Belize Wetlands Follow-up By Ray Stewart
My article on Belize in September highlighted the spectacular natural beauty of Belize and their extensive protected areas which include some of the highest quality wetlands in the hemisphere. I closed with the news that the oil industry may put all of that in jeopardy. Who knew that the next big environmental impact would actually come from Mother Nature. On October 24th Hurricane Richard battered Belize, blowing rickety homes off stilts and knocking out power to most of the tiny Central American country. Richard made landfall as a hurricane just south of Belize City, knocking down thousands of trees and power lines. Thousands of homes lost their roofs or suffered severe damage. Some flimsy woodand-tin houses were blown off the stilts that hold them above soggy or flood-prone land. An estimated 10,000 people in Belize took refuge at storm shelters in schools and churches ahead of the arrival of the storm, and there were no reports of deaths. The eye of the hurricane with the strongest winds along the eye-wall took dead aim on the place I called home-base during my visit, The Tropical Education Center and the Belize Zoo. Although no animals were killed or escaped, the entire zoo complex was turned into a mangle of tree branches, cyclone fencing and roofing materials. The zoo closed for repairs until last week. You can see pictures on Flikr by searching for Belize Zoo after Hurricane Richard. Donations can be made online at BelizeZoo.org. Back in my science classroom, I invited students to study wetlands of international significance and make comparisons. As a part of the graduate coursework for Earth Expeditions, the organization that coordinated the Belize trip, I submitted a paper which is summarized here.