2012 Intern

 2012 Volunteer

 2012 Intern

"I feel that the research opportunity ProTECTOR Inc. gave me was one of the most unique experiences of my undergraduate carreer and I greatly enjoyed your leadership, program, subject matter, and fellow volunteers."

Link to project report and poster page.

You can find more details the project Ariana was involved with by viewing her poster pdf here.

Ariana's honors thesis may be viewed in her pdf here.

Ariana's honors PowerPoint presentation is available as a pdf here.

"During the summer of 2012 I volunteered on both the North and South coasts of Honduras. On the north coast at Cuero Y Salado I helped in both beach profiling and turtle monitoring, which helped to first teach me about turtles and their natural habitat. This was my very first experience with turtle habitat and I found it to be very informative and helped to start building a basis for the types of habitat where turtles may nest. I then traveled to the south coast of Honduras to help out with the Olive Ridley veda. This was amazing because it was my first interaction with turtles and gave me several ideas to help develop my current Masters and future Doctorate research. I had such a fun time getting to observe hatchling swim patterns along with recording nesting female data, which I believe gave me a new passion for sea turtles in general." 

Dustin Baumbach

Dustin became a graduate student at LLU. See his page here.

"I have volunteered with several different sea turtle protection projects in Central America and the Caribbean over the past five years. My time spent in Honduras has been different from the other projects that I've been involved with. While many projects are just about data collection and have limited interaction with the local community, working with ProTECTOR Inc. one quickly becomes immersed in the community. We walked the beaches with the locals at night, working together with each turtle that was encountered. During the day we had plenty of interactions as well. We worked, talked and laughed often with the local people, who are very invested in the sea turtle egg protection project. I left feeling I had a good understanding of the community and of their daily lives. While life in remote Honduras is very different from home, the reward of knowing that I am helping turn the tide towards saving the Olive Ridley turtle in the Gulf of Fonseca, gives me the desire to return.

The other aspect of ProTECTOR Inc. that is different from other projects, is the quality of research that is taking place under Steve Dunbar's guidance. Steve and his students are asking new questions and seeking answers to currently unknown aspects of the sea turtle's life, with the hope of offering greater means of protection in the future. Steve was very willing to share the details of the projects with me, and made me feel that I was an integral part of the team."

Tyler became a graduate student at LLU. See his page here.

  "I was very excited and happy to be in Honduras. I really enjoyed walking the beaches and seeing turtles. For me, being at the Center at Punta Ratón was kind of like camping indoors. The Center was not bad at all, just mosquitoes drove me crazy. I also enjoyed my time at El Venado. The people there were all so talkative and friendly. I felt like I was taken care of very well. I would surely recommend other people to come and volunteer here. I myself am thinking of organizing a group to come to El Venado and Punta Ratón next summer." 

"My favorite thing was working with the turtles, but I also enjoyed connecting with the community. They were very sweet and kind to us. I felt that us being there encouraged the people from the community and showed them what it's like to have enthusiastic visitors at the centers. They saw our energies and that reminded them of why they are doing what they do. When we touched the eggs and squealed with delight, we hope it energized them. I am thankful to ProTECTOR Inc. because they did everything they could to accommodate me." 

 "There were real challenges working among the communities of the south coast. There is a lot of poverty, and unemployment there. But I had a great two months working alongside Steve and the other ProTECTOR Inc. team members. I saw they had a real interest in conservation of the turtles, and in helping the people in the communities. Working with Noemi, Sami, and the other volunteers, made me feel a part of the ProTECTOR Inc. team. Everyone did whatever they could to help me have a great experience here."