Last week, as part of our Conservation and Preservation of the TCI topic, we were all excited to head off on an educational field trip to Chalk Sound. Children had the opportunity to visit two areas of historical and environmental significance.
After the short walk up to the top of Sapodilla Hill, children were given a presentation by David Bowen on the historical significance of the rock carvings and the work that has been done to preserve the area. The oldest carving had just celebrated its 245th birthday – dating back to May 10th 1767! Children explored the rocks for themselves and recorded their findings. We also tried to spot the difference between the original carvings and the modern graffiti. Unless there were dates to help us, it was surprisingly tricky!
For the rest of the day, we set up camp at Las Brisas! Our morning snack was followed by a 2 hour pontoon boat tour around Chalk Sound. The tour visited a number of significant sites in Chalk Sound, including small coral reefs, a crashed plane and ‘mini’ Iguana Island! We all enjoyed snorkelling at these locations. We spotted some huge lobsters and an enormous crab hiding around the coral reefs, and the crashed plane is providing a popular habitat for hundreds of fish! We all had a chance to feed the Iguanas on the way back to the restaurant – they seemed very pleased to see us, although they seemed to lose interest when they had eaten all of our watermelon! After the boat ride, we all enjoyed a well-deserved lunch at Las Brisas. Afterwards, we called upon the expertise of Judy Dempsey to explain why Chalk Sound is such a unique habitat. We learned why it is an area that requires protection from pollution and damage, as well as understanding why the lobsters and crabs can grow so big here!
What a fantastic trip!