Hello!! My name is Marc Minear. I am a graduate student in biology at Emporia State University. I would like to tell you a few stories about my resent trip to Mexico. Students from Emporia State University (Kansas) and Murray College (Oklahoma) traveled to San Blas Mexico. We meet up with students from three universities in Mexico. The intention of the field trip was to study the vertebrates of Mexico. We were split up into four different groups and studied fish, birds, mammals, and herps. The groups had both Mexican and American students interacting with one another. We camped on a beach near San Blas and studied the different classifications of animals each day. Some of the more interesting things we did include: seining the ocean, snorkeling in a clear lake looking at cichlids, using mist nets to capture birds and bats, and searching for herps in banana fields. The fauna of Mexico is amazing. Being a farm boy from Kansas did not prepare me for the tropical fauna of Mexico.

The biology part of the trip was fun, but I received the most enjoyment from the interactions with Mexican students. It is amazing how a language barrier can be broken with frantic pointing and a quick game of charades. It was very interesting to learn of different attitudes, and everyday habits of people from a different culture. Each day was a new adventure into learning about the vertebrates of Mexico (Both the animals and the people of Mexico). To sum it all up, this was one of the most rewarding field trip/vacations I have ever been on. If you have specific questions about the field trip to Mexico, please feel free to e-mail me at minearma@hotmail.com. I would be more than happy to tell you more about my experience. Below are a few candid shots of my trip to Mexico.

Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi
left to right: Dwight Moore, Linda Rice, Marc Minear, Pam Lovett, Ulises Rueda in the mountains near Real de Catorce
Dwight Moore at the camp site in Bahia de Mantachen, Nayarit
group photo, faculty and students at Bahia de Mantachen, Nayarit
Dwight Moore from ESU and Bruce Stewart from Murray College: food services at the camp site in Bahia de Mantachen, Nayarit
break time