By Natalie MAIER

Crestview Preparatory School sixth grade teacher Ryan Bache has been awarded a fellowship by the Earthwatch Institute. For two weeks, Bache will travel to Ecuador to study Climate Change and Caterpillars with a team of 10 other researchers.

Bache hopes this expedition will help him “bring knowledge to the classroom,” specifically the social aspect of climate change and how it is affecting not only caterpillars, but humans as well.

“My goal is to always be a lifelong learner and if I can show my students that teachers are lifelong learners, that’s my first priority,” he said.

Bache will be stationed about four hours outside of Quito, Ecuador’s capital, on the eastern slope of the Andes at about 7,000 ft. above sea level.

This particular Earthwatch study will be focusing on the parasites that live and feed off of caterpillars and how climate change affects these creatures.

When Bache returns on July 30, he will be involved in a community action plan related to climate change, how it is affecting the community locally, and how it can be improved in the future.

“I think a lot of times we don’t think about climate change here in lovely Southern California,” Bache said. “But it is affecting us.”

Bache is looking forward to the adventure of exploring a new country and the knowledge he will gain from the research.

“For me to travel to Ecuador to be an explorer and scientist is going to be a break from the norm and should be pretty exciting,” he said.

Since 1971, Earthwatch Institute has been engaging people across the globe in scientific field studies and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Each year, thousands of selected volunteers participate in expeditions and assist scientists to collect data on research projects that address the world’s most pressing environmental and cultural issues.

  Natalie MAIER