Early one morning in November I set up my tripod and camera in an area that I knew was frequented by turkeys. Sure enough a proud tom and his hens came in to feed, also a white-tailed deer herd with a young four-point buck. As the sun stretched above the horizon its rays highlight beautiful tones of copper and green on the turkeys' feathers. I imagine deer hunters clad in blaze orange back in

Overlooking the Caribbean Sea is San Pedro, located on the beautiful island called Ambergris Caye. The beachfront of Belize's most popular tourist destination sat empty. The only vacationers walking on the white coral sand had flown in from the Arctic tundra. The Sanderling is a medium sized sandpiper that chases receding waves and probes for invertebrates in the wet sand before running away

When I returned to Belize in August it was just in time for Hurricane Dean. I was safe in Belmopan when it made landfall as a category 5 hurricane with winds of 165 mph. While the full force of Hurricane Dean did not hit Belize, the Northern Districts (Corozal and Orange Walk) and the Cayes (Ambergris and Caye Caulker) experienced strong winds damaging roofs, uprooting trees and affecting power

July was the month of summer camps. First I teamed up with 4-H to put on a week-long environmental camp on Caye Caulker. I led a beach scavenger hunt, bird watching, mangrove/forest walk, and lots of other fun games and activities. We learned first aid from the Belize Red Cross and thankfully none of our campers got hurt; we picked up garbage around public areas as a community service

June marks the beginning of rainy season in Belize and this year the storm clouds came right on schedule. The first week of June it rained almost every night; days are typically sunny, hot, and humid. The lingering clouds have produced some beautiful sunsets. The constant rainfall also brings about pothole season. In rainy season some people speak of crab season. I notice many blue land crabs

I jumped into the sea with a snorkel and fins. The water was clear, deep blue in color, with rays of light piercing into the depths below. My only frame of reference was the formation of scuba divers showering bubbles towards the surface and the group of snorkelers around me. The larger bubbles reminded me of jellyfish. Suddenly Steven, who was leading the snorkeling group, yells, "Whale Shark!"

The month of May was an exciting time for Crooked Tree. The first week of May a Cashew Festival is celebrated by Crooked Tree Village. Before I came to Belize, I only new about the cashew nut, which I assumed grew on a tree like other nuts. However, a cashew has a fleshy fruit, and the nut hangs outside of the fruit. Belizeans also call it the "devil's fruit" because the raw shell contains a

I ventured up the Old Northern Highway with a group of Volunteers to Lucky Strike Village. Nearby is the most visited Maya site in Belize, Altun Ha, which means "water of the rocks." From the Temple of the Sun God we enjoyed a beautiful Belize sunset. On Sunday I was woken up by the morning chorus of birds. The sun was just peaking above the trees and glowing like red ember. My bird I.D. skills

The Belize Audubon Society participated in the 2007 Earth Day Fair, (as pronounced in Kriol- Ert Day Faya) held at the University of Belize campus in Belmopan. Events included games, tree planting, music, and information booths. Elementary school classes and University students attended this all-day event. Meanwhile, other staff members from BAS visited St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park,

The wind was howling and rain pounded on the zinc-top roof of my house Saturday morning. I had my alarm set early so that I could catch the first water taxi to Caye Caulker, but with the weather sounding like a hurricane I decided stayed in the soft comfort of my bed. Crowds of Belizeans travel offshore to the cayes to relax on the beach for the long Easter weekend. The weather man on the radio

Last week I worked with staff members from the Belize Audubon Society surveying diversity and density of xaté palms (family Chamaedorea) in Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. The Reserve (6,750 acres) was designated to maintain natural processes in an undisturbed state, thus it is not open to the public. Despite management and patrol efforts, many illegal activities occur within its borders, such as

This year marked the 10th anniversary of La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge, the longest canoe race in Central America. La Ruta Maya is a four-day canoe race along the Macal and Belize Rivers, once a major trading route of the Mayas. Starting in San Ignacio under the historic Hawksworth Bridge (the only suspension bridge in Belize), the race covers 170 miles before reaching the Belcan Bridge in

Marching bands from around the country lined up in Belize City on Saturday morning ready to compete in Band Fest 2007. About a dozen bands paraded from the Southside to Marion Jones stadium. Dressed in uniforms of all colors the bands stepped to punta-rock and salsa cadences. The upbeat mood really got the crowd involved. The typical Belizean marching band consists of a colorguard with batons

An old weathered red and white lighthouse overlooks the blue lagoon at Half Moon Caye of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The brick foundation is slowly crumbling into the waves and the sea salt has been eating away the steel frame. After reading a research paper on the cayes of Lighthouse Reef Atoll (Stoddart 1962), I discovered the history of this particular lighthouse. The first lighthouse on Half Moon

The Belize Triathlon Association hosted the 2nd Annual BTB (Belize Tourism Board) Challenge on Sunday, January 21. Prior to Sunday's races, Peace Corps Volunteers assembled for a dinner of spaghetti and garlic toast (the secret is in the sauce). While enjoying a carb-loaded meal, race participants received words of inspiration from the movie Dodgeball. PCV Greg Szalay cycling ahead of the

As an Environment Volunteer in the Peace Corps, living in Belize's most populated city isn't exactly the most picturesque locale. People usually envision Volunteers living in something simple like thatch huts in the bush, which is the case for some of Belize's Peace Corps Volunteers. I want to big up the Rural Community Development Volunteers for the work they do. However, living in Belize City

Christmas is right around the corner. A few updates about what I've been doing lately. I went of a field trip to Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments last Saturday. The Red-footed Boobies are nesting now and I went snorkeling around the edge of the Blue Hole. On Sunday, I participated in the Belize City area Christmas Bird Count. My group recorded 101 species. Highlights for me were

Five grant recipients were recognized at the Belize Ford Grants - jaguar Conservation Trust Awards Ceremony, held in Belize City. Opening remarks were given by Bill Bowman, General Manager of the Belize Estate Company, the Ford dealership in Belize. This year's recipients of Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants were the Belize Creole Museum & Gallery, Community Baboon Sanctuary

Heavy rains in Belize City did not stop bus-loads of youth from attending a World AIDS Day event. HIV/AIDS is an epidemic in Belize; the 2004 World Population Data Sheet indicates that outside of Africa, Belize has the sixth highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world. I heard about the event from a Peace Corps Volunteer who works with the Belize Red Cross. The Belize Red Cross was involved in

I'm introducing a new feature to my blog to bring Belize to life, embedded videos from YouTube. I can upload Quicktime movies from my digital camera. This first video clip is an experiment to see how well YouTube works with blogging. If all goes well, I'll share longer and better quality videos in the future. The original isn't as dark and pixelated, so there's plenty of room for improvement.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1984 as a result of jaguar studies conducted in the area by Alan Rabinowitz. The boundaries were expanded in 1990 and again in 1997. Residents of Quam Bank, a Maya village within the boundaries of Cockscomb, were relocated to an new village (Maya Centre), but have preserved their traditional lifestyle. Maya Centre is located south of Dangriga

My weekend began with a three hour bus ride to Dangriga, with the same punta rock CD played over and over. In a weekend filled with the fast drum beating pulse of punta music, I heard everything from traditional Garifuna cadences to a rendition of The Farmer in the Dell blaring out of someone's balcony. Dangriga, the cultural center of the Garifuna people, is were I celebrated Garifuna Settlement

As we neared Half Moon Caye someone noticed a small doary within the protected area. When our boat approached, a young kid surfaced wearing snorkel gear and flippers. He had been diving for conch within the boundaries of the Natural Monument, which includes an extensive area of the surrounding atoll, fringing reef and lagoon, in addition to the island (about 9,700 acres). A sack of conch meat

Many Belizeans awoke to the sounds of rain and thunder in Belize City, but not the early birds that joined the Belize Audubon Society in celebrating the World Bird Festival. October marks the beginning of a month-long event, initiated by BirdLife International, that connects people with nature. The Belize Audubon Society is a BirdLife Partner. It wasn't easy for me to get up at 4:30 AM, but I

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the 9 protected areas that is managed by Belize Audubon Society, is well known as the world's first jaguar preserve. But instead of searching the trails for tracks of the elusive jaguar I was looking up for birds. Israel Manzanero, the best kept secret of St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park, is an expert birder who works as a park warden for BAS. While