Trinidad: Environmental Education

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"This is an incredible program. I recommend it to all of my colleagues who are looking for a meaningful course for professional development." - Angela M., Batesville, Indiana

Trinidad: Environmental Education

(2008 Field Expedition classes are now closed. To apply to a Zoo Expeditions course, click APPLY above.)

In Trinidad:	June 20-29, 2008 (dates include course travel)
At Home or School:	September - early December 2008 (Web-based Learning Community)
Cost:	$1150 + airfare
Credits:	7 graduate credits from Miami University; $3,143 in-state and $6,984 out-of-state tuition waived.

'08 course brochure

Travel to Trinidad with Cincinnati Zoo and Miami University instructors to explore conservation biology and community-based education. Possible projects include investigation of the reintroduction site for blue-and-gold macaws to the wild and community-based models of conservation and environmental education. Discover the power of inquiry to generate knowledge and inspire conservation. All students will have the chance to conduct an investigation of the local ecosystem, asking their own questions, collecting data, and presenting conclusions. Prior to and following the field experience in Trinidad, students will complete coursework via Dragonfly Workshops' web-based learning community as they apply experiences to their home institutions.

Course Themes

Humans and their environments
Wetlands & coastal ecology
Establishing participatory conservation programs
Species reintroduction and ecosystem restoration
Community-based environmental education and action
Curricular development and educational leadership
Inquiry-based learning
Participatory education

A typical Field Expeditions day in Trinidad is likely to include:

Visits to field conservation sites
Lectures
Student-led discussions of key course topics
Engagement with local communities
Open inquiries
Journal writing

[Click on an image to open it in a new window]

Trinidad

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is located off the coast of Venezuela, South America. Trinidad is the larger of the two islands and contains the country's capital, Port of Spain. Trinidad is culturally and environmentally diverse, with vibrant Caribbean traditions, Neotropical rain forests, beautiful beaches, mangroves, and wetlands. No other area in the West Indies can match its diversity of species. Dr. Bernadette Plair, a scientist with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Center for Conservation Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), is leading a collaborative effort to return blue-and-gold macaws to Trinidad, where they had been wiped out because of illegal trapping for the pet trade and habitat loss from logging and agriculture.

Possible Sites in Trinidad

Nariva Swamp

On the East Coast of Trinidad lies the Nariva Swamp, an extremely diverse wetland system that has been formally designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. Nariva is home to manatees, red howler monkeys, white-fronted capuchin monkeys, three-toed and silky anteaters, and a wide variety of birds. This is the site where blue-and-gold macaws have been reintroduced to Trinidad.

Asa Wright Nature Centre

This nature center, the oldest in the West Indies, is located at 1,200 feet in the mountains of the Northern Range of Trinidad. The Centre is known worldwide as a birdwatcher's paradise, where birders have sighted 159 species, including oilbirds, oropendolas, manakins, orange-winged parrots, blue-crowned motmots, ornate hawk-eagles, and channel-billed toucans. This tropical research facility is also home to an ecologically rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Caroni Swamp National Park

This national park, located on the Northwest Coast, contains 60 square kilometers of tidal lagoon, marshland, mangrove forests, and tidal mudflats. Several thousand scarlet ibises, Trinidad's national bird, and 19 other endangered bird species nest and roost here. The only way to experience this watery environment is by boat. In Fall 2005, this wetland joined Nariva Swamp as a designated Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Matura Beach

The beaches of Matura Bay, on the East Coast of Trinidad, are one of the five most valuable nesting rookeries worldwide for the endangered leatherback sea turtle. Nature Seekers, Inc., a local community-based organization, is working to help save this endangered species. Join nighttime nesting patrols and collect data on this ancient species during this amazing event.

(Course locations are subject to change.)

Dragonfly Workshops Web-based Learning Community

Upon acceptance into the program and before departing for Trinidad, students will join instructors and classmates in Dragonfly Workshops' collaborative web community to complete pre-trip assignments. After returning to the United States, students will continue to work in their web-based community from September through early December to develop projects initiated in the field, discuss assignments, and exchange ideas. All students should expect to spend two to three hours a week contributing to their web-based learning community from their home or school computer. Navigating the web platform is easy--it's designed for people with no prior computer experience. To learn more about this unique web experience, visit dragonflyworkshops.org.

A Word From our Participants

Hear from our past students and instructors as they describe their personal Earth Expeditions experiences.
Watch The Video

Cost: $1150 + Airfare

All basic expenses in-country are covered in the course costs, including:

Meals (incidental snacks and drinks not included)
Lodging
Field station fees
Field equipment (as needed)
Ground transportation (van, boat, train, etc., as needed)
Park entrance and guide fees

Course costs do not cover personal expenses, such as gifts, or some ancillary costs, such as passport fees and course texts.

Airfare: To estimate fares to Trinidad, applicants may wish to visit an online fare finder or call a travel agent. Bear in mind that airlines have seasonal fluctuations in fares.

Financial Support

Because of support from Miami University and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the course costs listed above are a fraction of actual program costs. Earth Expeditions recommends that accepted applicants to the program check with their school district or employer to see if professional development funds are available to further offset costs. Click here for more Grant Funding Tips.

Tuition costs:

Non-Miami University Participants

To support involvement by a broad range of educators from across the nation, Miami University is currently waiving all tuition for Earth Expedition participants who hold bachelor's degrees and who are not full-time students at Miami University. Upon successful completion of both the field and web-based components of the Earth Expeditions course, participants will receive seven graduate credit hours. (Approximately $2,500 for in-state and $6,200 for out-of-state tuition is waived).

Miami University Students

Full-time Miami University undergraduate and graduate students pay tuition for five credit hours unless they have summer tuition waivers through a graduate assistantship or scholarship. Miami students receive seven credit hours upon successful completion of both the field and web-based components of the course.

More Information

For more information on the admissions process, physical requirements, and more, please visit Admissions and/or FAQs.