Yesterday, we started out playing in the mud, and we ended up seeing some traditional Palauan singing and dancing at the Night Market. First, playing in the mud: we worked with some folks from Ngiwal state and the Ebiil Society to plant trees and lemongrass to stem erosion near their new state office building. In the wake of the construction of this building, the river downhill had become noticeably impacted by sediments after heavy rains, so it seemed like a great opportunity to try to lend a hand. SUNY-ESF is a forestry school, after all, so the least we can do is participate in a tiny bit of re-forestation while we're here! 

Next, we headed down to Koror (our first time there this trip!) to check out the aquarium at PICRC. We got super-lucky and happened to be around when the aquarist was feeding some of the animals, including two Nautili and a black-tipped reef shark. We also got to see the sailing vessel or voyaging canoe Alingano Maisu. 

The next day, we spent most of our time at the waterfall in Ngardmau, learning about different stream environments. If you click this link, you should be able to view a 360° view of the Diongradid river, with Brett & Ben sampling in the distance, downstream of the photographer (click the link, and then click on the picture to enter 360-mode in most browsers): https://photos.app.goo.gl/2B2HMwP2oEAKfy9K7 
Also, scroll down for some other shots from our field work on June 8: 

Today, our students had the honor of participating in what (I believe) is the first bioblitz in Palau: an effort at Ngardok Lake Nature Reserve. Omar Basilius and a variety of different people from Melekeok and beyond participated in the effort to document as many species as we could, using our eyes, ears, and (in some cases) the iNaturalist app. Our students had a great time getting a holistic view of the terrestrial ecosystems of Palau, interacting with a variety of people with knowledge of plants, birds, and the invertebrates of Palau. 

After spending several hours at the reserve, documenting species diversity and contributing to our understanding of Palau ecosystems (you can see some observations by us and other folks here), we returned to the village to just explore the intertidal zone and think about what we'd seen. We had an awesome dinner made by Rebecca: 

Then they went night snorkeling! (and Jesse wrote this blog post). Not sure what they saw yet, but I'm sure it was awesome :) 

Last night (June 3rd) most of our students arrived, and we shared some dinner (takeout from Yano's) across the street from the Melekeok Statehouse. For most of the students, it was the first time they'd tasted taro (a staple starch in many tropical Pacific island cultures), and for some it was the first time they'd been near the Pacific Ocean.

Melekeok is about half way up the east coast of Babeldaob (the largest island in the Palau archipelago), is the official seat of the Palau national government, and is home to a number of beautiful and unique habitats, include Ngardok Lake (where we'll go participate in a bioblitz on 6 June). It's also home to lots of great Palauan people, who we're very thankful for, especially all the great folks at the Melekeok State Office, and the Ngardok Nature Reserve. 

In the picture above, the Pacific Ocean is about 4m beyond (to the East of) the students. Melekeok is about 7.5 degrees north of the Equator, which means that it's pretty much all ocean to the east of the students for almost 2,000 km until you get to Chuuk, and then another 2,000km beyond that before you get to Ailinglaplap atoll (Marshall Islands). 

Then it's pretty much just ocean for more than 10,000km until you get to Isla de Coiba, just of the coast of Panamá.

Below, you can see the students practicing snorkeling with guest instructor Anuschka Faucci (from Leeward Community College) in the ocean they only heard last night. For the rest of the day, the students will spend time getting comfortable in their new surroundings, and making observations of the nature in and around the village we're staying at.