Kristin Huizenga is a sophomore Biology and Spanish double major. She is a member of the Shakespeare Society, where she performs as an actress and assists with the technical aspects of the plays, and a research assistant for the Religion department at Wellesley College. She first developed her love for marine biology as a Visitor’s Education volunteer at the New England Aquarium, where she worked for two years, and hopes to continue pursuing this interest and spreading the word about the impacts of human activity on the ecosystem.
Before my internship with Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust, I had never heard of the of Vieques. I didn’t know that it is a small island in Puerto Rico, or that it is home to the brightest Bioluminescent Bay in the world. Still, when I learned that I would have the unique opportunity to spend my January in this tropical paradise through the Center for Work and Service, studying the fish and aiding the Vieques Conservation and Historic Trust in its efforts to protect the nature and history of the island, I instinctively knew that I would cherish my time there.
The Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust (VCHT) has a few dedicated workers and countless other volunteers who come in to help either when vacationing, or in-between shifts working around this small island. The island’s economy is heavily based in tourism, ecotourism in particular, and the VCHT is there to help protect the natural resources, study the island and its creatures, and to educate visitors and locals alike. One of its biggest concerns is the health of Puerto Mosquito, or el Bahía Bioluminiscente (the bioluminescent bay). At night, when the water is moved, tiny dinoflagellates emit a light that illuminates the fish, a magical sight that brings tourists from all around the world. The bay is incredibly delicate because the dinoflagellates require just the right conditions, so if the temperature or oxygen levels of the bay, among other things, were to change, this phenomenon would not be as powerful. By monitoring the water conditions of the bay, the VCHT gets a better sense of what conditions are important for these organisms.
As an intern at the VCHT, I helped maintain the research equipment and monitor the conditions of the bay, talked to visitors about the native animals in “The Smallest Aquarium in the World,” the VCHT’s own educational aquarium, presented to a local school on the invasive lionfish population, and helped capture these lionfish. It gave me the opportunity to work personally with so many people, who invested almost superhuman amounts of time and energy into their jobs, whether it was researching the history of the original Taino people of the island, investigating how to manage the lionfish population in Vieques, or maintaining the natural beauty of the bay.
There are a couple experiences that stand out most about my time in Vieques, such as when I first saw the bioluminescent bay at night. As the mullets, startled by the boat, darted through the water, a light green hue shone around them, and as a manta ray was illuminated as it leaped from the water, I knew exactly why everyone was working so hard to protect this natural wonder. At times, nature simply hands us something so beautiful that we could never hope to replicate it. The next experience was when I caught my first lionfish. I had spent plenty of days out in the crystal water, snorkeling with nets and searching for this invasive fish with a voracious appetite and covered in venomous spines. I had helped to coax other lionfish into the nets of my fellow snorkelers, but I had yet to catch one with my own net. When I caught my first lionfish, I felt a sense of pride for taking this predator who is destroying the local populations of fish out of the water.
This sense of pride, however, was with me every day that I worked in the VCHT. The sense of purpose there was intoxicating, and every day I was filled with the knowledge that the efforts of this small group were going towards something important. After being surrounded by so many dedicated workers and working in the field, I know more than ever that I want to spend my life working to protect the environment for future generations.
During the Vieques three-week CWS Wintersession internship, the student will work for the Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust (VCHT) to help promote and carry out its mission to develop a community actively involved in the protection of the environment. To learn more, please click here.