Santa Cruz Island
One of the most stimulating things about writing for Lindblad’s web site, is the possibility of reaching the world, and sharing the beauty, but also the importance of the many special places we visit in this planet.
Galápagos is one of those hot spots of uniqueness. It is a laboratory of evolution, perfectly natural, where one can understand the threads of the web of life. It is a magical place where humans learn to appreciate and value nature.
For a young human being the experience can have an even greater effect. Kids are like sponges, eager to gain knowledge. However, Galápagos gives more than knowledge, it also teaches us to love and respect our Earth.
Since the very beginning of this week, All Saints Episcopal Day School, in Phoenix, Arizona, is following our reports day by day. The three teachers of the second grade meet with their 44 kids to read Polaris reports from the Galápagos, and discuss about our different sightings. One of their students, Taylor Moore, is on board with us. When her teachers learnt that she was coming to Galápagos, they decided to add a new chapter in their school program, a chapter about the Enchanted Islands.
Taylor also sends daily e-mails to her classmates telling about the different animals. She has learnt that there are many species that are unique to this part of the world, or “endemic.” The Galápagos tortoises are probably one of our most representative endemic species, and today we had a complete “tortoise” day. We found them in the wild, in the highlands of Santa Cruz, and we saw them at the Charles Darwin Research Station as well. We have witnessed how succesful the National Park and Charles Darwin Station conservation programs have been. They have repatriated more than 3500 baby tortoises to the different islands. Many tortoise subspecies that were considered in danger of extinction are now in healthy conditions. We have seen today that human beings can give back to the environment to live in complete harmony wit it.
One of the most stimulating things about writing for Lindblad’s web site, is the possibility of reaching the world, and sharing the beauty, but also the importance of the many special places we visit in this planet.
Galápagos is one of those hot spots of uniqueness. It is a laboratory of evolution, perfectly natural, where one can understand the threads of the web of life. It is a magical place where humans learn to appreciate and value nature.
For a young human being the experience can have an even greater effect. Kids are like sponges, eager to gain knowledge. However, Galápagos gives more than knowledge, it also teaches us to love and respect our Earth.
Since the very beginning of this week, All Saints Episcopal Day School, in Phoenix, Arizona, is following our reports day by day. The three teachers of the second grade meet with their 44 kids to read Polaris reports from the Galápagos, and discuss about our different sightings. One of their students, Taylor Moore, is on board with us. When her teachers learnt that she was coming to Galápagos, they decided to add a new chapter in their school program, a chapter about the Enchanted Islands.
Taylor also sends daily e-mails to her classmates telling about the different animals. She has learnt that there are many species that are unique to this part of the world, or “endemic.” The Galápagos tortoises are probably one of our most representative endemic species, and today we had a complete “tortoise” day. We found them in the wild, in the highlands of Santa Cruz, and we saw them at the Charles Darwin Research Station as well. We have witnessed how succesful the National Park and Charles Darwin Station conservation programs have been. They have repatriated more than 3500 baby tortoises to the different islands. Many tortoise subspecies that were considered in danger of extinction are now in healthy conditions. We have seen today that human beings can give back to the environment to live in complete harmony wit it.
