Séptima Semana / Seventh Week

As have been so many moments here in Vieques, Monday night was unforgettable. Mark surprised us by bringing my mum, aunt and me to the National Wildlife Refuge at Caracas beach where about two dozen rescued baby leatherback turtles were being released.

Como tantos momentos aquí en Vieques, el noche del lunes era unolvidable. Mark nos sorprendió y nos trajo al Refugio National en la playa de Caracas donde como veinte tortugas laúd rescados serían liberados.

 

Two baby leatherbacks determinedly making their way to the sea, carried by tiny flippers but great determination / Dos tortugitas caminando al mar con patas pequeñas pero con determinación grande

It took my breath away to watch these tiny little creatures, one by one, making their way to the expansive sea that lay before them. Some fearlessly made a bee-line for the water as soon as they were placed onto the sand, then paddled like their lives depended on it (which is quite accurate!) until the rolling waves lapped them up and carried them out of sight. Others were less coordinated and struggled to get their flippers straightened out before setting off in the direction of the shoreline. They looked so vulnerable, their bodies smaller than the palm of my hand and protected only by a soft shell that wouldn't toughen up until adulthood. (Leatherbacks do not grow a hard, bony shell like other turtle species, but adults do have sturdy, rubbery, streamlined shells for protection). 

And the truth is that many will never make it to adulthood at all. It is estimated of every one thousand eggs that are laid by a mother leatherback, one hatchling will make it to adulthood. * 

So what can we do to help? Well, here's my shameless environmental plug for the turtles.

- Support your city or town's efforts to reduce light pollution, which means using lamps that do not shine light upwards towards the sky; the artificial glow in the sky at night can confuse the turtles and they may head in the wrong direction when they hatch

- Pick up your trash and plastic bags, or if you can, pick up someone else's! The turtles mistake them for jellyfish, their favorite food, if they find them floating in the ocean. We can all help by picking up and throwing away at least one piece of trash each time we go to the beach.

- It goes without saying: please, don't support poachers who hunt turtles or their eggs.

Leatherback turtles, as a species, have been living on the earth for more than 100 million years, so let's not be the reason these beautiful animals disappear!

* Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/leatherback-sea-turtle/

I also learned a lot about the leatherbacks from Hong, a visiting scientist who shared the lab with us for several weeks this summer! Here she is, studying some leatherbacks that never hatched

Hong, from the University of Southern Maine (15 minutes from my home!), letting me watch her dissection of leatherback turtles. They were of course found dead; she would never cause harm to a living turtle. / Una científica del University of Southern Maine (¡15 minutos de mi casa!) que me permitió ver cuando hizo disecciones de tortugitas (por supuesto, los encontró muerto y nunca haría daño a tortugas vivos)

* * * 

As if the leatherback turtle experience was not amazing enough, the rest of the week was full of adventures and surprises as well.

My aunt at Cayo Afuera after swimming all the way there with me / Mi tía, después de nadar a Cayo Afuera conmigo

My mum, who went with us by kayak to Cayo Afuera / Mi mamá, quien fue con nosotros en kayak a Cayo Afuera

Sunday one of the most fun days I have had all summer--the last day of Patronales, which is the island's week-long festival. As I was walking back from work one day the week before, one of our Manta students asked if I wanted to come see the costumes they were making behind one of the local restaurants using. They were actually extremely impressive, and made almost entirely of recycled materials! By the time I left that afternoon, I had been convinced to join the parade. So there I was on Sunday, dancing through the streets of Vieques to the tune of "Under the Sea" dressed as a sea turtle. Looking back, maybe I could have felt mortified by the crowds of people lining the streets taking pictures and watching my silly dance moves, but actually I felt entirely happy, whole, and honored to be a part of such an amazing community. 

The fabulous Under the Sea team / El equipo fabuloso "Debajo del mar"

Sixth Week / Sexta Semana

This week, I met two incredible women. At just seventeen-years-old, Hannah and Zoe came early to the island to devote two weeks of their time to prepare for one of our youth programs, Mantastic (see blog posts Eighth Week and Ninth Week!) and then to serve as student leaders once Mantastic began.

Esta semana, conocí a dos mujeres increíbles. Solo 17 años de edad, Hannah y Zoe vinieron dos semanas temprano a la isla para preparar para uno de nuestros programas, Mantastic (¡en Semana Octava y Semana Novena del blog!), en que ellos serían líderes cuando el campamento de Mantastic comenzó.

Hannah and Zoe, happily painting some signs for the aquarium / Hannah y Zoe, alegremente pintando rotulos para el acuario

In addition to planning for Mantastic, Zoe and Hannah were a huge help around the trust--feeding fish, running gift shop, cleaning tank, painting signs, collecting data with us at the bio bay, and helping out any time Mark and I were with kids of Mini Manta, the summer camp that we would be popping in and out of for lessons and activities over the next couple weeks. 

Además de preparando para Mantastic, Zoe y Hannah ayudaron el Fideicomiso en otras maneras--alimentaron los peces, trabajaron en la tienda, limpiaron los tanques del acuario, pintaron rotulos, tomaron medidas en la bahía con Mark y conmigo, y ayudaron con los nenes de Mini Manta, el campamento aquí en el Fideicomiso por las dos semanas que vienen.

One day that first week they were here, Mark, Zoe and I went out to release some sea creatures back into the ocean from our aquarium.

Un día, Mark, Zoe, y yo fuimos a Playa Esperanza para devolver unas creaturas del acuario.

Returning a couple butterfly fishes to the sea / Devolviendo unas peces mariposa al mar

Some butterfly fish and orange "Bigeyes" fish / Unas pezes mariposa y "Bigeyes," los anaranjados

Can you spot the moray eel? Photo credits to Zoe Schiffer / ¿Puedes ver la anguila? Foto por Zoe Schiffer

This week, I started and ongoing project searching for any literature, research papers, or scientific journal articles on the Bioluminescent Bay here in Vieques, or on others in Puerto Rico that might give us a clue as to why the bay went dark, how fluctuations in the glowing dinoflagellate populations work, factors that affect their growth and behavior, etc. I also put some of my Wellesley biology skills to work making graphs with Mark for a study on the bio bay for Professor Sastre at the University of Puerto Rico.

Esta semana, empecé un proyecto de buscar investigaciones y estudios sobre la Bahía Bioluminescente, y otros bahías bioluminescentes en Puerto Rico que tal vez nos puede ayudar entender mejor las fluctuaciones en la población de los dinoflagellados. También usé lo que he aprendido en las clases de biología en Wellesley para hacer gráficos con Mark para un estudio por Professor Sastre de la Universidad de Puerto Rico sobre la Bahía Bioluminescente.

* * *

But I have to say, the most fun we had was always with the kids, enjoying the great outdoors.

Pero tengo que decir: las partes más divertidos siempre fueron con los nenes, disfrutando de la naturaleza.

Planting mangroves at the Bioluminescent Bay / Sembrando mangle en la Bahía Bioluminescente

The aquarium with Mini Manta, where we saw rays and sea cucumbers / El acuario con Mini Manta, donde vimos rays y pepinos de mar

Mark leading the kids to begin a snorkeling expedition / Mark dirigiendo los nenes para empezar una gira de esnorquel

* * *

That weekend, yet another two fabulous ladies came into my already wonderful life here in Vieques: my aunt Julia and my very lovely mother! My mum was exhausted after a crazy trip of delays and cancellations on the way over, but Julia came with first thing Sunday morning to meet up with Annie at El Yunque, the only rainforest in the U.S. National Park system and a place of stunning beauty, bursting with life.

Eso fin de semana, dos mas mujeres fabulosas llegaron en mi vida aquí en Vieques: mi tía Julia y mi querida mamá. Mi mamá estaba muy cansada después de su viaje, pero mi tía vino conmigo el día después a El Yunque, el único bosque lluvioso en el sistema de Parques Nacionales de los Estados Unidos. Es un lugar de belleza impresionante, lleno de vida.

My BFF Annie and aunt Julia posing at the park entrance / Mi amiga Annie y mi tía Julia en la entrada del parque

Happy to be (in a tree) / Feliz estar entre los arboles

Annie and I showing off our guns after rock climbing to the waterfall. Photo credits to my aunt Julia. / Annie y yo mostrando nuestros musculos después de subimos las rocas para alcanzar una cascada. Foto por mi tía Julia.

After an incredible day at El Yunque, I enjoyed the ferry ride home with my aunt on one side and one of our Mini Manta students on the other, who also happened to be riding the same ferry home to Vieques. The three of us had a long and fascinating chat, the topics ranging from giant squid and sharks to "super moons" and constellations.

Después de un día increíble en El Yunque, disfruté del vieje por el ferry a Vieques con mi tía en un lado y un estudiante de Mini Manta en el otro que, por chance, estaba en el mismo ferry. Tuvimos una conversación fascinante de calamar gigante, tiburones, "super moons," y constelaciones.

Fourth and Fifth Week / Cuarta y Quinta Semana

Halfway through the internship. Unbelievable! From here on out, I'm going to start translating my thoughts into Spanish. About time! English will be shown in black, and my attempt at a Spanish translation in blue.
He terminado con la mitad de la práctica. ¡No lo puedo creer! Desde aquí, voy a tratar de traducir mis pensamientos a Español. Estoy en Vieques, ¿no? Así que debo hacerlo. Inglés estará en texto negro, y español en texto azul.
 
I had loads of projects and things to do over the past few weeks that were far more important than my (public) personal diary, so I will just list some of the highlights below!
Tenía un montón de proyectos y cosas que hacer durante estas dos semanas que por supuesto eran de mayor prioridad que mi blog, ¡así que voy a describir solo los momentos más memorables debajo!

1) An exciting day learning about the history of Vieques and exploring the clues left behind
    Un día nitido aprendiendo sobre la historia de Vieques y explorando la isla

The tour was led by our resident artist and historian at the Trust, Robert Marino, who generously took my friend Annie and me on a full-day adventure. Unfortunately I can't get the photos off the camera I was using, but if I can borrow the type of chord I need then I'll post them! Some sights we saw were...
La gira fue dirigido por nuestra historiador en el Trust, Robert Marino. Generosamente, él nos llevó en una aventura de día completo. Desafortunadamente no puedo descargar las fotos de mi cámera, pero si encuentro el cable que necesito, las pondré aquí! Unas de las atracciones eran...

- spiritual places of the ancient peoples (like the Taíno) that first inhabited the island
- the fort in Isabel Segunda built by the Spanish during colonization
- ruins of sugar mills that processed the sugarcane that was once grown on the island
- meeting places like the chapel, where civilian Viequenses protested the U.S. Navy's use of the island as a test site for military practice
- unos lugares espirituales de la gente anciano (como los Taíno) que vivían en la isla antes que nadie
- el Fortín en Isabel Segunda, construído por los españoles durante la época de colonización
- las ruinas de las centrales que procesaron la caña de azúcar que se cultivaban en la isla
- unos lugares de reunión como la capilla, donde Viequenses protestaban el U.S. Navy y su uso de la isla para prácticas militarias.

The Fort at Isabel Segunda, now a museum, gallery, and home to Radio Vieques / La Fortaleza en Isabel II, hoy día un museo, una galería, y el estudio de grabación de Radio Vieques, 90.1 FM

Vieques has a rich and fascinating history, which is now the focus of a presentation I am working on with Mark and Robert to leave with the Trust.
Vieques tiene una historia increíble, que ahora es el enfoque de una presentación que estoy haciendo con Mark y Robert para dejar con el Fideicomiso cuando me vaya.

Continuing with more highlights of the past two weeks, simply in the order in which I took them...
Siguiendo con más momentos memorables, simplemente en el ordén en que las saqué...

2) Mango season. Mangos are everywhere. How can you not be excited.
    El temporado de mango. Los mangos están en todas partes. ¿Cómo no puedes estar emocionada?

Biggest mango I've ever seen / El mango más grande que he visto en todo mi vida

2) Lionfish cookout with Mark, Ashley, and Chase. Yes, you can safely eat them, plus they're a great seafood option because they're invasive and delicious!
    Una barbacoa de pez león con Mark, Ashley, y Chase. Sí, se los puede comer, y son una opción de mariscos muy buena porque son un especie invasiva, ¡y son ricos!

Chase removing the venemous spines of the lionfish he and Ashley caught / Chase quitando las espinas venenosos de los peces león que él y Ashley pescaron

3) Lizards? Sure, why not. They deserve to be mentioned. They eat all the insects in my house, and apparently one of them just had babies.
   ¿Lagartijos? Como no. Merecen ser mencionados. Comen todos los insectos en mi casa. ¡Ahora hay bebés de lagartijo también!

Look at how tiny! / Mira que chiquito!

4) The second week of Manta Raya ended in a grand finale of camping at Sun Bay, learning some astronomy, visiting a sea turtle nesting site, and finding bioluminescent glowworms on the beach. 
   Terminamos la segunda semana de Manta Raya con camping en Sun Bay. También aprendimos sobre la astronomía, visitamos un sitio de anidaje de tortugas, y encontramos invertebrados bioluminiscentes en la playa.

A roped-off sea turtle nesting site / Un sitio de anidación de tortugas

5) The Vieques Concert Society Recital with my friend José, where we saw over a dozen children aged five through late teens playing beautifully of the the most challenging stringed instruments to learn, el cuatro.
   El Vieques Concert Society Concierto con mi amigo José, donde vimos nenes de todas edades tocando el cuatro. Era tan precioso.

This is one of my most special memories of Vieques. The beauty of this community showed so clearly through the smiles of the children as they played their music, the patience of the teachers who offered encouragement if their students were momentarily stuck or nervous on stage, the proud applause of the parents who filled the entire theater in support of their children, and the hugs and high fives after the recital when a few of the kids recognized me from Manta camp.

Este es una de mis recuerdos más especiales de Vieques. Podía ver la belleza de esta comunidad en las sonrisas de los nenes mientras tocaban su música, en la paciencia de los profesores que ofrecieron ayuda a sus estudiantes si la necesitaban durante el concierto, el aplauso orgulloso de los padres que llenaron el teotro entero en apoyo de sus hijos, y los abrazos y "dame cincos" después del concierto que recibé cuando algunos de los niños que me reconocieron de Manta. 

A familiar grin, the very same as in the lionfish photo from last week / Una sonrisa familiar, también en la foto con un pez león de la semana pasada

6) I had another breath-taking experience out on the Bioluminescent Bay, this time with Mark, two members of the Department of Natural Resources, and a professor from the University of Montana who came to facilitate community discussions on how the bay can sustainably be used for ecotourism.

I had never seen the bay like it was that night. The light of the dinoflagellates competed easily from below with the light of the moon from above. As we surveyed the bay, the boat left a glowing blue wake behind us and I couldn't resist scooping up handfulls of sparkling water along the way. But what was most magical to me was the streaks of light that the fish made when they darted under the boat. Thanks to the bioluminescence, we witnessed what would normally be an invisible underwater hunt. Streaks of light made by the frenzy of fish below us darted after one another, followed by puddles of light on the surface of the bay when smaller fish leaped out of the water to escape a predator. Everyone including the biologists agreed that the bay was glowing amazingly. I don't have photos simply because the bioluminescence is so hard to capture on camera, but we definitely enjoyed the spectacle in the moment!

   Tuve otra experiencia increíble en la Bahía Bioluminiescente, esta vez con Mark, dos miembros del Departamente de Recursos Naturales, y un profesor de la Universidad de Montana, quien vino para facilitar conversaciones en la comunidad sobre como se puede utilizar la bahía para el ecoturismo en una manera sostenible. 

Nunca había visto la bahía así. Esa noche, la luz de los dinoflagelados competía facilmente con la luz de la luna. Podríamos ver una línea de brillo detrás del barco y estrellitas azules en las manos cuando recogimos un poco de agua. Pero lo más mágico fue los barridos de luz que hicieron los peces cuando nadaron debajo del barco. Gracias a la bioluminiscencia, vimos peces grandes persiguiendo los más pequeños y charcos de luz en el superficie de la bahía cuando un pez más chiquito brincó para escapar. Todo el mundo, incluyendo los biólogos, estaban de acuerdo que la bahía estaba brillando fenomenalmente. No saqué fotos, simplemente porque es muy difícil de capturar la luz con una cámera, ¡pero definitivamente disfrutamos del espectáculo en el momento!

7) An interview for Radio Vieques in their recording studio at the Fort, which I first saw as part of the history tour at the beginning of the week. Luckily I arrived early, and had the absolute pleasure of hearing the renowned Elm City Girls' Choir perform live in the studio for the entire island to enjoy. Then I got some airtime myself in an interview by Robert Rabin on my internship at the Trust!
    Una entrevista para Radio Vieques en la de grabación en el Fortín, que vi por primera vez como parte de la gira de historia al principio de la semana. Por suerte llegué temprano, y tuve el placer de oír las famosas Elm City Girls Choir cantando en el estudio para todo el mundo de Vieques. Después tenía una entrevista con Robert Rabin sobre mi trabajo en el Fideicomiso, ¡que fue muy divertido!

The Elm City Girls' Choir, from Connecticut, performing in the recording studio of Radio Vieques / The Elm City Girls' Choir, cantando en el estudio de grabación de Radio Vieques

8) Although I'm not from the States, I celebrated the Fourth of July by spending two days on Culebra, the sister island of Vieques, to meet up with my friend Annie and her co-workers from El Museo de Arte de Ponce. They took the long weekend to go on a work retreat together, and kindly asked if I wanted to join them. I really loved Culebra--the beaches, the friendly locals, the sea life we saw snorkeling, and of course the wonderful people with whom I could enjoy it all.
    Aunque no soy de los Estados Unidos, celebré el Fourth of July por ir por dos días a Culebra, la isla vecino de Vieques, para reunirse con mi amiga Annie y sus compañeros de trabajo de El Museo de Arte de Ponce. Annie y sus colegas aprovecharon el fin de semana largo y fueron juntos en una vacación pequeña, y generosamente me preguntaron si quería ir con ellos. Me encantaba Culebra - las playas, la gente amable, la vida marina que vimos snorkeling, y por supuesto las personas con quien disfrutaba de todo.

Playa Tamarindo, where I saw five majestic sea turtles while snorkeling, like the sign implied I might / Playa Tamarindo, donde vi cinco tortugas majestuosas, como sugirió el rótulo

Flamenco Beach with my girl Annie / Playa Flamenco con mi amiga Annie

Third Week / La Tercera Semana

Sunday was my day off.  It was relaxing to do some cooking, practice guitar, and cheer on England in the World Cup, but I prefer the action-packed days at the Trust!

Sugar Pie, our furriest, most frequent visitor at the Trust / Sugar Pie, nuestra visitante más frequente y peluda en el Fideicomiso

First thing Monday morning I met the kids of Manta Raya, the new camp for the next two weeks. The campers are 9-12 years old, and super engaged in what whatever we're learning. Right away I recognized a couple of them either from saying hey in passing on my way to work, or because they look like their younger siblings from last week.

Mark teaching about the balance of ecosystems, and the balance of life / Mark enseñando sobre la balance de ecosistemas y la balance de la vida

That day I went with Mark to pick up Ashley and Chase, two students from the University of Nebraska Kearney who came to Vieques for ten days to capture and study lionfish, an invasive (and venomous) species here in the Carribbean.

The lionfish. Photograph by Mark Martin, featured in Vieques Insider magazine / El pez león. Fotografía por Mark Martin.

Lionfish reproduce every two weeks. (Just imagine for a second if you did!) In order to manage that, they eat the native fish like it's nobody's business. They have no natural predators here, so they can totally throw off the delicate balance that keeps coral reefs healthy. Since the fish and other creatures of the reef are crucial for our food supply and economy, not to mention valuable in their own right, Ashley and Chase were doing pretty important work!

Here's Ashley and Chase! They also helped me painting some signs for the aquarium. / ¡Aquí están Ashley y Chase! También me ayudaron pintar algunos rotulos para el acuario.

That week I also met Professor Marc Albrecht, Ashley's biology professor and advisor who came to Vieques at the same time to work on some other research projects. I learned a lot from him, like about the alarming rate at which human are consuming the earth's resources.

We sometimes think of nature as this big expanse of wilderness that exists all over the world wherever there aren't towns and cities, but Professor Albrecht pointed out that 75% of arable land is already in human use. He showed me a great video called "The Story of Stuff," which gives a big-picture view of where our stuff comes from, how we consume it, and where it eventually goes when we throw it out. If you find yourself with an extra 20 minutes to spare, I definitely think it's worth watching!

Story of Stuff Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Source:  http://storyofstuff.org/

The beautiful ceiba (kapok) tree that Professor Albrecht and I stopped to see on our way to collecting some data in the mangroves of the Nature Reserve / La gran ceiba que Professor Albrecht y yo vimos antes de tomar medidas de las mangles

It can be a little depressing to take it all in once you start to delve into human impacts on the planet. But Mark reminded me that while it can be overwhelming, but we can't be defeatist; we won't get anywhere if we throw up our hands and give up on protecting our natural resources. I think both Professor Albrecht and Mark have valid points, because we need to be more aware of the state that the earth while at the same time not losing hope, so that we can make appropriate changes in how we live on it.

* * * 

What made that week at camp so fun, per usual at Manta, is that we learned about the environment  not from textbooks or lectures, but from swimming, touching, hiking, smelling, feeling, seeing, and being in nature herself.

Learning how to enjoy the ocean responsibly / Aprendiendo como disfrutar el oceáno en una manera responsible

A lesson about all the invasive algae out there / Una lección sobre las algas invasora

Donning a stylish algae hat...with a few laughs from the crowd / Usando la alga como un sombrero...con unas risas por el público

A lionfish that we caught at the beach/ El pez león que cojimos

You can look, but you can't touch! / Se puede mirar, pero no se puede tocar!

The newest member of the aquarium (the lionfish, I mean, though I'd be happy to have this guy at the Trust any day) / El miembro más nuevo del acuario (el pez, quiero decir, auque estaría felíz tener este nene en el Fideicomiso todos los días)

An eel we found for the aquarium, which was returned to the sea several days later like all the other organisms we capture / Una anguila que encontramos para el acuario, que fue devuelto al mar unos días después como los demás de los ser vivos

On Friday, my friend Annie (who made it into my first blog post, and I can assure you this one will not be the last!) arrived to visit me for the weekend. She jumped right in as a volunteer at Manta, and was a huge help preparing for our activities that day.

A lesson on water quality, scientific measurements, and the plankton of the bioluminescent bay behind us / Una lección sobre la calidad de agua, medidas científicos, y el plancton de la bahía bioluminiscente detrás de nosotros. (Photo credits to Annie)

A walk through the mangroves around the bio bay / Una caminata por los mangles alrededor de la bahía bioluminiscente

Annie and I riding back from the bay in the back of a truck / Annie y yo viajabamos en una guagua al Fideicomiso

Reading up about plankton / Leyendo sobre plancton

Taking a look up close at the microorganisms of the bay / Mirando los microorganismos que viven en la bahía

Experimenting with bioluminescence / Experimentando con la bioluminiscencia

Mind blown. / Increíble.

* * * 

Thursday was the most amazing night on the bio bay I have seen yet. The water literally glowed light blue in the wake it left when I stuck it in the water outside the boat. If you scooped up some water in your hand, it sparkled like little floating stars in your palm. When you threw the water away, the surface of the bay looked like it was being spattered with shimmering rain drops.
http://youtu.be/oSP6IfLcm6s
Here's a few shots from the field:

#mangroves #selfie #sciencegeek

Cool worm we found in the bio bay / Un gusano nitido que encontramos en la bahía

Field researchers Mark and Ashley in their natural habitat / Investigadores  de campo Mark y Ashley en su hábitat natural

It's really difficult to capture the bioluminescence in a photograph, but we did record a Bio Bay  Newsflash to update the community on the state of the bay! Bioluminescent Bay Update