Tabor Students Begin Research in Virgin Islands

Less than a week after Tabor students arrived back on campus to resume classes after Winter Break, a group of 15 students voyaged to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.

These students were the first of seven groups participating in Tabor’s Research & Environmental Education Focus (REEF) program.

REEF is a program facilitated by the school that occurs every three years, scheduled strategically to allow each student one opportunity to attend during a traditional four-year education at Tabor.

During the semester leading up to the trip, students take a course during the academic day that educates them on the scientific and technical knowledge that is crucial towards completing the research in the Caribbean.

The students lived on the SSV Tabor Boy, the school’s schooner, which made the voyage from Marion to the Virgin Islands several weeks ago. The vessel was used both as the living and laboratory space throughout the voyage.

“Living on the Tabor Boy for the week was both a great experience and a trying one,” said senior David Martignetti. “My favorite part about living on the Tabor Boy was living so close to one another which causes all the crew to bond and to get to know each other very well.”

Senior Maryclare Bracken credited this bond to both the tight quarters of the vessel and the banning of cellphones on the trip.

“Every night we would sit up on the deck house of the Tabor Boy and get to know each other without the distraction of our phones,” said Bracken. “In my opinion, the best part of the trip [was] those friendships that were created with people that I never would have gotten to know prior to the trip.”

While the trip, according to Tabor Academy’s website, provides an opportunity for students to “learn about the history, culture, and unique ocean ecology of the Caribbean,” the premier focus of the program is to conduct research on the elkhorn coral, a type of reef-building coral that has been in sharp decline in the last several decades.

The data they collect is used by the National Parks Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of the Interior.

Each day, the students would split their time between snorkeling, conducting research out of the water, and sailing the vessel. On a typical day, one to three hours were spent snorkeling and one to two hours were spent doing research out of the water.

The schedule differed drastically day-to-day, with some days focusing heavily on the research and others were spent sailing or exploring the islands.

Martignetti said the research focused on three main things: “the fluorimetry of the water as we sailed, the pattern of the currents, and the health of the elkhorn coral.” According to Martignetti, the most in-depth research, and most memorable, was that done for the coral.

To collect data on the coral’s health, the group split into smaller groups of three students each, with each getting a specific responsibility. The “diver” dove down to collect the information on the corals necessary to gauge their health. The “photographer” took a couple of photos of each coral for reference. Finally, the “recorder” collected the data relayed by the diver in the PDA computer that was later compiled and mapped by a device onboard the Tabor Boy.

Their jobs were made increasingly difficult when the sea conditions became unfavorable for researching the coral.

“The large swells, heavy wind and shallow water were not a good combination for collecting data on the elkhorn coral while we were on our trip,” said Bracken. “Instead of Hawk’s Nest Bay, we moved to Leinster Bay, thinking it would be more protected; however, the conditions were still not very favorable there either.”

The work completed by this voyage is going to be supplemented by the six voyages succeeding it. The second voyage began on Tuesday, January 17.

“The upcoming voyages will be just as important as ours, adding to the data we have collected to see how the elkhorn population has been affected as a whole rather than in a single bay,” said Martignetti.

By Jack Gordon

 

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