.”
The Mesilla Valley Rotary Club donated $4,000 to the program in the last two years which provided a small scholarship for each student.
“During a presentation to our Rotary Club, one student said if it weren’t for this program, he wouldn’t be in school right now,” said Garrey Carruthers, Dean of the College of Business at NMSU. “This is a perfect example of a valuable program here at NMSU that we should keep going.”
Charles Britt, a graduate student in Desmond’s course, is already planning his graduate research in Belize starting with an internship in the Maya Mountains this summer. His internship will include training park managers and rangers in field data collection and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Next year, the program is planning to expand from wildlife science and biology departments to also include the creative media program and the department of anthropology with courses in Primates and Women, Gender and Culture.
For more information contact Paul Huntsberger in the NMSU Study Abroad Office at (575) 646-4736.