January 6, 2015

Kirstie picking up trash!
Photo Credit: Crystal Croom

Crystal: Today we took a very pleasant boat ride to a small beach, where we participated in a service-learning project. We helped rid the beach of a great deal of garbage that was present. When we arrived at the beach there were a group of fishermen collecting their catch and untangling their net. We all gathered trash bags to begin gathering the waste. I noticed that there was a lot of styrofoam trash along with glass bottles. It was also interesting to find shoes soles in the sand. With about 17 of us, we all collected at least one bag of trash. The beach seemed a lot cleaner when we were done. Our project most likely benefited the wildlife the most, because the trash will not get pulled into the water, which is their habitat. In addition, the fishermen benefited from our help, if the trash does enter the water it will keep the sea life healthy and their catches plentiful. I really hope the fishermen appreciate a cleaner beach, even though I believe they are the ones who caused so much trash.

Tisha, Steve, & Collin picking up Mangroves
Photo Credit: Rose Kalala

The location where we planted Mangroves
Photo Credit: Rose Kalala

Rose: My favorite activity from today was the other service-learning project we participated in, which was the planting of Mangrove trees. After the trash cleanup, we rode the boat to a swampy beach with basically no sand and endless Mangrove trees. My classmates, Tisha, Steve, Collin, and I all volunteered to go retrieve baby Mangrove trees for the rest of the group to then replant. The soil that the trees were planted in was extremely soft and we had to stay close to the roots of the trees for support to avoid sinking! We each collected 20 Mangroves and trekked back to the boat. It was quite an experience! We left this location and rode the boat through a small body of water lined with Mangrove trees on either side. We eventually stopped at a dead end that seemed to have fewer trees than what we had previously seen. Our guide then informed us that this would be where we would plant the trees. The trees were rooted in water, which required each of us to hop out of the boat in the dark water and dig! This left most of us with mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement. We were given a stick to help guide the root under the water and into the soil. This activity was like nothing I, or most of my classmates, had ever experienced. Not only were we trying something new, but we were helping the environment. We learned that Mangrove trees have some really excellent properties that make them especially good for the environment and clean air quality. For one, they are a habitat for many species. Secondly, the leaves of the trees take carbon out of the air and they reduce the amount of heavy metals in the water. I was shocked by the many benefits that Mangrove trees had to offer. Their benefits relate to the concept of health; especially, their ability to help maintain a better air quality, which is crucial for positive health outcomes in any population.

Sunrise at Caño Hondo
Photo Credit: Kirstie Geier 

Kirstie: Sadly our wonderful excursion in Caño Hondo had to come to end. The weather on our last day was not too promising, as it was teetering back and forth from raining to beautiful sunshine. Due to the rain, we had to leave the resort on time because our bus driver was concerned about our safety on the roads during our long trek back to Santo Domingo. The poor structure of the roads and their inability to drain rainwater correctly could create treacherous conditions for those traveling by car during the rain. The roads are also not lined with many lights, which adds to the endangering conditions during a late night drive and unfavorable weather conditions. These issues present many Dominican people with health and safety risks on a daily basis, especially if the weather is poor. Thankfully, the weather stayed sunny and we made it back safely to Santo Domingo before dark.