Hello and Good-bye

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In March, we said goodbye to Kate Hammond and Joey Marullo and their two beautiful children as they literally sailed away from Andros.  We appreciate their time at the station and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. 

Conversely, we said hello to Liz Richardson as the new Forfar Field Station Director in February.  An alumnus of the program from Westerville North High School (OH), she comes with a diverse background in group leadership skills and logistics.  Welcome to the Forfar family Liz!

We are also looking for interns to start in the fall.  If you have completed your undergraduate degree in marine biology or similar field, have some experience working/teaching/leading groups, and the ability to commit to one year in a rural and challenging environment, then we want you to apply!  Send your resume and cover letter to lindsey@intlfieldstudies.org.   Additional skills that we are looking for (but not required) include: boat driving (24 feet and over), SCUBA diving experience, and camp/field station experience.

2015 Highlights from Forfar Field Station

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We had a great year on Andros creating “the magic” that is Forfar:  sharing our love for science with groups new and old ranging from 6th graders up through graduate students.

We also hosted a greater number of researchers from the scientific community than in recent years and we are excited to expand that number in 2016.   For example, one of our greatest highlights of 2015 has been our involvement in the installation and care of a 100-piece coral propagation project in 40ft of water off of Pigeon Cay. The project is in association with Dr. Craig Dahlgren and Bahamas National Trust (BNT). It delights us to visit the fragments, track their growth, and keep them clean. With hope, we’ll be transplanting pieces back to the reef in late 2016. A couple of our staff spent several nights camped out in the Joulter Cays tagging and releasing Piping Plovers with the Audubon Society and BNT. Some Clark Montessori students experienced an extra bit of enchantment when they sailed aboard the s/v Flying Dragon, a very real pirate ship owned and operated by Capt. “Topsail” Bill.

We successfully completed year one of the BNT Navigator’s program with high school students from Central and North Andros High. We are currently moving along with year two of the curriculum. BNT is just one of several Bahamian organizations Forfar assists in their mission of educating Bahamians about their own environment.

Year after year, Andros continues to “WOW” us with her beauty, on land and in the water and we look forward to sharing that magic with you in 2016!

Changes at IFS

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Going back to the beginning of IFS in 1970, Dr. Walter (Ben) Bohl has served as Executive Director of the organization.  During these 45 years, this organization through Ben's leadership has touched thousands of students, teachers, staff, researchers, and others who share his vision for interdisciplinary educational experiences outside of the classroom.  Thank you Ben for your many years of service and dedication to IFS.  The IFS Board of Directors in November named Ben as Executive Director Emeritus in honor of his leadership, devotion, and service to IFS.
 
The IFS Board of Directors has hired Lindsey Christ to serve as the new Executive Director.  She comes to IFS with a background in non-profit management, a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, and extensive teaching experience from K-12 grades through to the college level in Environmental Education.  She is excited for the future of IFS and the potential to grow and expand reaching thousands more with the field study experience at Forfar Field Station honoring Ben Bohl’s legacy.  She would love to hear from you at lindsey@intlfieldstudies.org.