Prescott College offers a range of truly awesome summer
classes, such as Aboriginal Living Skills; Maasailand: A Study in Community
Activism, which takes place in Kenya; River Guides Training, which takes place
in Utah; Predators & Prey, an ecology class which takes place in the
Colorado Rockies; and Tropical Biology, which takes place in Costa Rica. This
summer, I was lucky enough to take the Tropical Biology course and spend three
weeks studying intensely in Costa Rica.
We travelled to eight different locations, ranging from the
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, to Volcan Arenal (an active volcano), to Finca
Luna Nueva (a biodynamic farm), to La Selva in the lowlands. We saw tons of
breathtaking wildlife, including hundreds of species of plants, too many birds
to count, snakes, frogs, and mammals such as sloths, three species of monkeys,
and the rare margay.
Baby spider monkey at Arenal Volcano National Park
The class was academically rigorous as well, and each
student walked away with a field journal full of species accounts and notes from
our trips. We hiked in the morning and had class in the evening, taking the
occasional night hike as well. We learned so much about biology, ecology, Costa
Rican history, and political and environmental issues regarding agriculture and
deforestation.
Our classroom in Monteverde
I could have simply learned about tropical biology in a classroom,
but it wouldn’t even have come close to the experience I had on this trip. I
wouldn’t have been able to be a mere three meters away from a margay, or feel
the thick, plasticy leaves of a Faramea, or witness a pair of resplendent
quetzals interact with each other. I will never forget those experiences. And
that’s thanks to Prescott College’s philosophy of experiential education.
Male three-toed sloth at Finca Luna Nueva biodynamic farm
Ruby Teegarden
7.8.2013
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