Today we visited a Marine Conservation Summer Camp at Belize High School where organizers are trying to create the next generation of conservationists - or at least, maybe nature lovers.
Jamal Galvez showed us what they've been doing with the kids at BHS:
Jamal Galvez, Program Coordinator, Clearwater Marine Aquarium
"It's a fun time for us. It's our annual marine conservation summer camp. We've been doing it every year for the past six years and this year we are doing it in four locations, Belize City, Gales Point, Seine Bight and Hopkins. We've rotated locations over the years but we are happy to be in two new places in Hopkins and in Seine Bight. We are actually collaborating with other NGOS like for instance OCEANA, Belize Audubon society, the CRC, the Coastal Zone Management Authority, MAR alliance so these kids are coming here and learning not just theory but practical stuff, like what are these entities doing in terms of on the ground, and then into how and what to do when you see a Manatee if you are on a boat, what are some of the things that we do in terms of rescuing taking measurements, assessment of these animals learning about the Reef learning about Crocodiles and how are these animals important to the ecosystem and how do human impacts influence or how can they be apart of these efforts."
"They are stunned by the amount of Wildlife and the ecosystems we have in Belize hearing from the Audubon society and all these protected areas that we have here, the rules and regulations and understanding the threats that these animals face and a lot of these threats. They are not aware that things may actually be doing is a threat to the spaces and you can see how quickly in terms of their reaction in terms of what they can do and why they want to do to change these behaviors as well so as kids, society may be underestimating the impact and influence of kids I mean for us it's to mold this young generation at a very young age so they can be the next stewards of conservation so that Belize continues to be home to mother natures best kept secret."
