Welcome to Conservation Camp 2008 at the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center
Conservation Camp is held annually at the Belize Zoo Tropical Education Center during the second week of July for up to 30 children between the ages of 10 and 17. The primary purpose of the camp is for children to conduct an inquiry project at the zoo after participating in a series of lessons and activities to guide them through the scientific method. In addition, the children are educated on the protected areas of Belize and on solid waste management issues for Belize. Camp also has plenty of time for games, outdoor activities, sports, and arts & crafts. There are many trips to the zoo to observe and learn about the animals as well.
The campers! Don't they look so happy? (it was the last day and it just downpoured minutes before we went out for the photo shoot)
We participated in this year's camp as counselors and lesson facilitators. We spent the week with the campers and have come to see we just are not outdoors, camping people, and we are very okay with it! Even so, we loved it and to be honest the temperature in the jungle was cool at night so when we did get to sleep, at least we were not so hot! Trying to sleep amid the children's talking and laughing and the myriad bugs was not so bad. Although, Anthony was right in the midst of the boys while Ginnie had a private cabana at the girls' camp - pretty nice accommodations actually. Turns out due to the numbers of boys vs. girls there wasn't enough space for all of us to stay at one sight together so the girls had to head off to tent camp, which is not at all what it sounds. Tent camp is an area with raised cabins consisting of singles and doubles, all with a lee porch. Ginnie was right at the entrance to the camp, easy to keep an eye on anyone trying to sneak into another camp. No girls made the attempt, there was one try by boys on the first day, but after being caught it never happened again.
This is Ginnie's cabana
Let's talk about camp!
The Scientific Inquiry Project
This is the main purpose of camp. The campers were assigned to one of four groups. Each group worked together during the lessons to develop an inquiry question about one of the animals they learned about on our opening tour of the zoo first thing on Monday. The groups studied the River Otter, the Ocelot, the Currasow, and the Spider Monkey. Throughout the week, we worked with the children to help them develop observable questions and create a hypothesis and design their method of inquiry and data collection. On Wednesday morning, the groups returned to the zoo and headed straight to their animal area to make initial observations and determine whether or not there existed any variables they did not expect. After a quick meeting and review of procedures and needed changes, the groups headed back for their 90 minute observations.
One of the lessons
Preparing for their project studying the Spider Monkey
We rotated among the groups to check in and see how they were doing. They definitely learned a small piece of what it means to conduct field research. The poor Curassow group was bored because the birds did not respond at all as they hypothesized and in fact were rather indifferent altogether about visitors (they expected some aggressive behavior). The Ocelot group got unexpected results, but were excited about they ways the cat would respond to zoo keepers and to his name, but over all become perturbed with them disturbing his sleep and walked away. The River Otter group saw a lot of action from these curious creatures and came to conclude they want to know where every noise comes from. Finally, the Spider Monkey group could not stop talking about all the activity they saw from the monkeys, particularly when groups of people showed up - evidently these guys like to show off as they would just hang out and relax when no one was around and as soon as a group of people came over, they began jumping around and following them from tree to tree hanging by their prehensile tail.
Preparing the presentation about the River Otter inquiry
Seeing and hearing the excitement of the children as they described their observations was so much fun. This was a great opportunity for Ginnie to get back to her science teaching roots and witness the joy of discovery learning. We were so impressed with how inquisitive and observant the children are in general and had many enjoyable and enlightening conversations with them on topics about animals, birds, plants, folklore, and random things they saw on TV.
Friday morning was the big day for the "scientists" to present their projects to one another. Everyone learned about the four animals studied and had the opportunity to ask questions of the group members. We were proud of all of the campers for their hard work on the project.
River Otter presentation
Zoo Tours
We had several opportunities to spend time with the animals at the "Best Little Zoo in the World." (A phrase that couldn't be more true, this zoo is just awesome!). By now, with the number of times we've been to the zoo, we've seen just about every animal up close. Monday we started off with a tour and readings from a zoo guide being developed to educate on each animal. The next trip over came on Tuesday when we went in groups to see one of the jaguars in the rehabilitation program, Wild Boy. He came out and the zoo keeper talked to the campers about the program and the work with "problem jaquars." Wild Boy has learned to roll over and to give a high five, which he demonstrated for us and invited campers to direct him in, but most were timid. Two in our group did give it a try, one being the experienced Jason, who works at the zoo a few days a week with the zoo keepers, and the other Theron who had already upset Wild Boy by getting too close to the cage. Our group actually got an additional treat when the zoo director, Ms. Sharon Mattola, invited us to watch her daily training with Junior, the baby Jaguar who was rejected by his mother (a problem jaguar in the program). We saw him respond to her commands to "alley-up" onto a log and to roll over. She also went into the inner cage and he came out and joined her and interacted with her there.
The Keel-billed Toucan was really active this week, hopping about and getting close to the kids - it was very curious about us it seemed
Wild Boy doing his rollover and high five (he made quite a frightening guttural growl as he waited for the zoo keeper and was just sitting up there with us down below and a child standing on the step close to him, that may have been a deterrant for kids feeding him!)
Junior climbed to this log after sniffing out the hidden chicken!Our next trip was a night tour of the zoo where we got to see the nocturnal animals. This was the first time Ginnie saw the kinkajou in action - they spend all day balled up in a log sleeping, but at night, they were climbing all over the cage, even on the ceiling. We saw all the cats in their sleeping areas and enjoyed the quiet of the jungle life at night.
Finally, on inquiry day, we also got to pet and hold a snake brought out by a zoo keeper. Anthony jumped right in, but Ginnie just touched it (a big step since a memory lingers of 2nd grade and the ginormous snake brought to school that kids could go up and touch and feeling pretty scared and not liking being so close to such a big reptile and never touching one and being okay with it). The kids loved the snake, though, well, not all, but a lot got into it.
Yikes! 
Khalid was hesitant, but in the end curious enough
This was the common position for the Ocelot, Ollie, while the children observed him
Other Camp Stuff
Camp was also filled with lots of activities for the kids. They took a self-guided tour of the Savannah Trail just outside of the boys camp (where they came to swampland they couldn't avoid and wet-up their shoes and pants and got hit by tons of mosquitoes - it is the jungle and it's rainy season). There were games of football and volleyball, and game nights with cards and dominoes. One day we spent time on a face-painting competition, where each group came up with designs to paint on each other's faces - some really good faces came from that, but kids washed it off almost as soon as it was finished so we only got a few on camera! We also had canoe "races," which looked more like canoe chaos truly! There was a lot of getting stuck in marsh and rowing "backway" and in circles, but somehow a team made it to the finish each time. The big trip took campers out to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve for a hike and swimming. After that long day of hiking, as a bbq was cooking, the older campers came up with a Camp King and Queen competition to provide some comic entertainment since the girls competed for King and bots competed for Queen. And of course, there was lots of silliness in the campsites and girls talking all night and boys telling Pepito stories and then scary stories.
Anthony painting Jason
The four who still had their faces on!
These canoes are both traveling "backway!" Purple ends up winning the heat after yellow traps itself in that marshy area you see
Hanging out during volleyball - Georgette, Julissa, Yaelle, and Monifa
Life in the Jungle
As you would imagine there are a LOT of bugs, snakes, birds, and other creatures in the jungle, and they are not all small. There are small rat bats also that often came flying into the camp meeting room and cause the children to shriek and hide under tables! (we tried to explain to the children the shrieking was probably wreaking havoc on the bat's sonar) Many of us were eaten alive by the plethora of bugs and critters. In fact, Ginnie came home with over 100 souvenirs - souvenirs that caused an allergic reaction that led to pain in both legs and a trip to nurse Jackie for medication, which is finally starting to help. This just proves I could not make it on Survivor simply due to the bugs - these aren't even mosquito bites, by some strange chance they weren't interested in me, just these little guys Jackie called battleasses who draw little blood spots and left welts on Ginnie that almost looks like chicken pox! There were also many beetle-type things and one night Ginnie had to share her cabin with one, not wanting to disturb it, she figured if she let it be it wouldn't bother her. It was gone in the morning, no idea to where... The next night there were two, which just seemed like taking advantage, so Ginnie used her wooden key chain to get them outside - man those guys really stick themselves to the curtains, but Ginnie won and they spent the night on the porch! Anthony was pretty impressed since he knows I'd never have gotten that close to a bug such as that before. Had it been a spider, I am not sure I would have done the same. I even helped a beetle in the bathroom get upright because it is sad to watch them struggle as they try in vain to flip over (what a flaw in design to not be able to turn yourself upright when you land on your back).
This 4' boa constricter has found a temporary home on top of the kitchen at the Tropical Education Center where we ate meals and held many activities
Just a portion of the damage, you should have seen it before the medication!
While it is true we came home really, really tired (it was like orientation times 4 on the lack of sleep scale) and ended up just falling asleep for 12 hours, we really enjoyed our time at camp. Many of the campers asked us if we would be back next year. Maybe by next summer we'll be in the market for a final jungle experience before leaving Belize... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it:)
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