Manatees, Coral Reefs, Fish, Oh My! Research in Cuba!

Jenae Hundley Start Date: May 7, 2017 - End Date: Feb 6, 2018
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Cuba
  • Havana, Cuba
  • Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

My Travel Story

by: Jenae Hundley Start Date: May 7, 2017 - End Date: Feb 6, 2018
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
Hello! I am currently a junior in high school in the United States. I have been a lover of the natural world since I was very, very little. Weather, birds, environment, geology, zoology, marine biology, you name it, I have a fascination for it! I've watched about every documentary I could find, have spent countless hours outside watching osprey nests, birding, helping my brother explore tidepools on our coast, hiking, etc. I hope to major in ecology and field biology in college, dedicating my life to the natural world I love so much. Now, I have been presented with the amazing opportunity to do conservation research in the summer of 2018 on the Isle de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), in Cuba, with a group of students from my school. 
     This is an astounding opportunity. The organization that is offering the two week expedition is called Operation Wallacea. They bring students from all over the world to several study sites to help scientists study conservation; gaining funding while giving students an invaluable, life-changing experience. 
     While in Cuba, we will be studying alongside scientists of Havana University. Here are some of the opportunities we will have: 
Week 1
~Getting PADI Scuba Certified 
~Attending a Carribean Coral Reef Ecology class
Week 2
~Manatee monitoring: learning survey techniques and studying manatee ecology. We will be collecting data on the location of several individuals, and taking environmental data (including salinity, temperature, and aquatic vegetation diversity and richness) to determine how freshwater upwellings and vegetation communities affects the distribution of manatees. 
~Coral Transects: surveying transects of coral to determine diversity, percentage of cover, bleached and diseased coral.
~Stereo Video Data Analysis: analyzing footage of the reefs in order to identify species more accurately. We will also be going into the field and collecting, classifying, and preserving marine life. 
~And much more!

As you can see, this is going to be an amazing experience. Not only scientifically, but culturally as well, as we are getting the chance to stay in a nearby village for a few nights. Additionally, I am hoping this experience will help me be able to spread my passion for the environment, through this campaign, the photoblog I'll be updating when I return, and through the many art pieces I hope to create while preparing for this trip and after I get home.

The cost of the entire trip is a little under $3000 USD. That's about $260 a month. I am determined to pay as much of it as possible on my own, but right now I need a bit of help. I am applying for jobs now, and am fundraising by creating cards for Mother's Day, Graduation, Birthdays, etc. to sell at my school, but I do not have enough money yet for the deposit to secure myself a spot on this trip. The deposit is $250 dollars, due as soon as possible. I've added a cushion, just in case the job search does not end as quickly as I would like. I would also love to share this experience with you, so if you donate, you get hand drawn art of Cuban (or really any type if you'd like) animals, art and pictures from Cuba with a note, or all of that plus a link to a slideshow of all of the pictures I take. I would really, really appreciate any help you can provide!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! 



  • Cuba
  • Havana, Cuba
  • Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

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