As a teenager I flirted briefly the idea of becoming a scientist. I often screened in my head futuristic scenarios of a young Paolo Kernahan wearing a white lab coat and indulging a typically male adolescent fantasy: Riding a Suzuki 1000 road bike. My scientific ambitions grew even further with the gift of a small biology kit one Christmas. It contained a small microscope, slides and several scalpels. It was really cool!
At the same time, it was an absolute horror for all of the bullfrogs in my neighbourhood. They did not exactly submit themselves willingly to my devastating curiosity, but they were just too plentiful for their own good. Besides, it would have been difficult with the imagination of a 16-year-old to cough up explanations for the disappearance of dogs on my street.
I am ashamed to admit, though, such larger subjects were actively considered, albeit briefly. There was some spillover from the lab practicals at Fatima College. There was the dissection of frogs to glean an appreciation of their inner workings. Classes, though, simply did not afford me enough time to further my important research.
I began collecting the largest toads I could find so that I could very carefully extract their organs. Of particular interest was the heart; it was deep purple with a yellow ring at the top that looked like fatty tissue. What was amazing is how similar it is in appearance to the human heart. As large moths flitted about the lamplight in my room, I marvelled at this tiny wonder of creation.
Indeed I felt like...a surgeon! The only problem: I was the kind of surgeon who could remove a heart with, well, surgical precision but I couldn't put it back. Given that there isn't much need for a surgeon who can only disassemble people, my apparent limitations spared me disappointment further down the road by leading me off that path.
What hasn't changed, however, is my fascination with animals. Naturally, my interest in something called a "Bioblitz" was piqued. This event was organised by Mike Rutherford of the University of the West Indies and drew support from the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club.
The concept hinges on determining exactly what lives in a particular site and educating the public about the organisms, both plant and animal, living there. Eighty scientists bore down on Macqueripe and set up camp. There were tents for those crazy enough to overnight, and a field laboratory.
Storage containers were provided for trapped animals, as well as microscopes and other scientific paraphernalia. Also on site, information desks staffed by the Asa Wright Nature Centre as well as the EMA youth ambassadors. Researchers were parcelled into groups based on a particular field of inquiry and they fanned out over the area.
There was even a team of divers who combed Macqueripe Bay for examples of marine life which were temporarily relocated to a display habitat back at the Bioblitz tent. This I found absolutely riveting! There in this salt water tank was the deadly scorpion fish which really doesn't move around that much; it just has this comical way of walking on its fins.
He stared out of the tank at onlookers with this pissed-off countenance owed primarily to the unfortunate shape of its mouth. The divers also brought back some spiny starfish which propel themselves along on their whip-like tentacles. This was just the beginning of the exploration.
As bird enthusiasts gathered on an open field in the warming of sunrise, a majestic white hawk flew directly overhead, eliciting oohs and aahs and several too-late attempts by some shutterbugs to immortalise the moment. If birds are your thing, a sight like that can be equated with a spiritual experience, at least for me.
John Murphy, a specialist in amphibians and reptiles out of the United States, made the trip for the Bioblitz. John, who was featured in an episode of Bush Diary, has an infectious fascination with snakes lizards and frogs and there is very little that he can't say about any species found in this country, or elsewhere for that matter. He had tremendous success this weekend, capturing 17 reptiles and 12 frogs.
Many of them were on show for members of the public who came out in surprising numbers. My heart was a-flutter to learn that 200 people turned up to walk the trails and learn about wildlife. The Bioblitz achieved so much more than can be reflected in this column. Over 600 species of plants and animals were recorded in the Tucker valley and Macqueripe areas.
More significantly, the support for this important initiative was overwhelming. The response had the feel of achieving critical mass in conservation awareness. There were so many children present who were keenly interested in every aspect of what happened over that 24 hour period that I am infused with new hope for the future of our environment.
I can feel that frog's heart held in my hand so many lifetimes ago still beating with the promise of a brighter tomorrow for our fragile wildlife.
