Earth Day 2010 in Belize!

Boy was this a busy Earth Day for us! Well actually, it's the first time I even paid attention to the fact it was Earth Day. I mean other than hearing some news report on the radio before I buy a coffee in a styrofoam cup. Those of you that know me (Pat) know that I really couldn't care much less about this hippy-inspired "holiday". Did you know Ira Einhorn, the hippy that murdered his GF and kept her body in a trunk on his porch helped found Earth Day? Well, I have softened up a bit.... just a little though mind you!

Seen as Keri was working for a protected area's management organization (APAMO), we both got in the spirit of things! Keri started out by assisting one of her members, FAMRACC, in a clean up of the preserve area on Caye Caulker. They had some of the schools to volunteer the kids for the day and they conducted a cleanup of the trails. Keri also got to see the work FAMRACC has been doing on the replanting of the mangroves up close. The days work was hard, but there was a huge improvement to the trail system once they were done. Keri did mention that the whole scene resembled Lord of the Flies at some points with all the fires, kids running around with machetes, and the chain saw going. But noone was too seriously injured! (Pics of Event).

Seriously though, it has taken us some time to get used to the risk management issues we see. Maybe it was all those years managing that made us so cautious. Oh the stories we have to tell! But like we said, all the kids came back with the fingers & toes they started out with.

The next day we were split up with Keri in Dangriga and myself on the Western Highway between Belize City and Belmopan. Keri had helped organize a cleanup of Dangriga with Friends of Gra Gra Lagoon and then a presentation on the watershed hosted by STACA at one the Steadfast villages. Finally they were going to take all the kids to Billy Baquedier National Park to cool off after all their hard work. (Pictures of the event)

They started out with the cleanup in Dangriga and really spiffed the place up quite a bit! By the time they were done, the kids had amassed quite a bit of trash. Keri and the crew then made there way out to Steadfast village and Dr. Boles presented to the children on the importance of protecting the watershed. Of course no meeting can go without food and the women's group had prepared some tamales for everyone to enjoy! After a while, everyone hiked into the forest and had great fun at the Billy Barquedier's waterfall.

So while Keri was busy in Dangriga, I was with the PC group doing a trash pick up on the Western Highway sponsored by the Audubon Society. We were joined by the group from the US Embassy and even hung out with Ambassador again. He really is a great guy! After we finished up our stretch of the highway, we heded on down to a aprk where there was the obligatory BBQ chicken. Nothing goes on in Belize without food!