SPRING BREAK 2003 posted 3/11/03

During spring break (Feb. 22 - March 2), Adrian College students took a well-earned break from their studies and headed off in separate directions. Often, it was somewhere south. Here are a few worth noting.

'TROPICAL ECOLOGY' VISIT THE RAIN FOREST

Research adventure - Left to right are sophomore Lindsey Shartell (Wyandotte, Mich.), sophomore Melissa Plummer (Hillsdale, Mich.), junior Chauna Black (Adrian), junior Kevin Griffin (Kentwood, Mich.), junior Kara Tecco (Ann Arbor, Mich.), professor Craig Weatherby, and (seated) senior Lindsey Dietrich (Brighton, Mich.) and junior Karla Tiama (Livonia, Mich.).

When it came time for AC biology professor Craig Weatherby to name his new biology class, he had a good reason to name it 'Tropical Ecology Research.'

"The real purpose of the class was to give the students a chance to actually do research in the tropics," Weatherby explains.

Offered for the first time this year, the thrust of the upper level science class was a spring break trip to Las Cuevas Research Station in Belize, Central America. The station is centered in the largest remaining rain forest left in Central America. (The Chiquibul National Forest is approximately 478, 000 acres.)

While there, students teamed up in pairs to pursue independent research projects. One student researched the socialization and behavior of Red Lored parrots; another researched the mating behavior of oscillated turkeys; another observed the behavior of spider monkeys.

"We all sort of expected it to be like Jeff Corwin on TV (Animal Planet), where you pull down these vines, and the animals are just there," senior Lindsey Dietrich (Brighton, Mich.) said.

"Waiting for us to pet them," joked junior Karla Tiama (Livonia, Mich.).

The students believe the experience has given them a better idea of what actual field research is like.

"There are a lot of jobs where biologists spend month or even a year out in the field," Dietrich. "This gave us a chance to try it for a week to see if it's something we would be interested in doing."

Highlights of the trip included exploring Mayan ruins, and wandering through the area's large cave complex. In addition to its biological significance, Las Cuevas (which means "the caves") is also an important cultural area due to the ancient Mayan belief in gods of the underworld.

GREEN MACHINE HEADS TO GEORGIA FOR NATURE WORK

Group photo : Tiffany King (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Dena Koehn (Rose City, Mich.), Lekha Fernandes (Flint, Mich.), Matt Rife (Paw Paw, Mich.), and AC Student Activities Director Kevin Schwemmin.

Green Machine, the environmental club at Adrian College, is a relatively new student organization. However, they didn't let that hold them back over spring break.

Four members of the club -- which achieved official club status in January -- drove to Chattanooga, Tenn., to work with the Nature Conservancy and the Conasauga River Alliance in the Chattahoochee National Forest. They were accompanied by AC Student Activities Director Kevin Schwemmin. Projects included planting trees to form river erosion buffers, cleaning up trash, and performing trail maintenance.

"One of the things we did was work on water bars," said AC junior and club president Matt Rife.

These pieces of wood help direct runoff away from the trail to keep erosion under control. They lose their effectiveness when they get filled with sediment.

"We dug a lot of those out," Rife said.

All this work isn't too shabby for a group that hasn't even met on an official basis yet. Green Machine's first official meeting is scheduled March 10.

Goals of the club include raising environmental awareness on campus, and making Adrian more environmentally friendly. They are currently in charge of Adrian College's recycling program. There are about 20 members.

Visit the Nature Conservancy, or the Conasauga River Alliance.

AC HABITAT CHAPTER WORKS NEAR NEW ORLEANS

How about a little sweat for the homeless?

Eleven members of the Adrian College Chapter of Habitat for Humanity took two school vans to Covington, La., for a work project during their spring break (Feb. 22 - March 2). While there, they put up siding, laid insulation, and dug holes to help provide housing for the less fortunate.

"It was fun, we had a great time," said Adrian junior and chapter president Kristyn Cote. "One of the cool things was the potluck dinner on Friday night, where we got to meet some of the families that will be moving into the houses. It was nice to put some faces with the houses we were working on."

The trip was not all work and no play. Covington is just 40 miles north of New Orleans, so on their time off students explored the famed city, and visited the Audubon Zoo.

Visit the Habitat for Humanity website.