Day 1. January 1, 2020. NYC.
Today, we meet at Stockton to be transported by bus to the Springhill Marriot Hotel in New York. We will be flying out to Guayaquil tomorrow afternoon. The entire group is beyond excited, some a little nervous, but we’ve been waiting for this moment for many months now. To travel to a place with some diversity and beauty, with a group of people so likeminded is unlike anything I’ve ever experiences before! Plus, the thought of going to the Galapagos Islands is awe inspiring. A once in a lifetime sort of opportunity.
We arrive at the hotel at around 18:00, and shortly after settling into the hotel room that I’ve split for the night with Jess, Lauren, and Haley, everyone met up at Tait’s room for a Domino’s pizza party to kick off the first two peer presentations of the trip. Everyone is to present some topic related to Ecuador’s environmentalism and other factors including the Ecuadorean economy (which Ryan and I will be presenting on later in the trip), at some point along the trip which will officially begin tomorrow, January 2 through January 16. We begin presentations after stuffing our faces with greasy pizza. Greg, our Teacher’s Assistant for the duration of the trip says that this should be the end of the horrible, greasy eating, as we should expect to east quite well in South America.
The first presentation is by Greg Fisher, TA and Stockton University student. He presented on earthquakes, seismic waves, and volcanic activity in Ecuador. He did a wonderful job explaining how the areas of interest for Ecuador, the Nazca and South American Plates, affect earthquake activity in the region and how elastic energy builds up in the rock masses, causing seismic waves to be released. He gave a presentation that was packed with geological facts and figures and gave me a much better understanding as to why Ecuador experiences such extreme earthquakes. The Nazca plate subducts under the South American plate—leading to not only Ecuador’s largest earthquakes, but sometimes tsunamis, and certainly volcanic earthquakes, which is another great factor of Ecuador’s geological landscape. There are many active volcanoes on the Galapagos Islands as well as mainland Ecuador. In conclusion to Greg’s presentation, the group had a better understanding of Ecuador’s tectonic setting which makes it prone to earthquakes as well as seismic and volcanic activity; while also being highly unpredictable in that there is no sure way to measure when any of these things will occur.
The second and last presentation for the night is given by Lauren Teach and Madison Roberts, both Stockton students, on biodiversity in the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Since we will be headed to the Galapagos first, shortly after arriving in Guayaquil, it was important that this presentation be given tonight, so we can get educated and excited about what we will see in the next few days to come. They touched base on three areas-- specifically genetic diversity, species diversity, and environmental diversity. The fact that three different currents meet to surround the Galapagos Islands is truly what gives it such an array of diversity in species, and the reason that you can see penguins and sea lions in the Galapagos, along with an array of more tropical fauna. More specifically, the Humboldt and Panama Currents, which meet the Galapagos Islands from the north and south, and in conjunction with the Cromwell Current from the west, conjoin together an upwelling from the Antarctic seas, which is very nutrient-rich; and meets the South Equatorial Current before heading straight toward the Galapagos’ (Smith, 2015). Regarding the Amazon, it is also a huge biodiversity hotspot in that it is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity and takes up nearly 40% of South America. There are several threats to each the Galapagos and the Amazon, which we as environmentalists must come together to combat in the years to come.
Reference
Smith, J. (2015, March 12). Galapagos Ocean Currents Yield Living Aquarium Rich in Marine Life. Retrieved from https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/galapagos-currents/
Day 2. January 2, 2020. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The group wakes up early this morning to grab a nice continental breakfast before we must head upstairs for our next presentation and a briefing in the hotel, before we leave for the airport. Later today, we will officially be in Ecuador! Hailey Wilmot, a Stockton environmental student will be presenting on tourism, development, and conservation in the Galapagos Islands. Hailey touches on everything from the earliest Galapagos settlers to current day conservations projects. The earliest settlers arrived on the Islands in 1535. However, Charles Darwin, who did not arrive on the Islands to study finches until much later, in 1835, brought much of the popularity to the Islands. By 1978, this biodiverse hotspot was labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Up until more recently, mainland Ecuadorians could move to the Islands for work, and this was commonplace among them. Today, this practice is much more restricted. This is because “the population has grown to around 30,000;” a guide named Mari Ramirez says, and she thinks “they may have to reduce the size of the national park to commit one island to development [in the near future]” (Richardson, 2019). Hailey went on to demonstrate the threats on the Islands due to increase in tourism, although there are some pros too. Specifically, indigenous inhabitants of the Galapagos frequently open their homes to tourists to make a living. The Galapagos is still visited today mainly by Ecuadorean peoples, followed then by tourists from the United States. In regard to human development, the Islands are still only 3% developed, with 97% being protected National Park lands (which is a great thing!), and most of the inhabitants live on the largest Island, Santa Cruz, while at least 11 smaller islands remain largely undeveloped.
The top three environmental threats that challenge the Galapagos today are invasive species, environmental degradation, and waste and pollution. Sustainable initiatives are put in place to combat some of these environmental threats. These initiatives include renewable energy, biosecurity checkpoints, sustainable roads, recycling, power, and sewage plants, and the Galapagos Sustainable Buildings program, to name a few. Conservation and revenue from tourists are two very important aspects to the longevity of the Galapagos Islands. However, it is important to note that the number of tourists must be limited, or else conservation initiatives become weakened in many cases. Certain projects like Project Pina and Project Floreana are working to restore and protect the Islands’ natural flora and fauna.
We head to the airport shortly after Hailey’s presentation. The flight is about 8 and a half hours long, so I prepare with snacks, drinks, and my downloaded Netflix shows. The flight wasn’t bad at all, and arriving finally in Ecuador, to be greeted by our official tour guide for the trip, Diego Maldonado, was a great feeling. Guayaquil is an interesting city, as far as I can tell, but I’m also sure it has some questionable areas. Nonetheless, any new place tends to inspire the crap out of me, and this reminds me why I love to travel, and will continue counting my blessings and taking on every opportunity! We are staying at the Exe Hotel and Galleria tonight, it is a cute little place, and we are welcomed to the city with a very beautiful dinner. Afterwards, we get a welcome briefing from Diego. He gives great insight and introduction to the country and what we could expect to see and learn. Tomorrow we are off to the Galapagos—adventure starts here!
Reference
Richardson, H. (2019, December 4). How tourism has changed the Galapagos, for better and for worse. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/return-visit-to-the-galapagos/
Day 3. January 3, 2020. Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands.
We arrive first at Baltra Island of the Galapagos today. This small island is where the one airport onto the archipelago lay, and the only way to get here is by direct flight from Guayaquil. The flight is slightly over an hour long, and there is a one-hour time difference on the Islands than from the mainland. Upon arrival, we aboard a short boat ride over to Santa Cruz island, where will be staying, in Puerto Ayora. I was pleased to be greeted immediately by a flock of blue-footed boobys, lounging on a large rock at the edge of the water. This was a species I was particularly hoping to see while here, and no time is being wasted so far! Many people in the group claimed to have seen a shark, but I did not get to. I knew I should have brought my glasses.
We met Jonathan, who is going to be our Galapagos tour guide. Diego cannot lead tours on these islands because he is not native to them, and therefore it is not legal for him to do so. The boat ride is quick and gorgeous, I still can’t believe I am actually at the Galapagos Islands. I don’t imagine it will ever feel real. Before taking us to the hotel, Jonathan brings us to an interesting little spot called Los Gemelos, or The Twins. These are two very similar, and surely equally as majestic, although I only saw one, geographical formations surrounded by a scalesia forest. The giant trees of the scalesia forests, which are endemic to the Galapagos, and often compared to Darwin’s finches for their evolutionary patterns, are such prominent trees to these Islands that an entire vegetation zone has been named for them (Galapagos Conservation, n.d.). Los Gemelos, which are surrounded by this natural beauty, are 500m deep volcanic sinkhole formations which were created by the release of gasses which led to the gradual sinking of the land. It was quite the first site to see upon arriving. After the quick view of this natural wonder, we head over to a place called El Chato Ranch. We came here for lunch, and to see the Galapagos giant tortoises! Another bucket-list item marked off for me! Beautifully slow creatures, they were a dream come true to see. It is important that we always stay approximately 6 feet away from them though, as to not completely startle them. We will likely see them many more times during the length of our stay here, but this ranch makes for a very nice ecological preservation site, where giant land tortoises can roam in their natural habitats and be safe and free, while tourists and the like can admire them from a safe distance while eating a lovely meal. We learned several interesting things about the tortoises during our time at the ranch, for example, I learned to identify the males and females by looking at the back tip of their shells. A pointy behind is a female, while a more curved and sloped behind is a male. Additionally, a smoother shell may represent a turtle which is over 80 years in age. The tortoises can live to be around 180 years old particularly in females, and males have more distinct curves on their shells which tend to smooth with age. They do not live as long as females do, although just nearly. They have no natural predators on the Islands, besides feral pigs when they are babies. Today there are currently 5000 of them on Santa Cruz alone, and new babies being born on conservation ranches like this one all the time. After taking tons of tortoise photos, Jonathan took us into a lava tunnel, also on El Chato. It was made over many years from flowing lava. It reminded me a lot of a “crystal” cave I toured through while I was out in Pennsylvania once upon a time. It was just as dark and damp, much like many caves, but this one was specifically unique as it is the aftermath of many volcanic eruptions over many years and from many years ago. We also learned about some of the Islands most prevalent introduced and invasive species today, which happen to be including, but not limited to, mango, orange, and guava trees as well as the ficus. Invasive/introduced and non-native species pose a large threat to diversity of the Galapagos.
Eventually, we arrive at our hotel on Puerto Ayora, called Hotel Ninfa. The outdoor courtyard, complete with restaurant, bar, pool, and hot tub is to die for. My bedroom with Taylor and Victoria faces out into the beautifully tropical open area. WE make sure to act fast as we settle our things into our rooms, so that we can hike across the street and through a desert-like scenery with some tropical tastes, to a place called Las Grietas. Our tour guide says we can snorkel here, but unfortunately by the time we arrive it is already closed. The view is wonderful though, and the hike was more than worth it regardless. Plus, we will be snorkeling tomorrow on Isabela anyway! We stopped at the beach on the hike back and took a dip into the crisp, crystal clear water. The scenery is stunning, we are surrounded by islands; I am in awe.
Tonight, after dinner we have a presentation from Isabel Timpe, a marine biologist in collaboration with The Charles Darwin Foundation, and who works currently in the Galapagos Islands studying and researching ocean acidification and its affects. She is also currently working towards putting together the first ever Marine Science Master’s program on the Islands. She is from Guayaquil and attended the first program in her country on the mainland. Her presentation is extremely interesting because she shows pictures of her own work, in which she often scuba dives and takes underwater pictures at Roca Rotunda, an underwater volcanic rock formation just north of Isabela Island, where acidification affects are studied. Her and her colleagues analyze the pH, total alkalinity, and the dissolving of organic carbonate at the volcano, where the pH is typically 7.9 as opposed to the typical 8.3 of sea water. So, why exactly are Isabel and her colleagues studying ocean acidification? Well, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), not only are creatures which a shell in grave danger, because of the calcium carbonate that makes them up, but additionally, many ocean animals are finding it much more difficult to sense predators, or hunt their prey; and “scientists estimate that carbon pollution is causing oceans to acidify faster than they have in 300 million years” (NRDC, 2019). Basically, the carbon pollution being created at the hands of humans is not only affecting the external environment, but it is dangerously affecting the oceans as well.
Tomorrow, we embark on a two-hour-long speedboat ride over to Isabela Island.
References
Galapagos Conservation. (n.d.). Scalesia. Retrieved from https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/wildlife/scalesia/
Natural Resources Defense Council. (2019, October 23). What You Need to Know About Ocean Acidification. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-you-need-know-about-ocean- acidification
Day 4. January 3, 2020. Isabela Island, Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands.
I tried to sleep for as long as I could on the speedboat, but it was a bumpy ride. I took Dramamine before we took off, because I’m not sure if I would be prone to sea sickness or not, but as soon as I sit down into the crammed little cabin at the front of the boat, I am immediately nauseous. I’ve never done anything like this before, being out on the open ocean, shredding through the waves. I ended up being fine and actually enjoyed the experience a lot. I packed my backpack as minimally as possible to come over to Isabela, as we are only here for two days and it is much easier this way when traveling by boat. We all take our bags and check in very quickly to the next hotel, Hotel Cally in Puerto Villamil. I really like this one, and Taylor and Victoria let me get the big bed. We have a small balcony, and the overall vibe of the room and the open structure of the small hotel give me a good feeling. They have water filling stations, which is also quite relieving. We head right out after putting on bathing suits. We are going kayaking and snorkeling today. This is going to be the perfect opportunity to see tons of infamous Galapagos wildlife. I was able to get a single person kayak which was really cool, even Tait was jealous, as he had to share a kayak with Greg. I was taking GoPro videos the entire time because the environment here is just a big beautiful vista and I don’t want to miss a single thing. We kayaked over to where we would be snorkeling, and along the way I saw a sea turtle! Best thing ever. We got to the snorkel spot, pretty far out, and I make the mistake of opting out of wearing my flippers, and leaving my water shoes on, which I would come to regret later. You try booking it through the open ocean without fins. They’re an important evolutionary aspect in fish for a reason! That aside, the experience was breathtaking (literally, as well as figuratively). I saw reef sharks in a cave at the ocean’s floor, tons of cool fish, corals, and the 360 degree view of Isabela Island surrounded me, but by far my favorite aspect of the entire morning was seeing the Galapagos penguins, feeding on a rock at the water’s edge! It was amazing to be able to see penguins, and even all the sea lions that lay around on the beach relaxing. It seems unreal, seeing such creatures in a seemingly tropical place, but that is the magic of the Galapagos. Everything that I have learned thus far has led me to this adventure and I will cherish these memories forever. Also, I am thanking our lucky stars for the Humboldt Current, which has made most of this possible.
We must eat and get some rest now, because we are renting mountain bikes later this afternoon and going to see the Galapagos flamingos! The flamingos reside in brackish lagoons, where they stay close by their partners. These beautiful creatures, much like the penguins, mate for life. They live for around 15 years and become a darker shade of pink with age. They like to sift through the sand at the bottom of the lake with their beaks to find small crustaceans to eat. The most interesting fact about flamingos is that half of their brain actually remains awake while they sleep. They are always on guard, and this gives them the infamous capability to stand on one leg while sleeping. While we were at the lagoon, which happened to be located directly across from a desalination plant, we got some insight into how Isabela, and all of the archipelago, gets their clean drinking water. Reverse osmosis is used to desalinate salty sea water. However, this desalination plant in particular is currently out of service due to a broken membrane which cannot be purchased at this time, and therefore, all of the freshwater on the Islands currently comes from Santa Cruz; and other water on the Island is used only for showering, toilets, and laundry. Additionally, Tait helped us to understand how sediment pollution from unpaved roads, like many that we biked along on the way to the lagoon, are much more prominent than paved roads with concrete and storm drainage, and this is just one other negative environmental aspect that comes with the increased activity on the Islands. After the bike ride we get some free time before dinner in town. I spend this time sitting at the beach, writing in my journal, and capturing shots of a breathtaking sunset.
After dinner, we had a presentation in my hotel room given by Jessica Yohn and Julianne Tucker, two Stockton students in the environmental program. They spoke a bit about global climate change and its direct effects on the Galapagos Islands. They reiterated some of the things that we learned from Greg in New York—the formations of the Islands in regard to mantle plumes, which are deep rooted within the Earth, and plate tectonics which move and shift causing heat convection between them and creating the volcanic structures that today make up the Galapagos. They spoke a bit about species arrival on the Islands as well as the importance of them, and gave a quick briefing on climate change itself and what it means for the nature of the Earth. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that, “Increasing warming amplifies the exposure of small islands, low-lying coastal areas and deltas to the risks associated with sea level rise for many human and ecological systems, including increased saltwater intrusion, flooding and damage to infrastructure” (IPCC, 2018). This statement reiterates a large factor of their presentation and helps in understanding why the Galapagos Islands may be gravely at risk due to increasing climate change. The most important aspect of their presentation, however, was the emphasis on how to plan for change, which includes three major climate-resilient pathways: adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. As climate change calls for new approaches to sustainable development, especially in the most susceptible areas for negative impact today, we must create pathways to current solutions as well as strategies, choices, and actions that will help in reducing climate change. Mitigation is important for sustainable development in that it reduces the rate and magnitude of climate change, which reduces climate-related stresses. This is very important for the now, because it is how we actively work to reduce emissions and this can be done in a number of ways, through active legislation and sustainable green plans in urban areas, as just two examples. Adaptation is equally as important in that we must plan for a future where there are more risks to sustainable development. The IPCC defines it as “the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects” as human being seek to further themselves from harm and damages. Lastly, resilience is essential in human populations particularly in that we must prepare and be ready to live in a world that is climatically different from what it was years before. This must be done by absorbing stresses and functioning through stresses to come by adapting, changing policies, and working towards more sustainable development (Denton, 2014).
References
Denton, F., T.J.Wilbanks, A.C. Abeysinghe, I. Burton, Q. Gao, M.C. Lemos, T. Masui, K.L. O’Brien, and K.Warner, 2014: Climate-resilient pathways: adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L.White (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1101-1131
IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp.
Day 5. January 5, 2020. Isabela Island, Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands.
Today, we head out early to hike Volcan Sierra Negra, the second largest caldera in the world! We are extremely lucky, because the weather is perfectly fine up there today, whereas usually it is raining and very fog covered, but this morning there is hardly a mist in the air. Once we get up to the volcano viewpoint, the fog opens just perfectly enough to get an amazing view of the 10.5 km across volcano. It is an active shield volcano, which last erupted in 2005. You never know when it may erupt again. The hike up there is very pretty, although most of the flora is the extremely invasive guava. It is impossible to eradicate it here because the use of pesticides on the Islands will not be permitted, and the seeds spread much too quickly. I also noticed several introduced hydrangea plants. Jonathan says they were brought here by people most likely using them for landscaping purposes, but now they line the beaten pathway up to the volcano. They are invasive, but minimal for now. Tree ferns and other ferns native and endemic to the Islands also dominate much of the ground cover. There is a possibility of seeing Galapagos hogs and short-ear owls here, but unfortunately, we do not spot any wildlife today. There was one tree in particular that caught my eye, it was gorgeous, with huge white flowers and which lined the road leading to the entrance of the hike up to Sierra Negra. I noticed it again once we left the volcano and decided to look it up. I found out that it is called Brugmansia arborea, commonly known as angel’s trumpet, which is native to the Andes regions of Ecuador and its neighboring countries on the mainland.
After the volcano, we head back to Hotel Cally and have some free time to chill out and rest before we take today’s bike ride to Muro de Las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears). I spent this time sitting at the beach and journaling, after taking a wonderfully refreshing dip in the Pacific. Of course, I left my water shoes on just incase there were any sea urchins or anything crazy. It was very rocky, but the perfect temperature and helped me cool down from the day. The bike ride past the coast was beautiful, but the trail down to the Wall of Tears was very hilly and a slightly difficult workout, but it felt really nice to complete it and also hike to the top viewpoints at Muro de Las Lagrimas. It is an emotional place, which was a penitentiary/penal colony that existed here long before other civilization on Isabela. Political prisoners were tortured and made to build the Wall for 13 years. There is a sign that reads, “Even the most evil people learned to cry here.” They were all eventually sent off the island once cililization started to grow on the Islands, because they could not be seen in such torturous conditions by civilians without any questioning of governance. The view from the top, however, was quite amazing, and you could practically see all of Isabela from it. The coast and sea on one side, and the mountainous volcanic edges on the other, complete with lush green vegetation and tons of cacti. I also learned that the green moss which covers most of the trees here was once used to dye clothing. The bike ride back from the Wall of Tears is much easier, as it is mostly downhill now and my bike zips down the trail effortlessly.
We had a good lunch and dinner today, which I forgot to mention, but it is worth noting that I have been trying a variety of interesting soups and juices and I am very pleased. After dinner, we had the day’s presentation given by Taylor Patterson and Evan Yunker, two Stockton environmental students, on Chevron/Texaco and oil pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They gave a good presentation which worked to point out not only how oil pollution contributes to negative environmental health, but also to the heath of the local communities, with specific emphasis on children, pregnant women, and elders. Texaco, which was taken over by Chevron in 2001, came to Ecuador in the 60s, and stayed until the early 90s, to tap into one of the biggest oil reserves in South America, which is in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They deliberately did not abide by proper disposal methods after oil extraction, which state that companies like Texaco, Petro Canada, and Shell, all of which touched these lands, must create separate pits for temporary disposal of oil wastes, which were to be lined with industrial tarps to prevent waste from leaching into the ground; and also to have a separate station in which crude oil would be refined and the remaining toxic water would be treated. They failed to work under these proper practices, and the crude oil pollution that they caused continue to affect the environment and the surrounding tribes that live there today. Additionally, Chevron admitted that Texaco purposefully dumped over 18.5 billion gallons of toxic water into the rainforest during this period, systematically contaminating two million acres of the Ecuadorian Amazon (European Greens, n.d). In 1993, The citizens and tribes of the Amazon filed suit against Chevron, which was taken up in Ecuador. Experts worked to evaluate the damages in 2008 and estimated that compensation be between $16-27 billion dollars. Then, in 2011, Chevron was ordered to pay $8.6 billion and submit a public apology for their wrongdoings. However, Chevron deemed this “illegitimate and unenforceable” in a continuation of their disrespect for the people that call the Ecuadorian Amazon their home. A series of appeals followed, but it has been a rocky road for Ecuadorians, as Chevron refuses to pay their reparations and admit that what they did was unjust. To this day, it is not a win or lose for either party yet.
Tomorrow morning, we head back to Santa Cruz Island on the two-hour long speedboat journey. It will be our last day on the Islands.
Reference
European Greens. (n.d.). Chevron-Texaco and the environmental disaster in the Amazon. Retrieved from https://europeangreens.eu/brussels2013/content/chevron-texaco-and-environmental-disaster-amazon
Day 6. January 6, 2020. Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands.
The speedboat ride this morning was a bit less comfortable than the one on the way here. I took Dramamine and got to sit at the back of the boat, which is all open and gets the best air and views. However, I felt very crammed and uncomfortable. Today is the last official day on the Galapagos Islands, as we are flying back to Guayaquil tomorrow morning. Once we arrive back on Santa Cruz, we begin our last day with a trip to the Charles Darwin Research Station! I got tons of souvenirs and sent virtual postcards to Chris and Mom. I was ecstatic to be there, as I hoped to learn a lot more about Darwin and his research, as well as his presence on the Galapagos, as he has always been a huge symbol of these Islands for me. As the group walked around exploring and shopping, I took some time to read a bit of the literature on the walls and check out some of the other rooms that our tour guide, Jonathan, failed to mention. He did not do the best job here with us, but all is well. He did, however, bring us over to observe some of the land tortoises that reside here, and the babies that are being bred to eventually be placed back in nature. We also got to see the taxidermy of Lonesome George, a giant Galapagos tortoise native to Pinta Island, who died the last of his kind, not too long ago. He was the last Pinta tortoise to remain, found at around 50 years old with no other females of his kind, the Pinta land tortoises, left on the island. This was largely due to sailors, pirates, and buccaneers that would use the fat and oil from the land tortoises, a subspecies from Espanola Island where the saddleback type shell that George had was unique. They also used them for food. Not only did they destruct the land tortoise population, they also introduced species such as black rats and dogs to the island, which would inevitably cause huge problems. They wiped out every one of the tortoises on the island besides George, who would not mate with any other females when presented with them in captivity some years later. In an attempt to help George acclimate, a similar looking tortoise was brought from San Diego, and so they called him Diego. Diego started mating with the females immediately, and conservationists hoped that this would encourage and remind George how to proceed. He eventually followed suit, although unfortunately, none of the female’s eggs ever hatched. This is likely due to the fact that George was a different subspecies; and with George’s death, an entire subspecies of land tortoise went extinct. On the other hand, Diego has been doing well and continues to contribute babies back into Espanola Island. To this day, he has been the father of at least 800. He is around 100 years old now, which makes him an exception to the usual age limit that males can continue to reproduce. Eventually, he will be placed on Espanola Island to live out his remaining years with all his hundreds of children. The Charles Darwin Research Station is a sanctuary for the land tortoises that they have here, which have a diet mainly of grasses and manchineel apples. An interesting fact that I learned about the tortoises today is that they do not have sweat glands, and therefore must swim in their large pond baths to stay cool. Mating season starts in January and ends around mid-April, so this was the perfect time to see some potential tortoise mating, which we did not get to see although for some reason I wanted to; in the name of scientific exploration of course. The baby tortoises that reside at the breeding station remain there for seven years until they are placed into the wild.
After we were done at the research station, there was a few hours to walk around Puerto Ayora and do some souvenir shopping while we waited to meet for lunch, and then check back into Hotel Ninfa at 2:00pm. I stayed at the station for a bit and sat outside at the bar to rehydrate, and got to try a very popular ice-cream here, called Los Coquieros. I tried the lulo flavor. I have not a single idea what fruit a lulo is, if it is a translation or something completely different that I have never seen before, but it tastes delicious, and afterword I split an empanada con queso with Victoria. We head out and check out the cute little town, which is bustling and packed with souvenir shops. After lunch in town, we head back to the hotel to change into our bathing suits and head to Tortuga Bay, a top destination beach in the area. Unfortunately, people have been getting ill, most likely due to dehydration. We have been working out a lot, and temperatures are high. Tait held a meeting before we were to head out, and he advised us all to start taking better care of ourselves and our body’s needs. He prefers that we all stay at the hotel and get some rest instead of going to the beach. This upset a lot of us, particularly those who were taking good care of our bodies and trying our best to stay up to speed, but of course, I understand the severity of the concerns. It was a good opportunity to rest and get up to date on my journaling, as well as finalize my presentation, which I would be giving tomorrow evening in Guayaquil with Ryan. After a few hours, we meet for dinner at the same place we had lunch, and I am glad this will be the last time. I guess Jonathan had some connections with this place or something.
We have a presentation right when we get back to the hotel, and it is by a man named Sebastian Torres, who works with the Charles Darwin Research Foundation. He presented on invasive species in the Galapagos, and although the group was already very familiar with this topic, we enjoyed Torres’ presentation, as he was a good speaker, and we asked a lot of intriguing questions on the topic which helped Sebastian dig a little deeper for us. He explained the detriment of black rats, cats, dogs, black fly Philornis downsii, feral goats and pigs, and blackberry and guava plants, all of which negatively impact native species on the Islands. He says that he believes the most negatively impactful forces on the Galapagos right now are the guava trees, because they spread so rapidly and have a higher chance of spreading to the coasts with increasing climate change; and also the cats, because they negatively affect many species of bird, but will also prey on baby tortoises and other land creatures that make up the Galapagos endemics. It is extremely difficult to not only educate the local people on why they should be keeping pet numbers to a minimum, but to implement anything regarding the eradication of cats or dogs from the Islands, which can lead to war between the locals and the officials. Diego gave us some insight on this by explaining that he had previously worked as a volunteer for the Galapagos National Park, and would have to catch stray dogs to kill, as they were spreading disease to native animal species. The local people had an extremely negative reaction to this, and broke into the volunteers’ cabana one night, ready to kidnap or kill them if they could not explain themselves sufficiently enough on the matter. Today, law states that inhabitants on the Islands are only allowed four pets, but surely it is difficult to enforce. Torres explained that the ecosystem here is extremely susceptible to invasive species. This is because invasive species introduced by human activity onto isolated ecosystems, such as that of the Galapagos Islands, along with other island ecosystems, are prone to invasion because of the lack of natural competitors and predators that control populations in their native ecosystems (Biosafety Unit, 2010). As of right now there are at least 1,579 identified invasive species affecting the Islands out of approximately 7,000, with 52% being accidentally brought over, 46% being intentionally introduced, and 2% of unknown origins. To combat accidental invasions, laws have been put in place and extra precaution is taken when permitting visitors onto the Islands. For example, special carpets at the airports and at the entrances of the park have substances on them to kill anything organic or potentially invasive. They also must spray down everyone’s luggage on the plane before we touch down on the Islands. Many foundations, including Torres’ with the Charles Darwin Research Institute, have been working to control invasive species on the Islands, some of these including the Galapagos National Park Directorate, the Island Conservation, FEIG-- a fund to control invasive species in the Galapagos Islands, and ABG—the Galapagos Biosecurity Agency. One of the most profound things I took away from Sebastian’s presentation was a statement that he made, regarding the 30,000 inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands. “Local inhabitants do not understand why these islands are so special.”
Reference
Biosafety Unit. (2010, May 19). Invasive Alien Species. Retrieved from https://www.cbd.int/island/invasive.shtml
Today, we meet at Stockton to be transported by bus to the Springhill Marriot Hotel in New York. We will be flying out to Guayaquil tomorrow afternoon. The entire group is beyond excited, some a little nervous, but we’ve been waiting for this moment for many months now. To travel to a place with some diversity and beauty, with a group of people so likeminded is unlike anything I’ve ever experiences before! Plus, the thought of going to the Galapagos Islands is awe inspiring. A once in a lifetime sort of opportunity.
We arrive at the hotel at around 18:00, and shortly after settling into the hotel room that I’ve split for the night with Jess, Lauren, and Haley, everyone met up at Tait’s room for a Domino’s pizza party to kick off the first two peer presentations of the trip. Everyone is to present some topic related to Ecuador’s environmentalism and other factors including the Ecuadorean economy (which Ryan and I will be presenting on later in the trip), at some point along the trip which will officially begin tomorrow, January 2 through January 16. We begin presentations after stuffing our faces with greasy pizza. Greg, our Teacher’s Assistant for the duration of the trip says that this should be the end of the horrible, greasy eating, as we should expect to east quite well in South America.
The first presentation is by Greg Fisher, TA and Stockton University student. He presented on earthquakes, seismic waves, and volcanic activity in Ecuador. He did a wonderful job explaining how the areas of interest for Ecuador, the Nazca and South American Plates, affect earthquake activity in the region and how elastic energy builds up in the rock masses, causing seismic waves to be released. He gave a presentation that was packed with geological facts and figures and gave me a much better understanding as to why Ecuador experiences such extreme earthquakes. The Nazca plate subducts under the South American plate—leading to not only Ecuador’s largest earthquakes, but sometimes tsunamis, and certainly volcanic earthquakes, which is another great factor of Ecuador’s geological landscape. There are many active volcanoes on the Galapagos Islands as well as mainland Ecuador. In conclusion to Greg’s presentation, the group had a better understanding of Ecuador’s tectonic setting which makes it prone to earthquakes as well as seismic and volcanic activity; while also being highly unpredictable in that there is no sure way to measure when any of these things will occur.
The second and last presentation for the night is given by Lauren Teach and Madison Roberts, both Stockton students, on biodiversity in the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Since we will be headed to the Galapagos first, shortly after arriving in Guayaquil, it was important that this presentation be given tonight, so we can get educated and excited about what we will see in the next few days to come. They touched base on three areas-- specifically genetic diversity, species diversity, and environmental diversity. The fact that three different currents meet to surround the Galapagos Islands is truly what gives it such an array of diversity in species, and the reason that you can see penguins and sea lions in the Galapagos, along with an array of more tropical fauna. More specifically, the Humboldt and Panama Currents, which meet the Galapagos Islands from the north and south, and in conjunction with the Cromwell Current from the west, conjoin together an upwelling from the Antarctic seas, which is very nutrient-rich; and meets the South Equatorial Current before heading straight toward the Galapagos’ (Smith, 2015). Regarding the Amazon, it is also a huge biodiversity hotspot in that it is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity and takes up nearly 40% of South America. There are several threats to each the Galapagos and the Amazon, which we as environmentalists must come together to combat in the years to come.
Reference
Smith, J. (2015, March 12). Galapagos Ocean Currents Yield Living Aquarium Rich in Marine Life. Retrieved from https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/galapagos-currents/
Day 2. January 2, 2020. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The group wakes up early this morning to grab a nice continental breakfast before we must head upstairs for our next presentation and a briefing in the hotel, before we leave for the airport. Later today, we will officially be in Ecuador! Hailey Wilmot, a Stockton environmental student will be presenting on tourism, development, and conservation in the Galapagos Islands. Hailey touches on everything from the earliest Galapagos settlers to current day conservations projects. The earliest settlers arrived on the Islands in 1535. However, Charles Darwin, who did not arrive on the Islands to study finches until much later, in 1835, brought much of the popularity to the Islands. By 1978, this biodiverse hotspot was labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Up until more recently, mainland Ecuadorians could move to the Islands for work, and this was commonplace among them. Today, this practice is much more restricted. This is because “the population has grown to around 30,000;” a guide named Mari Ramirez says, and she thinks “they may have to reduce the size of the national park to commit one island to development [in the near future]” (Richardson, 2019). Hailey went on to demonstrate the threats on the Islands due to increase in tourism, although there are some pros too. Specifically, indigenous inhabitants of the Galapagos frequently open their homes to tourists to make a living. The Galapagos is still visited today mainly by Ecuadorean peoples, followed then by tourists from the United States. In regard to human development, the Islands are still only 3% developed, with 97% being protected National Park lands (which is a great thing!), and most of the inhabitants live on the largest Island, Santa Cruz, while at least 11 smaller islands remain largely undeveloped.
The top three environmental threats that challenge the Galapagos today are invasive species, environmental degradation, and waste and pollution. Sustainable initiatives are put in place to combat some of these environmental threats. These initiatives include renewable energy, biosecurity checkpoints, sustainable roads, recycling, power, and sewage plants, and the Galapagos Sustainable Buildings program, to name a few. Conservation and revenue from tourists are two very important aspects to the longevity of the Galapagos Islands. However, it is important to note that the number of tourists must be limited, or else conservation initiatives become weakened in many cases. Certain projects like Project Pina and Project Floreana are working to restore and protect the Islands’ natural flora and fauna.
We head to the airport shortly after Hailey’s presentation. The flight is about 8 and a half hours long, so I prepare with snacks, drinks, and my downloaded Netflix shows. The flight wasn’t bad at all, and arriving finally in Ecuador, to be greeted by our official tour guide for the trip, Diego Maldonado, was a great feeling. Guayaquil is an interesting city, as far as I can tell, but I’m also sure it has some questionable areas. Nonetheless, any new place tends to inspire the crap out of me, and this reminds me why I love to travel, and will continue counting my blessings and taking on every opportunity! We are staying at the Exe Hotel and Galleria tonight, it is a cute little place, and we are welcomed to the city with a very beautiful dinner. Afterwards, we get a welcome briefing from Diego. He gives great insight and introduction to the country and what we could expect to see and learn. Tomorrow we are off to the Galapagos—adventure starts here!
Reference
Richardson, H. (2019, December 4). How tourism has changed the Galapagos, for better and for worse. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/return-visit-to-the-galapagos/
Day 3. January 3, 2020. Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands.
We arrive first at Baltra Island of the Galapagos today. This small island is where the one airport onto the archipelago lay, and the only way to get here is by direct flight from Guayaquil. The flight is slightly over an hour long, and there is a one-hour time difference on the Islands than from the mainland. Upon arrival, we aboard a short boat ride over to Santa Cruz island, where will be staying, in Puerto Ayora. I was pleased to be greeted immediately by a flock of blue-footed boobys, lounging on a large rock at the edge of the water. This was a species I was particularly hoping to see while here, and no time is being wasted so far! Many people in the group claimed to have seen a shark, but I did not get to. I knew I should have brought my glasses.
We met Jonathan, who is going to be our Galapagos tour guide. Diego cannot lead tours on these islands because he is not native to them, and therefore it is not legal for him to do so. The boat ride is quick and gorgeous, I still can’t believe I am actually at the Galapagos Islands. I don’t imagine it will ever feel real. Before taking us to the hotel, Jonathan brings us to an interesting little spot called Los Gemelos, or The Twins. These are two very similar, and surely equally as majestic, although I only saw one, geographical formations surrounded by a scalesia forest. The giant trees of the scalesia forests, which are endemic to the Galapagos, and often compared to Darwin’s finches for their evolutionary patterns, are such prominent trees to these Islands that an entire vegetation zone has been named for them (Galapagos Conservation, n.d.). Los Gemelos, which are surrounded by this natural beauty, are 500m deep volcanic sinkhole formations which were created by the release of gasses which led to the gradual sinking of the land. It was quite the first site to see upon arriving. After the quick view of this natural wonder, we head over to a place called El Chato Ranch. We came here for lunch, and to see the Galapagos giant tortoises! Another bucket-list item marked off for me! Beautifully slow creatures, they were a dream come true to see. It is important that we always stay approximately 6 feet away from them though, as to not completely startle them. We will likely see them many more times during the length of our stay here, but this ranch makes for a very nice ecological preservation site, where giant land tortoises can roam in their natural habitats and be safe and free, while tourists and the like can admire them from a safe distance while eating a lovely meal. We learned several interesting things about the tortoises during our time at the ranch, for example, I learned to identify the males and females by looking at the back tip of their shells. A pointy behind is a female, while a more curved and sloped behind is a male. Additionally, a smoother shell may represent a turtle which is over 80 years in age. The tortoises can live to be around 180 years old particularly in females, and males have more distinct curves on their shells which tend to smooth with age. They do not live as long as females do, although just nearly. They have no natural predators on the Islands, besides feral pigs when they are babies. Today there are currently 5000 of them on Santa Cruz alone, and new babies being born on conservation ranches like this one all the time. After taking tons of tortoise photos, Jonathan took us into a lava tunnel, also on El Chato. It was made over many years from flowing lava. It reminded me a lot of a “crystal” cave I toured through while I was out in Pennsylvania once upon a time. It was just as dark and damp, much like many caves, but this one was specifically unique as it is the aftermath of many volcanic eruptions over many years and from many years ago. We also learned about some of the Islands most prevalent introduced and invasive species today, which happen to be including, but not limited to, mango, orange, and guava trees as well as the ficus. Invasive/introduced and non-native species pose a large threat to diversity of the Galapagos.
Eventually, we arrive at our hotel on Puerto Ayora, called Hotel Ninfa. The outdoor courtyard, complete with restaurant, bar, pool, and hot tub is to die for. My bedroom with Taylor and Victoria faces out into the beautifully tropical open area. WE make sure to act fast as we settle our things into our rooms, so that we can hike across the street and through a desert-like scenery with some tropical tastes, to a place called Las Grietas. Our tour guide says we can snorkel here, but unfortunately by the time we arrive it is already closed. The view is wonderful though, and the hike was more than worth it regardless. Plus, we will be snorkeling tomorrow on Isabela anyway! We stopped at the beach on the hike back and took a dip into the crisp, crystal clear water. The scenery is stunning, we are surrounded by islands; I am in awe.
Tonight, after dinner we have a presentation from Isabel Timpe, a marine biologist in collaboration with The Charles Darwin Foundation, and who works currently in the Galapagos Islands studying and researching ocean acidification and its affects. She is also currently working towards putting together the first ever Marine Science Master’s program on the Islands. She is from Guayaquil and attended the first program in her country on the mainland. Her presentation is extremely interesting because she shows pictures of her own work, in which she often scuba dives and takes underwater pictures at Roca Rotunda, an underwater volcanic rock formation just north of Isabela Island, where acidification affects are studied. Her and her colleagues analyze the pH, total alkalinity, and the dissolving of organic carbonate at the volcano, where the pH is typically 7.9 as opposed to the typical 8.3 of sea water. So, why exactly are Isabel and her colleagues studying ocean acidification? Well, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), not only are creatures which a shell in grave danger, because of the calcium carbonate that makes them up, but additionally, many ocean animals are finding it much more difficult to sense predators, or hunt their prey; and “scientists estimate that carbon pollution is causing oceans to acidify faster than they have in 300 million years” (NRDC, 2019). Basically, the carbon pollution being created at the hands of humans is not only affecting the external environment, but it is dangerously affecting the oceans as well.
Tomorrow, we embark on a two-hour-long speedboat ride over to Isabela Island.
References
Galapagos Conservation. (n.d.). Scalesia. Retrieved from https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/wildlife/scalesia/
Natural Resources Defense Council. (2019, October 23). What You Need to Know About Ocean Acidification. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-you-need-know-about-ocean- acidification
Day 4. January 3, 2020. Isabela Island, Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands.
I tried to sleep for as long as I could on the speedboat, but it was a bumpy ride. I took Dramamine before we took off, because I’m not sure if I would be prone to sea sickness or not, but as soon as I sit down into the crammed little cabin at the front of the boat, I am immediately nauseous. I’ve never done anything like this before, being out on the open ocean, shredding through the waves. I ended up being fine and actually enjoyed the experience a lot. I packed my backpack as minimally as possible to come over to Isabela, as we are only here for two days and it is much easier this way when traveling by boat. We all take our bags and check in very quickly to the next hotel, Hotel Cally in Puerto Villamil. I really like this one, and Taylor and Victoria let me get the big bed. We have a small balcony, and the overall vibe of the room and the open structure of the small hotel give me a good feeling. They have water filling stations, which is also quite relieving. We head right out after putting on bathing suits. We are going kayaking and snorkeling today. This is going to be the perfect opportunity to see tons of infamous Galapagos wildlife. I was able to get a single person kayak which was really cool, even Tait was jealous, as he had to share a kayak with Greg. I was taking GoPro videos the entire time because the environment here is just a big beautiful vista and I don’t want to miss a single thing. We kayaked over to where we would be snorkeling, and along the way I saw a sea turtle! Best thing ever. We got to the snorkel spot, pretty far out, and I make the mistake of opting out of wearing my flippers, and leaving my water shoes on, which I would come to regret later. You try booking it through the open ocean without fins. They’re an important evolutionary aspect in fish for a reason! That aside, the experience was breathtaking (literally, as well as figuratively). I saw reef sharks in a cave at the ocean’s floor, tons of cool fish, corals, and the 360 degree view of Isabela Island surrounded me, but by far my favorite aspect of the entire morning was seeing the Galapagos penguins, feeding on a rock at the water’s edge! It was amazing to be able to see penguins, and even all the sea lions that lay around on the beach relaxing. It seems unreal, seeing such creatures in a seemingly tropical place, but that is the magic of the Galapagos. Everything that I have learned thus far has led me to this adventure and I will cherish these memories forever. Also, I am thanking our lucky stars for the Humboldt Current, which has made most of this possible.
We must eat and get some rest now, because we are renting mountain bikes later this afternoon and going to see the Galapagos flamingos! The flamingos reside in brackish lagoons, where they stay close by their partners. These beautiful creatures, much like the penguins, mate for life. They live for around 15 years and become a darker shade of pink with age. They like to sift through the sand at the bottom of the lake with their beaks to find small crustaceans to eat. The most interesting fact about flamingos is that half of their brain actually remains awake while they sleep. They are always on guard, and this gives them the infamous capability to stand on one leg while sleeping. While we were at the lagoon, which happened to be located directly across from a desalination plant, we got some insight into how Isabela, and all of the archipelago, gets their clean drinking water. Reverse osmosis is used to desalinate salty sea water. However, this desalination plant in particular is currently out of service due to a broken membrane which cannot be purchased at this time, and therefore, all of the freshwater on the Islands currently comes from Santa Cruz; and other water on the Island is used only for showering, toilets, and laundry. Additionally, Tait helped us to understand how sediment pollution from unpaved roads, like many that we biked along on the way to the lagoon, are much more prominent than paved roads with concrete and storm drainage, and this is just one other negative environmental aspect that comes with the increased activity on the Islands. After the bike ride we get some free time before dinner in town. I spend this time sitting at the beach, writing in my journal, and capturing shots of a breathtaking sunset.
After dinner, we had a presentation in my hotel room given by Jessica Yohn and Julianne Tucker, two Stockton students in the environmental program. They spoke a bit about global climate change and its direct effects on the Galapagos Islands. They reiterated some of the things that we learned from Greg in New York—the formations of the Islands in regard to mantle plumes, which are deep rooted within the Earth, and plate tectonics which move and shift causing heat convection between them and creating the volcanic structures that today make up the Galapagos. They spoke a bit about species arrival on the Islands as well as the importance of them, and gave a quick briefing on climate change itself and what it means for the nature of the Earth. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that, “Increasing warming amplifies the exposure of small islands, low-lying coastal areas and deltas to the risks associated with sea level rise for many human and ecological systems, including increased saltwater intrusion, flooding and damage to infrastructure” (IPCC, 2018). This statement reiterates a large factor of their presentation and helps in understanding why the Galapagos Islands may be gravely at risk due to increasing climate change. The most important aspect of their presentation, however, was the emphasis on how to plan for change, which includes three major climate-resilient pathways: adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. As climate change calls for new approaches to sustainable development, especially in the most susceptible areas for negative impact today, we must create pathways to current solutions as well as strategies, choices, and actions that will help in reducing climate change. Mitigation is important for sustainable development in that it reduces the rate and magnitude of climate change, which reduces climate-related stresses. This is very important for the now, because it is how we actively work to reduce emissions and this can be done in a number of ways, through active legislation and sustainable green plans in urban areas, as just two examples. Adaptation is equally as important in that we must plan for a future where there are more risks to sustainable development. The IPCC defines it as “the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects” as human being seek to further themselves from harm and damages. Lastly, resilience is essential in human populations particularly in that we must prepare and be ready to live in a world that is climatically different from what it was years before. This must be done by absorbing stresses and functioning through stresses to come by adapting, changing policies, and working towards more sustainable development (Denton, 2014).
References
Denton, F., T.J.Wilbanks, A.C. Abeysinghe, I. Burton, Q. Gao, M.C. Lemos, T. Masui, K.L. O’Brien, and K.Warner, 2014: Climate-resilient pathways: adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L.White (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1101-1131
IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp.
Day 5. January 5, 2020. Isabela Island, Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands.
Today, we head out early to hike Volcan Sierra Negra, the second largest caldera in the world! We are extremely lucky, because the weather is perfectly fine up there today, whereas usually it is raining and very fog covered, but this morning there is hardly a mist in the air. Once we get up to the volcano viewpoint, the fog opens just perfectly enough to get an amazing view of the 10.5 km across volcano. It is an active shield volcano, which last erupted in 2005. You never know when it may erupt again. The hike up there is very pretty, although most of the flora is the extremely invasive guava. It is impossible to eradicate it here because the use of pesticides on the Islands will not be permitted, and the seeds spread much too quickly. I also noticed several introduced hydrangea plants. Jonathan says they were brought here by people most likely using them for landscaping purposes, but now they line the beaten pathway up to the volcano. They are invasive, but minimal for now. Tree ferns and other ferns native and endemic to the Islands also dominate much of the ground cover. There is a possibility of seeing Galapagos hogs and short-ear owls here, but unfortunately, we do not spot any wildlife today. There was one tree in particular that caught my eye, it was gorgeous, with huge white flowers and which lined the road leading to the entrance of the hike up to Sierra Negra. I noticed it again once we left the volcano and decided to look it up. I found out that it is called Brugmansia arborea, commonly known as angel’s trumpet, which is native to the Andes regions of Ecuador and its neighboring countries on the mainland.
After the volcano, we head back to Hotel Cally and have some free time to chill out and rest before we take today’s bike ride to Muro de Las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears). I spent this time sitting at the beach and journaling, after taking a wonderfully refreshing dip in the Pacific. Of course, I left my water shoes on just incase there were any sea urchins or anything crazy. It was very rocky, but the perfect temperature and helped me cool down from the day. The bike ride past the coast was beautiful, but the trail down to the Wall of Tears was very hilly and a slightly difficult workout, but it felt really nice to complete it and also hike to the top viewpoints at Muro de Las Lagrimas. It is an emotional place, which was a penitentiary/penal colony that existed here long before other civilization on Isabela. Political prisoners were tortured and made to build the Wall for 13 years. There is a sign that reads, “Even the most evil people learned to cry here.” They were all eventually sent off the island once cililization started to grow on the Islands, because they could not be seen in such torturous conditions by civilians without any questioning of governance. The view from the top, however, was quite amazing, and you could practically see all of Isabela from it. The coast and sea on one side, and the mountainous volcanic edges on the other, complete with lush green vegetation and tons of cacti. I also learned that the green moss which covers most of the trees here was once used to dye clothing. The bike ride back from the Wall of Tears is much easier, as it is mostly downhill now and my bike zips down the trail effortlessly.
We had a good lunch and dinner today, which I forgot to mention, but it is worth noting that I have been trying a variety of interesting soups and juices and I am very pleased. After dinner, we had the day’s presentation given by Taylor Patterson and Evan Yunker, two Stockton environmental students, on Chevron/Texaco and oil pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They gave a good presentation which worked to point out not only how oil pollution contributes to negative environmental health, but also to the heath of the local communities, with specific emphasis on children, pregnant women, and elders. Texaco, which was taken over by Chevron in 2001, came to Ecuador in the 60s, and stayed until the early 90s, to tap into one of the biggest oil reserves in South America, which is in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They deliberately did not abide by proper disposal methods after oil extraction, which state that companies like Texaco, Petro Canada, and Shell, all of which touched these lands, must create separate pits for temporary disposal of oil wastes, which were to be lined with industrial tarps to prevent waste from leaching into the ground; and also to have a separate station in which crude oil would be refined and the remaining toxic water would be treated. They failed to work under these proper practices, and the crude oil pollution that they caused continue to affect the environment and the surrounding tribes that live there today. Additionally, Chevron admitted that Texaco purposefully dumped over 18.5 billion gallons of toxic water into the rainforest during this period, systematically contaminating two million acres of the Ecuadorian Amazon (European Greens, n.d). In 1993, The citizens and tribes of the Amazon filed suit against Chevron, which was taken up in Ecuador. Experts worked to evaluate the damages in 2008 and estimated that compensation be between $16-27 billion dollars. Then, in 2011, Chevron was ordered to pay $8.6 billion and submit a public apology for their wrongdoings. However, Chevron deemed this “illegitimate and unenforceable” in a continuation of their disrespect for the people that call the Ecuadorian Amazon their home. A series of appeals followed, but it has been a rocky road for Ecuadorians, as Chevron refuses to pay their reparations and admit that what they did was unjust. To this day, it is not a win or lose for either party yet.
Tomorrow morning, we head back to Santa Cruz Island on the two-hour long speedboat journey. It will be our last day on the Islands.
Reference
European Greens. (n.d.). Chevron-Texaco and the environmental disaster in the Amazon. Retrieved from https://europeangreens.eu/brussels2013/content/chevron-texaco-and-environmental-disaster-amazon
Day 6. January 6, 2020. Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands.
The speedboat ride this morning was a bit less comfortable than the one on the way here. I took Dramamine and got to sit at the back of the boat, which is all open and gets the best air and views. However, I felt very crammed and uncomfortable. Today is the last official day on the Galapagos Islands, as we are flying back to Guayaquil tomorrow morning. Once we arrive back on Santa Cruz, we begin our last day with a trip to the Charles Darwin Research Station! I got tons of souvenirs and sent virtual postcards to Chris and Mom. I was ecstatic to be there, as I hoped to learn a lot more about Darwin and his research, as well as his presence on the Galapagos, as he has always been a huge symbol of these Islands for me. As the group walked around exploring and shopping, I took some time to read a bit of the literature on the walls and check out some of the other rooms that our tour guide, Jonathan, failed to mention. He did not do the best job here with us, but all is well. He did, however, bring us over to observe some of the land tortoises that reside here, and the babies that are being bred to eventually be placed back in nature. We also got to see the taxidermy of Lonesome George, a giant Galapagos tortoise native to Pinta Island, who died the last of his kind, not too long ago. He was the last Pinta tortoise to remain, found at around 50 years old with no other females of his kind, the Pinta land tortoises, left on the island. This was largely due to sailors, pirates, and buccaneers that would use the fat and oil from the land tortoises, a subspecies from Espanola Island where the saddleback type shell that George had was unique. They also used them for food. Not only did they destruct the land tortoise population, they also introduced species such as black rats and dogs to the island, which would inevitably cause huge problems. They wiped out every one of the tortoises on the island besides George, who would not mate with any other females when presented with them in captivity some years later. In an attempt to help George acclimate, a similar looking tortoise was brought from San Diego, and so they called him Diego. Diego started mating with the females immediately, and conservationists hoped that this would encourage and remind George how to proceed. He eventually followed suit, although unfortunately, none of the female’s eggs ever hatched. This is likely due to the fact that George was a different subspecies; and with George’s death, an entire subspecies of land tortoise went extinct. On the other hand, Diego has been doing well and continues to contribute babies back into Espanola Island. To this day, he has been the father of at least 800. He is around 100 years old now, which makes him an exception to the usual age limit that males can continue to reproduce. Eventually, he will be placed on Espanola Island to live out his remaining years with all his hundreds of children. The Charles Darwin Research Station is a sanctuary for the land tortoises that they have here, which have a diet mainly of grasses and manchineel apples. An interesting fact that I learned about the tortoises today is that they do not have sweat glands, and therefore must swim in their large pond baths to stay cool. Mating season starts in January and ends around mid-April, so this was the perfect time to see some potential tortoise mating, which we did not get to see although for some reason I wanted to; in the name of scientific exploration of course. The baby tortoises that reside at the breeding station remain there for seven years until they are placed into the wild.
After we were done at the research station, there was a few hours to walk around Puerto Ayora and do some souvenir shopping while we waited to meet for lunch, and then check back into Hotel Ninfa at 2:00pm. I stayed at the station for a bit and sat outside at the bar to rehydrate, and got to try a very popular ice-cream here, called Los Coquieros. I tried the lulo flavor. I have not a single idea what fruit a lulo is, if it is a translation or something completely different that I have never seen before, but it tastes delicious, and afterword I split an empanada con queso with Victoria. We head out and check out the cute little town, which is bustling and packed with souvenir shops. After lunch in town, we head back to the hotel to change into our bathing suits and head to Tortuga Bay, a top destination beach in the area. Unfortunately, people have been getting ill, most likely due to dehydration. We have been working out a lot, and temperatures are high. Tait held a meeting before we were to head out, and he advised us all to start taking better care of ourselves and our body’s needs. He prefers that we all stay at the hotel and get some rest instead of going to the beach. This upset a lot of us, particularly those who were taking good care of our bodies and trying our best to stay up to speed, but of course, I understand the severity of the concerns. It was a good opportunity to rest and get up to date on my journaling, as well as finalize my presentation, which I would be giving tomorrow evening in Guayaquil with Ryan. After a few hours, we meet for dinner at the same place we had lunch, and I am glad this will be the last time. I guess Jonathan had some connections with this place or something.
We have a presentation right when we get back to the hotel, and it is by a man named Sebastian Torres, who works with the Charles Darwin Research Foundation. He presented on invasive species in the Galapagos, and although the group was already very familiar with this topic, we enjoyed Torres’ presentation, as he was a good speaker, and we asked a lot of intriguing questions on the topic which helped Sebastian dig a little deeper for us. He explained the detriment of black rats, cats, dogs, black fly Philornis downsii, feral goats and pigs, and blackberry and guava plants, all of which negatively impact native species on the Islands. He says that he believes the most negatively impactful forces on the Galapagos right now are the guava trees, because they spread so rapidly and have a higher chance of spreading to the coasts with increasing climate change; and also the cats, because they negatively affect many species of bird, but will also prey on baby tortoises and other land creatures that make up the Galapagos endemics. It is extremely difficult to not only educate the local people on why they should be keeping pet numbers to a minimum, but to implement anything regarding the eradication of cats or dogs from the Islands, which can lead to war between the locals and the officials. Diego gave us some insight on this by explaining that he had previously worked as a volunteer for the Galapagos National Park, and would have to catch stray dogs to kill, as they were spreading disease to native animal species. The local people had an extremely negative reaction to this, and broke into the volunteers’ cabana one night, ready to kidnap or kill them if they could not explain themselves sufficiently enough on the matter. Today, law states that inhabitants on the Islands are only allowed four pets, but surely it is difficult to enforce. Torres explained that the ecosystem here is extremely susceptible to invasive species. This is because invasive species introduced by human activity onto isolated ecosystems, such as that of the Galapagos Islands, along with other island ecosystems, are prone to invasion because of the lack of natural competitors and predators that control populations in their native ecosystems (Biosafety Unit, 2010). As of right now there are at least 1,579 identified invasive species affecting the Islands out of approximately 7,000, with 52% being accidentally brought over, 46% being intentionally introduced, and 2% of unknown origins. To combat accidental invasions, laws have been put in place and extra precaution is taken when permitting visitors onto the Islands. For example, special carpets at the airports and at the entrances of the park have substances on them to kill anything organic or potentially invasive. They also must spray down everyone’s luggage on the plane before we touch down on the Islands. Many foundations, including Torres’ with the Charles Darwin Research Institute, have been working to control invasive species on the Islands, some of these including the Galapagos National Park Directorate, the Island Conservation, FEIG-- a fund to control invasive species in the Galapagos Islands, and ABG—the Galapagos Biosecurity Agency. One of the most profound things I took away from Sebastian’s presentation was a statement that he made, regarding the 30,000 inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands. “Local inhabitants do not understand why these islands are so special.”
Reference
Biosafety Unit. (2010, May 19). Invasive Alien Species. Retrieved from https://www.cbd.int/island/invasive.shtml