The Griffon News

The students in the field natural history of Belize class, taught by biology professor David Ashley, dive in with preparations for their upcoming spring break trip to the Central American country of Belize.

Participants in BIO 220, who are currently scuba dive-certified, hit the pool at Missouri Western last Wednesday night for a refresher course in scuba diving taught by dive instructors

Greg Thurman and Bill Donnoho from Mid Missouri Dive Center out of Chillicothe, Mo.

“We are just making sure that their dive skills are up to snuff,” said Donnoho, who has been diving since 1973.

Missouri Western sophomore Jennifer Shaffer, who is in the class, said this is her first time traveling outside of the U.S..

“I am looking forward to seeing the Mayan culture as well as the culture of Belize – the plants and animal life,” Shaffer said. “This is going to be such an awesome experience.”

Associate professor of biology Thomas Rachow said this is his seventh time going on a trip to the area.

“We will travel to the Hol Chan Marine Park, where there are stingrays, sharks around you that you can touch,” Rachow said. “That’s really cool.”

Ashley has taken four different groups from MWSU to Belize in the past. He has also traveled to San Salvador in the Bahamas three times, Jamaica once and Puerto Rico twice with students involved with science meetings.

Ashley said that the course study, along with the trip, is an effective way of eco-touring. “It is a higher quality than a bus tour,” Ashley said.

Ashley’s class has 17 total participants in BIO 220. There are 11 students, one instructor, three faculty members and two alumni attending the class, which will travel to Belize and participate in the exploration of the mainland locations and visit a diversity of island habitats.

Ashley’s son, Devin Ashley, who teaches Spanish at Central High School, is also participating in the class.

“This is my 12th foreign country to travel to, although I’ve never been to Central America,” Devin said.

Ashley said that although English is the official language of Belize, he is interested in seeing a visual library of Spanish speakers as part of professional development.

“It’s not all play on the beach,” Ashley said.

The students meet every Monday night for the entire semester both before and after spring break, learning about the aspects of the Natural History of Belize, Ashley said. During the trip they will spend several days inland.

“We will visit the Mayan ruins and butterfly gardens,” Ashley said.

The group will be on the island every day or on a boat and in water, swimming or snorkeling with fins, he said. In addition, if the students are dive-certified, they will have the opportunity to dive off a boat where they can see things that they can’t see in higher water.

Ashley said that when they return from Belize, the students will have a public presentation night. The class participants will share a Power Point presentation, including photos and their daily diaries.

Students interested in joining Ashley on a future trip to Belize should mark their calendars for April 23 to catch a glimpse of what swimming in the coral reefs is like.