In this blog I will more concretely define the prject I will be working on while I am in Costa Rica
I am interested in the edible and medicinal plants in Costa Rica. During the project I would like to investigate the prevalence of edible plants in Costa Rica, in rural vs. wilderness vs. urban areas and inland vs coastal areas. I will ask locals and guides if they could identify any plants that can be eaten and if they forage any of their food regularly.
The questions that I hope to address though this project include:
a. How many species of edible or medicinal plants can be easily identified in a given area?
i. In urban areas
ii. in rural areas
iii. in wild areas such as forests
iv. in mountinous areas
v. in coastal areas
b. Are locals able to identify these plants correctly?
c. Do locals forage food for their own uses?
i. if so, how often?
ii. if so, what sort of variety?
iii. if so, for what purposes?
iv. How do their habits compare to midwesterners' habits?
d. Is foraging food sustainable in this region? What sort of governmental policies are in place about it?
Monday, February 23, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Exporation of Costa Rica Project Topics
During our time in Costa Rica, each student will be exploring a specific topic that interests them. Students will be making final projects based on that topic. Some students in the past have made podcast or videos about their project, and there is a lot of freedom around the final product. There are a few topics that I personally would be very interested in exploring. I'm personally really interested in beverages and sodas commonly drunk in the region, I'm interested in the local bird populations and I'm interested in the edible plants native to the area.
I am particularly interested in beverages. I have a blog where I try and rank interesting sodas from around the world. I have tried hundreds of sodas over the years but I haven't had many from the Central American region. I'm excited to try what the region has to offer and compare it to sodas that one might find in Asia or America. The taste pallet of Costa Rica must be much different than that of Americans.
I enjoy studying ornithology and the vast variety of birds in Costa Rica is really intriguing. I studied abroad in New Zealand and a lot of my program was focused on the native birds in the country and how they adapted and developed. A comparison between the birds in Costa Rica and the birds in New Zealand would be a neat topic to explore. For example, Costa Rica has many species of song birds and many migratory birds that are only in the country for part of the year. New Zealand also has song birds, but it also has a large variety of flightless birds. Not many birds are migratory in New Zealand because it is an island nation that is very far from other land masses.
Edible plants are also interesting to me. I enjoy urban foraging here at home and harvesting food from the environment around me. Since Costa Rica is a tropical region the plants don't have to survive harsh winters. They can develop vastly different traits from their northern counter parts.There are a large variety of fruits in Costa Rica and a variety of medicinal plants. There are also edible plants that one could find in both Costa Rica and in Illinois, such as basil, cabbage and dill. The comparison between the two might also be interesting. A topic that could be explored is whether the locals forage for their food. Hunting is illegal in Costa Rica and this might change how the culture changes regarding acquiring ones own food from nature.
I am not sure which topic I will pick. All of them are interesting. It might depend on what topic will have the most information on it. Birding has a lot of resources around it, though edible and medicinal plants might be more difficult to find sources.
I am particularly interested in beverages. I have a blog where I try and rank interesting sodas from around the world. I have tried hundreds of sodas over the years but I haven't had many from the Central American region. I'm excited to try what the region has to offer and compare it to sodas that one might find in Asia or America. The taste pallet of Costa Rica must be much different than that of Americans.
I enjoy studying ornithology and the vast variety of birds in Costa Rica is really intriguing. I studied abroad in New Zealand and a lot of my program was focused on the native birds in the country and how they adapted and developed. A comparison between the birds in Costa Rica and the birds in New Zealand would be a neat topic to explore. For example, Costa Rica has many species of song birds and many migratory birds that are only in the country for part of the year. New Zealand also has song birds, but it also has a large variety of flightless birds. Not many birds are migratory in New Zealand because it is an island nation that is very far from other land masses.
Edible plants are also interesting to me. I enjoy urban foraging here at home and harvesting food from the environment around me. Since Costa Rica is a tropical region the plants don't have to survive harsh winters. They can develop vastly different traits from their northern counter parts.There are a large variety of fruits in Costa Rica and a variety of medicinal plants. There are also edible plants that one could find in both Costa Rica and in Illinois, such as basil, cabbage and dill. The comparison between the two might also be interesting. A topic that could be explored is whether the locals forage for their food. Hunting is illegal in Costa Rica and this might change how the culture changes regarding acquiring ones own food from nature.
I am not sure which topic I will pick. All of them are interesting. It might depend on what topic will have the most information on it. Birding has a lot of resources around it, though edible and medicinal plants might be more difficult to find sources.
Questions for Erin Murphy
This wednesday in class we will have a lecture by Erin Murphy to talk about the coral reefs in Costa Rica. The questions I would like to ask him include:
What sorts of coral bleaching are being seen in Costa Rica?
What is the govenment doing to help in sustaining the reefs?
Are poor fishing practices or global warming more of a threat to the reefs?
What sorts of coral bleaching are being seen in Costa Rica?
What is the govenment doing to help in sustaining the reefs?
Are poor fishing practices or global warming more of a threat to the reefs?
Monday, February 2, 2015
Questions For Professor Marshak
In class on Feb 4th we have a guest speaker Steve Marshak, U of I Professor of Geology and Director of the School of Earth, Society, and Environment.
The questions I am excited to ask Professor Marshak are:
How does the oceans on either side of costa rica effect the landscape?
What sort of volcanic activity is on costa rica?
I would like to hear more about the Poás Volcano Crater, What can you tell me about that?
The questions I am excited to ask Professor Marshak are:
How does the oceans on either side of costa rica effect the landscape?
What sort of volcanic activity is on costa rica?
I would like to hear more about the Poás Volcano Crater, What can you tell me about that?
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