Greetings!
 Our walk was completed on April 24th and it was a huge success. There were over 300 participants and couldn't have asked for better weather. We are happy to say that we surpassed our goal and got a grand total of $1190.00 !! A special THANK YOU to all who joined us in this great cause !! If you are feeling bad that you missed the deadline - don't because there is still time to donate until June 1st. More pictures on our Banana Bank page on Facebook Sincerely, Leisa Carr-Caceres Banana Bank Lodge501-820-2020 in BZ
954-934-5071 in US |
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Naming a Cave |
 I had the privilege to join Dr. Lisa J. Lucero - Associate Professor in the Dept. of Anthropology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who was awarded a National Geographic Society research grant for her project, 'Diving the Sacred Pools of the Ancient Maya' for a day at Pool #1 of the 23 pools of Cara Blanca. Her team included Dr. Patricia Beddows, a geo-chemist and hydrologist (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University), and Dr. Andrew Kinkella (Moorpark College), advanced diver and archaeologist, who formed the underwater science directive. The dive team included Marty O'Farrell (underwater video / photography http://www.seaofarrell.com/), Kim Davidsson a private diving instructor, Robbie Schmittner (http://www.xibalbadivecenter.com/), and Bil Phillips (http://www.speleotech.com/index.html). Ed Mallon provided topside logistics for electronics and equipment and served as a backup diver. Robert Hemm of the Explorers Club of New York City, also joined the project to document it. The expedition is to uncover more of the mysteries of the Maya that may be lying at the bottom of the pools or in the caves believed by the ancient Maya to be sacred portals to the underworld. There are structures and mounds right at the edge of the pools that indicate inhabitants from approximately A.D. 700-900. Hearing the divers describe their admiration with the underwater cave, which was not only larger than they expected but quite deep at 80 meters, their description of the crystal found on cenote walls outside the cave, and even the surprise of a 6 inch eel swimming right past the camera, did not compare with my fascination of all I was learning. My intrigue heightened when someone posed the question to Dr. Lucero. "What is going to be the name of the cave?" I realized that I was at a milestone that would mark the border between "undiscovered" and "defined territory". That this cave would go from being nameless to a place on the map and I was a witness to history in the making. I was experiencing what could be described as an ultimate adventure.
 
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Wondering what to do for summer?
A whole week of family time learning about nature & horses |
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Belize Ag Report booth at NATS |
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The National Agriculture and Trade Show is an annual event in Belize that Banana Bank usually participates. We would like to congratulate the Belize Ag Report for a great booth. Belize Ag Report is a new paper of which John Carr is assistant editor. Chief editor Beth Roberson is doing a fantastic job at spreading Ag news throughout Belize , Guatemala and southern Mexico. I would even go as far as to say that BAR is a gateway of communication between fellow farmers, industries and governments. Congratulations !! Read more or subscribe to BAR at www.BelizeAgReport.com |
