On July 2, eight students and two teachers from Queen Anne’s County will journey to Honduras on what they are calling a “conservation through education” mission. Gretchen Mann, an Environmental Science teacher from Queen Anne’s County High School, began this undertaking in May of 2012 in an effort to give local high school students the opportunity to study abroad.
“I had the chance to study through travel experiences to Brazil, Peru, Italy, and the Caribbean when I was in high school and college and I learned more from those experiences than I did in any classroom setting. I look forward to giving these students a similarly invaluable experience; one that I hope will empower them to become better environmental stewards. They are the ones who will decide how to deal with tomorrow’s local and global environmental concerns. “
While in Honduras, the students and teachers will split their time between the cloud forests of Cusuco National Park, and the coral reefs of the coastal community of Tela. They will spend time monitoring the biodiversity of mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, and marine species. They will also learn to scuba dive in order to help academic researchers with data collection and monitoring the health of the coral reef.
The group will be travelling through Operation Wallacea, a company devoted to conservation efforts in multiple locations worldwide. The trip is a costly endeavor for both the students and their families. They have worked hard In order to fundraise; through a combination of coffee sales, raffles, food booths, gift wrapping, and donations. The students are still in need of funds to help defray the costs of flights and fees
“The cost per student is around $2,500. That’s a lot of money to raise in this economic environment,” said Mrs. Mann. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the hard work of my students and their families. I’m confident that with this last big fundraising push can help get us the rest of the way.
Anyone wishing to help the group’s efforts to get to Honduras is asked to visit their webpage at www.QACEnvironmentalClub.org, or contact Gretchen Mann at [email protected].
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