This program will run during Winter Break from January 2-16, 2027. 

Below is a proposed itinerary for 2027. Please note that this itinerary is subject to change and a final program itinerary will be provided to participants before our departure at the pre-trip meetings. 

Our days will follow the same general pattern every day (with slight modifications depending on the planned activities). There will be breakfast available from roughly 7:30 - 9:00. From 9AM - 5PM we will spend time in different habitats around the island learning how to identify different plant species and families. We will eat lunch in the field (usually sandwiches, chips, fruit) from 12- 1 PM every day. There will generally be free time between 5:00 and 7:30 every evening, with dinner available at 6:00. Each evening we will end with a reflection session where we either have a lecture about a special topic or we spend time reviewing plant species as a group. 

Day 1: January 2nd Travel to Andros Island, Bahamas via Nassau. Evening organizational meeting, intro. to Bahamas, field notes; local beach/strand habitats

• We will spend our first day near the field station and will begin to familiarize ourselves with the lay of the land and the species that are present in the local vicinity of the field station where we will be staying. The goal for this day is to make sure we are organized and ready to hit the ground running for the rest of the trip. .

Day 2: January 3rd – Forfar field station; Staniard Creek beach N; center

• On day two we will be exploring Staniard Creek. Andros Island is split into small communities (you can think of these as towns) and Staniard Creek is the community that the field station resides in. Getting familiarized with the ecology and plants around the field station is a great way for us to spend our first full day on the island.

Day 3: January 4th – Pigeon Cay; marine angiosperms, algae, Pigeon Cay ecology; Dave's Patch Reef

• Cays (pronounced "kee") are small islands that form on top of coral reefs and sandbars and usually are found in the local vicinity of the larger islands in the Caribbean. Our third day will be spent exploring a cay close to the field station. We will again learn about the plants and ecology of the cay but will spend a fair amount of time comparing these things to that of the mainland. Afterwards, we will snorkel in a small secluded reef near the Cay to look at marine plants (and likely some sea turtles and rays).

 Day 4: January 5th– Owenstown, Atala Coppice

• Our fourth day on the island will be quite special. We will be visiting our first coppice (a coppice is a forested area with a high density of woody plants). This coppice is particularly special because it contains a rare species, the Atala Butterfly, which is endangered in the United States but abundant on Andros. There will be a number of endemic orchids we will identify in this area as well.

Day 5: January 6th - Maidenhair Coppice; Wilson Trail; Rainbow Blue Hole

• Today consists of us hiking a 3-mile-long trail through a coppice on the southern part of the island. We will focus our species identification on large woody species such as the Autograph Tree. Our field day will conclude with our first visit to a blue hole! Blue holes are similar to ponds but are very deep (so deep they connect all the way to the saltwater lens). These are spectacular to swim in, which is what we will be doing to end our day! Seriously, look up, "blue hole," on Google.

Day 6: January 7th- Pinelands; savannah; Red Bays; swash; Jungle Pond; review plants; dinner out

• There will be a drastic change of pace for day six of our trip. We will visit the pinelands on the northern part of the island. Much of the land of Andros Island was used to grow pines for timber and we will walk through that habitat to compare to the natural environments we've been in up to that point. We will also visit Red Bays, a prominent community with local artisans; Jungle Pond which houses a unique assortment of swamp species that are rare in the Bahamas; and will eat dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 7: January 8th– Forfar and Botany walk to old schoolhouse at low tide

• We will slow our pace a bit and do another walking tour of the area around the field station. This time we will walk across the bay at low tide and visit an old abandoned school house that has been taken over by wildlife since it was abandoned.

Day 8: January 9th- Species quiz in morning; day off

• Today will consist of your first major assignment of the trip. Afterwards, you are free to explore the island as you wish for the entirety of the day.

Day 9: January 10th - AUTEC cactus coppice; Summerset Beach; Androsia, Fresh Creek; Captain Bill's Blue Hole

• AUTEC is a submarine testing center and has preserved much of the local environment around its base. As such, there are many rare species that we will identify here, including a number of endemic cactus species. Afterwards, we will visit Androsia, a company that makes unique textiles that promote conservation on different islands in the Bahamas (located in the Fresh Creek community). We will take another dip in a blue hole to end the day and learn a little bit about the water chemistry of blue holes.

Day 10: January 11th - Calabash Cay transects; Kevin's Patch reef

• We will again switch gears on and will use all of our botanical knowledge to collect ecological data on Calabash Cay. Students will run transects through the island and will assess biodiversity of the plant life. We will snorkel in another patch reef that is known to harbor many species of rays.

Day 11: January 12th– Pineland ecology study; student presentations

• Today we will switch from species identification to talking about the ecology of the pinelands we visited in the previous week. During our evening session, students will give presentations on the data they collected on Calabash Cay on the previous day.

Day 12: January 13th - Evan's Blue Hole, Morgan's Cave/Bluff, Charlie's Blue Hole

• Today is mostly about having fun. We will review all of our previous information in unique environments. Morgan's Cave will offer a small opportunity to do some safe spelunking. We will visit two completely unique blue holes and will compare the water chemistry in each.

Day 13- January 14th. - Rat and Saddleback Cays; student analysis of diversity

• We will visit several other cays across the island and the students will apply the skills they learned to assess the biodiversity on each cay (and compare the two).

Day 14- January 15th. - FINAL EXAM; Charlie's Blue Hole; pack

• We will have our final exam on the penultimate day. The exam will test all of your species identification you have learned up to this point. We will celebrate our success by swimming in Charlie's Blue Hole and telling some fun stories about local Bahamian Legends. Our evening will be spent around a beach bonfire where we will enjoy smores, contemplative reflection, and maybe even a few spooky stories about Archie Forfar (the man who established the field station and mysteriously disappeared).

Day 15- January 16th- depart for Nassau, and home

• With sad hearts we will return to the cold of Rochester on our last day of the trip.

BIO 377- Conservation Biology

Conservation biology is the scientific investigation of the human impact on biological diversity and the development of strategies to prevent species extinction. It merges ecosystem and population biology concepts with issues of environmental law, economics and ethics.  

Note that this course has Prerequisite for any PEQ in Science. For this experience, that prereq is being waived for students participating on this program.

Students will stay in rustic cabin-style lodging right alongside the beach. There are bunk beds in each unit, sleeping 4-6 people in each room. All of the cabins have electricity, fans and a bathroom with (hot water) a shower. There is no air conditioning as all units are open air with a nice cross breeze from the ocean. 

The program fee in 2027 is $3,900.00

Program Fee Includes:

• Round trip airfare
• All accommodations
• All activities, entry fees, tours, etc. listed in the itinerary
• All in-country transportation
• All meals part of the itinerary
• Transportation to and from the Rochester airport
• International travel and medical insurance

Not Included:

• Passport (must be valid at least 6 months past the return date of the program). 
• Additional meals (meals not in the itinerary)
• Miscellaneous expenses (such as souvenirs, personal care items, etc.)

Funding Sources:

For SPARK eligible students, you will receive the $1,500 SPARK Grant from the Center for Life's Work. 

For non-SPARK eligible students, you are eligible for $500.00 in funding from the Center for International Education. 

Visit the following sites to see the recommended immunizations and medications for your program. Talk with your family and your physician to understand which ones you may need to travel. 

CDC 

Passport Health

U.S. State Department

There are two steps to the application process. Please complete both by September 20th.

Step 1: Please complete the application,

Step 2: Please complete the Student Application Checklist  You can print it out and bring it to GAC 121 or email it to Chrissy Miller at cmiller81@naz.edu.

Interviews will take place September 21st-22nd

A non-refundable deposit is due by September 30th.

Payment #1: $800 non-refundable deposit due on September 30th

Payment #2: $800 due on October 30th

Payment #3: $800 due on November 20th (Final payment for SPARK students)

Payment #4: $1,000 due on December 11th (Final payment for non-SPARK students)