Office Hours for Spring, 2008

All of my Spring, 2008, classes have a Blackboard site: http://nsuonline.nsuok.edu
Please check your course website there regularly.

Office hours:


Mondays and Tuesdays, I will often be in my lab next to my office. I may not hear the telephone ring, and I do not check voicemail, but feel free to look around for me.
Mondays, noon (unless I am on an Ecology field trip)
Tuesdays, 3 pm (unless I am on a Mammalogy field trip)

Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 am - noon online.
I am usually in my office (NSU BA D-134) but may be in the library, in a computer lab, in another lab, in the coffee shop or even at Terdal Farm. Send me an email and I will reply quickly. We can exchange emails, talk on the telephone, start a chat/IM session or even arrange to meet in person.

I am planning my 2008 field season in Belize, Central America. I plan to continue my research on the ethnoecology of the Maya on the Cayo district, with a focus on the resources of the Elijio Panti National Park near San Antonio village.

I expect to take a few students enrolled in Tropical Ecology lab and Environmental Problems. Tropical Ecology lab students will be in "option B" and focus on bird life of the tropics for comparison with Tropical Ecology lab students using option A: avian species richness in their local area. Environmental Problems students will examine how villagers in a developing country address various types of environmental problems (energy, food, water, waste, income, etc.). This will allow a comparison with the methods used by people in a developed country (the U.S.) as examined by the rest of the class.

The particular village we will focus on is Caye Caulker (CC):

http://www.staycayecaulker.com/grc/map.jpg

My favorite Caye Caulker website is http://www.gocayecaulker.com/

Here is a first draft of cost estimates:

Date Day Events Cost Travel Cost Lodging Cost Food Cost Notes
7/4/2008 Fri Holiday in U.S.
7/5/2008 Sat Arrive $60 Fly TUL -> BZE $725 Hostel $40 Airport $40 Lobsterfest on CC
7/6/2008 Sun Village $0 $0 Hostel $40 store $20
7/7/2008 Mon Village $0 $0 Hostel $40 store $20
7/8/2008 Tues Belize City $0 Water Taxi $30 Hostel $40 Restaurant $30
7/9/2008 Wed Ruin $120 Tour $0 Hostel $40 Restaurant $30 Altun Ha or Lamanai
7/10/2008 Thurs Village $0 $0 Hostel $40 store $20
7/11/2008 Fri Village $0 $0 Hostel $40 store $20
7/12/2008 Sat Depart $60 Fly CC -> TUL $0 Airport $40

Sums $1,495
Assume $75 Souvenirs (calculated @ %5)
$1,570 Total estimated cost.

This will vary from student to student. The biggest expense is airfare. I assumed $725 from Tulsa to Belize City, and assumed that includes all taxes and fees. Airfares change. Also, students can fly from Belize City to Caye Caulker like a tourist or take a water taxi with locals--cheaper and more fun. I assumed students would spend $40/night for lodging. There is less expensive lodging available, and students can share a room. There is also more expensive lodging. Each students will make their own lodging arrangements. Food costs will also vary. I encourage students to shop in local markets, like villagers do. This is inexpensive. Restaurants vary in price. Costs for daily activities will also vary. SCUBA diving is fun but costly, as is deep-sea fishing. Other activities are less expensive. I made an estimate of $240, but know this will vary among students. I also assumed that students would spend $75 on souvenirs, but again, this will vary.

As always, please email me if you have any questions.

Final exams

Where is global warming when we need it!
Actually, if it was colder, we would have had snow instead of frezing rain.
Here is the new plan (Plan C?!?) for final exams for Fall, 2007 classes:
Ecology: on campus Wed. or Thurs. morning from 9 am to noon in G-118- or G-130, OR take the sum of your midterms in lieu.
Environmental Problems: online at home, open book, open note, on your honor NOT to divulge test contents, OR take twice your midterm in lieu.
Evolution of Vertebrates: on campus Wed. or Thurs. morning from 9 am to noon in G-118- or G-130, OR take the sum of your best two midterms in lieu.
Fish and Wildlife: as is, but you may FAX your printed exam to the BA campus instead, or get it to my house by 2 pm Friday.
I have no power, telephone or internet at home. These are unreliable on campus as well. If you need to leave me a messgae, you may do so c/o Kris Rider on the BA campus, but I may not get it before final course grades are submitted.

Back from Belize and getting ready for the Fall semester

The research and teaching in Belize was a great success.
Research wise, Dr. Kracht and I decided to focus on the Maya village of San Antonio in the Cayo district. It is near the Elijio Panti National Park. It is administered by the Itxamana society and is being developed for tourism in large part through the efforts of trekforce, a Britich NGO.
Teaching, I had five students to explore the rainforest and Maya ruins with in "tropical ecology lab." They were joined by two others to explore the coral reefs offshore of Belize in "coral reef ecology."
Back on the farm, I am getting ready for the Fall, 2007, semester. I am teaching Ecology, Environmental Problems, Evolution of Vertebrates and Fish and Wildlife Management. I am making Blackboard sites for all, and hope students check those out this week.
My Fall 2007 office hourse will be:
Mondays, 3-4 pm in my office or in the field with Ecology field trips
Tuesdays, noon - 1 pm in my labs (in NSU-BA, bldg. D, near my office at D-134)
Wednesdays, online 9 am -- noon using my course website and my drterdal@gmail.com email
Thursdays, online 9 am -- noon using my course website and my drterdal@gmail.com email
Fridays, online 9 -- 10 am using my course website and my drterdal@gmail.com email

Getting ready for Belize!

My June "Tropical Ecology" class is winding down and my July classes, "Tropical Ecology Lab" and "Coral Reef Ecology" are gearing up. I'll spend the first week of July getting students ready to go, then I'll be in Belize doing research and preparing for the students.

Farm blog spot

Oops!
The url for my farm blog is at
http://terdalfarm.blogspot.com/
I have not been good about updating it, however.

Welcome!

I am starting this blog for my professional activities.
I have another blog on blogger.com for my farm; you can look for that at terdalfarm.blogger.com.