BirdSleuth Caribbean for UCC preschool

Last week I led the first BirdSleuth seminar for the preschool teachers at UCC in Caiman.  13 teachers attended, with 2 of their children who were great for demonstrating teaching techniques.  We began with a 40 minute presentation about the importance of birds, showing photos on my ipad of birds found in Haiti.  After lunch of rice and beans with onion sauce, we began the games.  I gave each teacher a habitat and a bingo card, and showed how activities can be scaled from preschool to older kids.  My translator Donacien and I demonstrated the habitat and survivor games, then all joined in and had fun playing them.  I gave the preschool a BirdSleuth manual and set of survivor, scavenger hunt, and bingo cards for their resource room.  The elementary school principle is now asking that I give a workshop for her teachers!

  

2nd Aquatic Ecology Workshop in Camp Perrin

Thank you to Jean Dunes Gustave, Ministry of the Environment for the South, for inviting the University of Kansas (KU) to hold a second aquatic ecology workshop at his office building in Camp Perrin.  This 2ème Les Principes Écologie Aquatique focused on the results of our May 2013 study of Etang Lachaux, a lake along National Route 7 south between Les Cayes and Camp Perrin.  See these past blogs for the lake study and the 1^st workshop in May 2013.  The 29 participants represented 13 organizations and including people who owned land around the lake.  Presenters were Dr. Donald Huggins from the Kansas Biological Survey (KBS) at KU and Debbie Baker from KBS and Audubon Center of Les Cayes.

We discussed the results of the water chemistry of the lake, and gave recommendations for increasing water volume so that the lake can be used for a fishery.  Participants said that 1975 was the last time the lake completely dried up.  We suggested that lake managers do not stock this shallow lake with carp which are bottom feeders and stir up the lake sediment.

Chardonnières school

Today we taught 36 students at a school in Chardonnières.  We talked about the importance of birds in Haiti, and careers the students could have working with birds (art, education, conservation, and ecotourism).  Thanks to Wislaire and the teacher for making arrangements, Jackson for translating and teaching, and Sonny for driving!  And thanks to everyone who has donated binoculars and other supplies over the years.

Water quality workshop in Camp Perrin

Dr. Huggins demonstrating the secchi disk.

A recent outreach event of the Audubon Center was coordinating a water quality workshop presented by environmental scientists from the University of Kansas.  The Ministry of the Environment for the South Department hosted the event at their office in Camp Perrin.  Twenty workers from the Ministry, ORE, and other groups attended the workshop.  Using the local lake Etang Lachaux watershed as an example, Dr. Donald Huggins, Dr. Gary Welker, and Debbie Baker discussed with the group the various human activities that impact the watershed and how to mitigate these.  They donated a secchi disk to the bureau, a simple water quality measurement device that people can make themselves.  We ended the day with a tour of
the NGO Organization for the Rehabilitation of the Environment (ORE).

 
 

Environmental scientists visit Les Cayes

Dr. Donald Huggins working at a stream.

The Audubon Center of Les Cayes announces the visit of three environmental scientists who will present a water quality workshop to officials in the Southern Department of Haiti during the first week of May.  Dr. Donald Huggins, Dr. Gary Welker, and Prof. Debbie Baker are aquatic ecologists with the University of Kansas and Kansas Biological Survey, USA.  They will present a day-long workshop about the importance of watersheds to the health of the environment and the people, as well as train participants in evaluating water quality of Haiti's lakes and rivers.

In addition, Friday May 3 at 4pm at the Botanical Garden of Les Cayes, Dr. Huggins will give a public presentation about the importance of watersheds.  Everyone is invited! 

Prof. Baker and Dr. Welker on a Kansas lake.

Dr. Huggins and Prof. Baker will also hold a 3-day workshop on these issues for students of the American University of the Caribbean.

Thanks to the University of Kansas for contributing to travel funding for this trip!

Upcoming events at AUC - Ag Day, birding, and water quality

Chris Bowser

This week, Chris Bowser of Marist College and the National Estuarine Research Reserve in New York, USA is visiting the American University of the Caribbean to teach a water quality workshop to juniors and seniors.

 

Celebrate Agriculture Day at the Botanical Garden of Les Cayes, May 1 - 3.  We may even host a birding watching event the morning of Friday May 3 at the garden.  Contact Debbie Baker (debbieauc at gmail.com) if you are interested.

Debbie Baker and Don Huggins at a lake in Kansas.

 

The first week of May aquatic ecologists Dr. Donald Huggins and Debbie Baker of the Kansas Biological Survey, USA will be at AUC to teach an aquatic ecology workshop to the sophomores.  Dr. Huggins will also give a campus-wide seminar about environmental engineering. 

2012 Christmas Bird Count

Wilson's Plover.

We had a successful Christmas Bird Count yesterday around Les Cayes.  This 3rd annual event started with a talk Friday by the Haiti Audubon Society, lead by AUC graduate Anderson Jean.  Saturday four groups and about 18 participants saw  63 species in our 15 mile circle.  See the 2013 posting for results.

Anderson Jean and Sean Christensen organized this year's count.  (Photos by Debbie Baker and Sean Christensen). 

The Les Cayes bird count circle.

Seminar by the Haiti Audubon Society.

At mangroves east of Les Cayes.

Birding at 300m at Picot.

At sea level at Gelee Beach.

Counting the shore birds at Gelee Beach.

Student and teacher seminars

A teacher demonstrating visual aids.

Last week James and I held two bird conservation seminars at the school MEBSH de Simon.  Twenty-five high school students from 4 local schools attended the Friday afternoon seminar.  Saturday afternoon, 16 primary school teachers from 9 schools came to learn about the importance of birds.  One came from a school 1 hour away.  An AUC student assisted us that day.  We gave each teacher 2 posters donated by the Audubon Society of Haiti.  Several invited us to their schools to teach their students.  Stay tuned for an upcoming post about teaching in these schools with AUC student volunteers.

MEBSH de Simon

James teaching the high schoolers.