Ecorana environmental at the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society field station: The Caretaker house

Ecorana Environmental ltd., Blog at it's partner field staiton at the T.R.E.E.S

We are Ecorana Environmental, an eco-travel and environmental education company that specializes in creating and planning applied learning holidays for students, researchers, and ecotourists alike. Our team consists of travel and outreach specialists as well as research biologists and teachers who specialize in environmental education and conservation. We are well-versed in providing comfortable, safe, and exciting learning and travel opportunities to a range of clientele interested in environmentally and culturally conscious travel.Ecorana is poised to offer travel and education abroad opportunities in the diverse tropical country of Belize. Ecorana employs biologists who are well-trained in tropical ecology, herpetology, and ornithology, and as such, studies in tropical biology are the primary focus of our educational holidays. However, our team’s diverse interests and expertise allow us to plan all types of holidays ranging from wildlife ecotours to yoga retreats to West African drumming courses to ecological field technique courses. Wherever your interests lie, you can be guaranteed that Ecorana will be right there with you.Ecorana maintains values of environmental and cultural conservation and stewardship, hands-on education, and inclusive learning, and seeks to instill those values in all visitors to Belize. We work with many field stations and educational centers, scientists, educators, tour companies, tour guides, eco-lodges, and parks, both on the mainland and on the islands of Belize, to make sure you go exactly where you want to go and see exactly what you want to see and more!

One of our main partners is the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society (T.R.E.E.S) and their field station in Belize. The objectives of this environmental education center are to host various cultural and environmental based student courses, workshops and event hosting in the heart of the beautiful Maya Mountains of Belize. We plan on providing our services to international students as well as providing opportunities for Belizean students.

For more information see our website at www.ecorana.ca, or send us and email at info@ecorana.ca or to go directly to the T.R.E.E.S website www.treesociety.org

Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Caretaker house

This is the last post for now about the new building additions. We are working feverishly to complete the main student building which will include the lab, library, kitchen, eating area and lounge area. We have a new addition to the team, Brendan, one of Vanessa's childhood friends has arrived on Thursday and has come to help us out with the beast!

So that building, right! The caretaker house was the first house we brought on the property. It is called the caretaker house because we brought it in quickly thinking that the old caretaker that was already on the property would be staying here. We felt bad for kicking and old man out of this property were he had been for 7 years, so we brought it the house. We soon discovered that he actually had land in the country and lots of friends and contact and wanted to start his own thing again. Something is weird in this story and we think we are missing a couple pieces of the puzzle but many neighbours have told us that they highly suspected him of being a con artist and he was somehow trying to acquire our piece of land or that of the neighbours. Anyhow, all ended well and this is how we ended up with the cabin!

The cabin as many cabins do came on flatbed on the highway followed by some heavy machinery to put the cabin in place. They arrived at dusk and somehow managed to place the cabin in its spot in the complete dark, without any lights, flashlights, trucks lights...no lights! I am starting to believe that many Belizeans have mustered the ability to see in the darkness. After about 1.5 to 2 hour ordeal in total we had our new cabin. Over the next couple of weeks a crew came around and add the electricity, septic system and plumbing and the house was fully operational.

The cabin coming in on the flat bed

Vanessa discussing with the neighbour about the new house! Will they will be able to do it he asks?

The contractors placing the house in the complete dark!!!

While, we did not suspected its use at first, this house has been extremely useful to us. It has allowed us to receive friends, families, workers easily to TREES without having to constantly share a little house. This allows for helpers to come for longer periods of time and has been great. The house is now fully furnished with a bathroom, kitchenette, bedroom and living room. There is a great view of the mountains from the deck where Toucans and Trogons can be regularly spotted.

For the next little while it is now Brendan's cabin, but when we start operating in September we make this house availble to interns.