Dominica’s people

We visited the Carib Territory today in the central and eastern parts of the island. The ancestors of these Kalinago people named the island Wai’toucoubouli (which means “tall is her body” as they traveled up their sea highway in canoes thousands of years ago settling the islands of the Lesser Antilles. Unfortunately, due to Western [...]

Bois Cotlette Estate

Today we did some more snorkeling in some pretty intense water at Scotts Head. I finally saw my first wild sea turtle! That was amazing. I also got stung a few times by some jellyfish, which obviously wasn’t so amazing. I got to see an adult stoplight parrotfish which was also incredible to see. [...]

Northeast Dominica

Today we spent our first day over on the East side of the island. This is the Atlantic coast, and is the windward side of the island so it was much windier and had large waves. It also has some very interesting reef structures, such as fringing reefs. We first went [...]

Herping and our Beach Buddy!!!!

For all you who aren’t quite familiar with the term “Herping” it basically is the act of photographing or catching reptiles and amphibians. Today’s herping excursion started off with hopes of photographing or even possibly catching a Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima), which was spotted in the canopy at this location by Tirzah the previous [...]

Food, Glorious Food

One of the goals of our group was getting the chance to eat local food.  We thought, if we were lucky, we might be able to stop by a restaurant or stand on a non-research day to sample local delicacies like goat milk and breadfruit.  We hoped we might get to find out if a [...]

Present Culture of Dominica

Dominica has a very rich culture that comes from its diverse mix of English, French, African, and Carib peoples. English is the official language of the island, however much of the population also speak kwéyòl (Creole), which is a French based patois. The clothing style on the island is strongly influenced by their history and traditions. Colorful garments are often plaid and [...]