Thirteen students from the V.I. Montessori School and International Academy and their teacher, Gloria Zakers, are preparing to participate in a 12-day field science project in Costa Rica where they will study the leatherback sea turtle, one of the oldest species on earth. They will be gone from May 21 through June 1.
The Sea Turtle Ecology Program, part of VIMSIA’s End Session Hands-On Learning Program, is organized by Ecology Project International (www.ecologyproject.org). The course is conducted at the fourth most important nesting area in the world for the critically endangered leatherback. Each night during the nesting season, students will accompany instructors and researchers in search of turtles and their nests to study population trends and protect the nests from tides, poachers and other threats. They will also meet local Costa Rican students during an intercultural exchange.
