By: Sophie Pentz, Duke University
I was halfway through my lunch when a small red head emerged from a hole above me, head turning, one yellow eye glancing curiously down at us far below. Then suddenly, in a flurry of feathers, it’s off, soaring through the trees with its majestic wings outstretched. We’ve found a woodpecker! Instantly, everyone is on their feet, research gear is being pulled out, and I turn on my GPS ready to follow the bird through the
forest.
By: Berkley Scharmann, Weber State University
Our group was lucky enough to get the opportunity to travel to Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world […] Entering the park was being transported somewhere else […] When walking around the humidity got thicker and it seemed as if it was drizzling. The water was hitting so strongly at the bottom of the canyon that it came back up, creating the illusion that it was raining.
By: Owen Smith, University of Vermont
This week at homestays has been the best part of the Round River program. Coming down to Chile, I was most definitely looking forward to homestays, but it has surpassed all my expectations […] The owners of Camping Aqualsol, Don Atilio and his son Julian, hosted us for the week at their estate, and it was a terrific chance to fully experience an authentic Gaucho rancho.
By: Oliver Bunker, University of Montana
The alarm chirped me awake at precisely 6:20 a.m., and I sprang out of my sleeping bag like a mountain marmot greeting the dawn. Today was no ordinary day, it was glacier day! The Calluqueo Glacier awaited, along with a gaggle of curious schoolchildren eager to learn about the magical mechanics of nature.
By: Sam Holmes, University of Vermont
At the beginning of October, we had the opportunity to participate in a replanting activity with a group called Escualos. They are a youth-led group out of Cochrane, working to protect the Cochrane River. This planting project aimed to transform the area around the water sports center into habitat that would have short and long-term impacts.