Brugia Malayi - Clark Science Center - Smith College

Coral Reef Ed-Ventures 2012: An Environmental Education Program
Conducted by Smith College Students for Youth in San Pedro, Belize
Kayla Clark, Lauren Malecky, Kaylyn Oates, Angela Oliverio, Alyssa
Stanek, and Megan Svoboda
“Come on down, we’re going to see the mangroves!
Come on down, we’re going to see the sea!
All the fish are swimming at the bottom,
Helping us to protect the sea!”
Belizean children participating in the 2012 Coral Reef Ed-Ventures program sang these words as they walked to the mangrove
restoration site that was planted by the previous year’s students. The lyrics were part of a song they created about mangroves,
which they later performed at a graduation ceremony for over 250 members of the San Pedro community.
These children live on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize, in close proximity to the Meso-American Barrier Reef which is
the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. The island’s largest settlement, San Pedro, is the premier vacation destination
in Belize and is economically and ecologically dependent on the reef. It is imperative that the reef be protected, as its degradation
and collapse would result in devastating consequences for the island and its inhabitants.
Now in its thirteenth year, Coral Reef Ed-Ventures is an environmental education program run by Smith College’s
Environmental Science and Policy Program in collaboration with Hol Chan Marine Reserve on Ambergris Caye. This program
for San Pedro’s school children is designed to increase awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of a healthy
reef ecosystem. The six undergraduate students that organized and led the 2012 program represented various fields of study at
Smith College, including environmental science, anthropology, sociology, and education. One of the objectives this year was to
strengthen the program’s involvement with Hol Chan Marine Reserve, bringing their staff and conservation efforts more fully into
the educational component of our program and identifying new research directions that would help Hol Chan in their efforts to
conserve and manage the reef.
The educational program that Smith students run is comprised of two parts: youth camp (ages 7-11), and advanced camp
(ages 12-16). The camp curriculum is designed so that by its conclusion, campers are able to demonstrate significant knowledge of
the coral reef environment and identify reef organisms, possess an understanding of adaptations and symbiotic relationships, can
discuss threats facing the reef, and can brainstorm ways that they can positively impact conservation efforts and contribute to the
sustainable use of natural resources. During this year’s youth camp, children explored reef ecology through field trips to the beach
and reef. They had presentations from Hol Chan guest speakers and engaged in creative activities, such as art projects and games.
In addition to teaching coral reef ecology, the Smith students provided their students with the skills they may need to educate their
community on coastal conservation.
This year, over one hundred students attended the two-week youth program. Highlights of the camp included an “edible”
coral polyps project and a glass bottom boat trip. To visually track their progression of knowledge, students worked on a mural
that illustrated four marine ecosystems from shallow to deep water through mangroves, shallow sea, coral reefs, and deep sea.
At the graduation ceremony, a tradition that ends camp each year, students performed skits, songs, and dances that they created,
innovatively sharing the wealth of information they had learned.
In addition to the youth camp, Smith students also conducted a weeklong advanced camp for children ages twelve and older.
The advanced campers participated in research with Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Advanced campers collected and analyzed seagrass
samples using a protocol established by SeaGrassNet, an ecological monitoring program that investigates and documents the status
of and threats to seagrass worldwide. As a result, campers were able to explore seagrass environments and their importance, as
they simultaneously learned about scientific research methodology.
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