Our Field Trip to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the Pawikan Conservation Center

Recently, us 6th graders have gone on a field trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). This post will give some of the details of our first site, PCC, and what we were expecting before we actually left the school grounds.

  First of all, we had this field trip to be able to learn more about marine turtles, our efforts to help them survive and to get a background on the BNPP, why it was never activated and what it can do once activated. Second, we joined this field trip because the places we were going to seemed interesting to us, it was the first time we ever went to these places and because it was our last field trip as a TLT 6th grade batch.

  We expected to learn many things about turtles and the BNPP, a very long bus ride, a good vantage point and beautiful scenery in Bataan, our victory/defeat in our competition of ThermoSciDama and unforgettable experiences with classmates. Before the actual trip, we were all excited and couldn't stay still because as mentioned earlier, none of us have ever been to these places and because it was one of the farthest field trips we ever had without students from other batches. 

Now, let's talk about the first site - the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC)

distributed by Shmuck

 We all expected to learn a good deal about the Pawikan in the Philippines(life cycle, what they eat, how they manage to get back to the beaches they were born on without what we use to do that) and their importance to the water ecosystem.
More on PCC, it is the place where they teach the public about the pawikan, where they release baby turtles into the wild, where voluntary beach cleanups are held and where they rehabilitate injured Pawikan.
In the PCC, we learned about the pawikans and what the human race has gradually done to them and their habitats. We also learned about the few different types of pawikan, their life cycle, the reason for their dramatic dcrease in population, their importance to the water and ecosystem and how we could (help) save the pawikan from going extinct in the wild.

 While we were in PCC, we were able to release several Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild! Here are some things we thought you should know about these turtles.

1. Names:
 Common: Olive Ridley
 Scientific: Lepidochelys olivacea
 Taxonomic Classification: Kingdom animalia, Phylum chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Testudines, Suborder Cryptodira, Family Cheloniidae or Dermochelyidae, Genus Lepidochelys, Species olivacea

2. Characteristics and Ecological Relationship:
  The Oliver Ridley Turtle is the most abundant species worldwide.It's role in it's environment is to make sure the organisms it feeds on do not overpopulate the area.It eats other organisms including jellyfish, snails,crabs and shrimps and will occasionally eat seaweed as well. Although, the hatchlings of turtles are often preyed upon by crabs, raccoons, pigs, snakes and birds among others.

3.  We chose to inform you about this turtle since it is one of the most  common and it is the turtle that we have the most information on. Also,  as we stated earlier, we were able to release an Oliver Ridley hatchling.







The Gallery:

On the road (SCTEX).......

Looking at the view from our bus.....

Almost there!

Getting a lecture as soon as we arrive in Pawikan..

The beautiful sea.....

The Turtle Race!

One of the Turtles being rehabilitated in Conservation Center.

Tiny Turtles!!!! The cuteness level is over 9000!!

Right after the tiring (but enjoyable) coastal clean-up....

references:http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=species_class
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle/