Bahamas National Trust Newsletter

Volume 10 Issue 10 July 2015

The Newsletter of the Bahamas National Trust IN THIS ISSUE

Atlantis Celebrates 20 Years of Volunteerism with the BNT nature tourism friendly.

Over 100 volunteers assisted in the redevelopment of The Retreat’s pathways by removing the gravel, repurposing it for other areas of the national park and spreading casuarina mulch along the pathways. The newly mulched pathways are easier to walk on and quieter for birdwatchers who visit the 11 acre garden. A second team of 30 volunteers was at the Primeval Forest collecting rocks to bring to The Retreat to line the pathways.

The volunteers represented a number of departments from Atlantis: Food and Beverage, ITD, Sales and Marketing, Security, Finance, Supply Chain and Royal Towers.

Clifton Heritage Authority also helped out by lending the BNT their f latbed truck to transport the rocks from the Primeval Forest to The Retreat. “This was a great volunteer effort by the Atlantis Team”, said Portia Sweeting, BNT Director of Education. “We appreciate their commitment to the environment and to the national parks of The Bahamas and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Atlantis Celebrates 20 Years

Summer Safari at The Retreat was a Hit!

BNT and Partners Working to Protect Coral Reefs

Levy Preserve Summer Internship

BNT National Parks in Andros and Exuma

continued on page 2

Sr. Vice Presidents Bernard Gay and Ed Fields carry casuarina logs to be chipped.

P.O. Box N-4105 Nassau, Bahamas Tel: 242-393-1317 bnt@bnt.bs www.bnt.bs

As part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, staff from Atlantis, Paradise Island volunteered at The Retreat Garden and Primeval Forest National Park at the end of June.

The Volunteer Day was really a day of celebrating the

volunteer service provided by Atlantis to a number of charities on New Providence. A number of senior executives joined the volunteer effort and there was definitely a spirit of celebration in the air as the volunteers worked to make The Retreat more

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Atlantis Celebrates 20 Years continued from page 1

The ‘Wheelbarrow Brigade’ were busy.

Moving mulch for the pathways.

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Education

Summer Safari at The Retreat was a Hit!

Creating origami animals for their model habitats.

This year’s Summer Safari at The Retreat Gardens was probably the most exciting summer activity on the island. Participants visited Primeval Forest National Park to explore the oldgrowth Bahamian coppice forest and caves; meandered through the pine forest and learned about the plants found in this unique fire dependent ecosystem; swam in the mangrove wetlands of Bonefish Pond National Park; and plunged into the turquoise waters off the western tip of New Providence to snorkel around the coral reef ecosystem in the area. They also had the opportunity to learn how to properly handle Bahamian snakes and catch land crabs. After each field trip students returned to The Retreat to work on recreating the habitat that was visited that day using recycled items, paint, crayons, glitter and lots of creativity. They even made and added origami snakes, birds, fish, frogs, turtles and crabs to their ecosystems! On the last day of the camp, students presented their projects and talked about what they had learned to the delight of their parents and guardians. Everyone completed the camp in high spirits and look forward to next year’s Summer Safari!

BNT BirdSleuth Caribbean Summer Camp takes off in Abaco Birding skills and exposure to the natural environment was the order of the day for campers attending the week-long BNT summer camp on Abaco. The camp ran from June 29 – July 3, 2015 in Fox Town, Abaco under the theme “Connecting Kids to Nature”. A total of 30 campers were immersed in bird diversity and identification, habitats, and migration. The citizen science programme exposed young people to the process of collecting and recording data that would be useful in scientific work while connecting them to Students are led by Dr. Elwood Bracey (front right) on a bird walk.

continued on page 4

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Education continued from page 3

their local environment in a meaningful way. Healthy habitats and planting of trees to serve as cover and a food source for birds became the major conservation action that several of the participants felt could help with bird survival.

The highlight of the camp was a field trip to a healthy coppice habitat, a public dump and the ponds at Treasure Cay Beach. All of these locations provided excellent birding as a number of species were seen such as the West Indian Woodpecker, Gray Kingbird, Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Black-necked Stilt, Whitechecked Pintail, White Ibis, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Heron, Bananaquit and many others.

Many of the kids attending the camp were members of the fledgling BNT Bird Club of Little Abaco that meet on a regular basis for bird walks.

Habitat scavenger hunt.

Science

Levy Preserve Summer Internship Introduces COB Students to Reptiles, Botany and Bahamian Geology

Francesca Rahming, Shannan Yates and Tamarind Johnson at the Levy Preserve.

Seeking to create enriching experiences in the Sciences for Bahamians, the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP), operated by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) welcomed three students from the

College of The Bahamas to participate in their summer internship programme.

Shannan Yates, Francesca Rahming, and Tamarind Johnson arrived at the Preserve in May ready to learn and prepare

for their careers. They participated in lectures, mapping, data collection and even planting Bahamian plants at the Preserve.

Falon Cartwright, Preserve Manager said, “This year, we had three incredibly bright young women who were not only thrilled to be at The Preserve, but were very focused on learning. These young scientists were immersed in Bahamian natural history through personalized lectures as well as field and research time with seasoned field biologists, ecologists, and geologists.”

During the first week of their internship, the students received lectures from Dr. Ethan Freid, Preserve Botanist, who coordinated the internship on basic plant morphology and plant family characteristics. By the end of the first week they were able to identify 52 plant species.

During the second week of the internship John and Joan Mylrioe from continued on page 5

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Science continued from page 4

Mississippi State University visited the Preserve to teach the students about limestone systems. The Mylrioes are geologists who specialize in limestone karst geology and have conducted research in The Bahamas for 35 years.

The interns gained in-depth knowledge of the geologic history of the islands and how geology impacts vegetation as well as climate change. They visited Hatchet Bay Cave, Ten Bay Cave, Queens Bath, Glass Window Bridge and Preachers Cave as a part of the week’s lesson. During these fieldtrips, they learned how to map caves, record geological data and went

through the process of mapping a previously unmapped cave just north of Governor’s Harbour.

During the third week of the programme wildlife biologist Joe Wasilewski joined the team to lecture on reptiles and amphibians in The Bahamas. After the morning’s lectures the group spent their afternoons and evenings catching native reptiles, learning how to properly handle them and collecting standard data on various species. All of the interns expressed a desire to work with reptiles for their individual research projects so Wasilewski helped each of them to develop their own

research plan. Rahming is working with Brown Racers, Yates is focused on the Ameiva lizard, and Johnson is working with Anoles – all Bahamian species.

“Our impressive interns knew eightyfive native Bahamian plant species by sight and are continuing to collect data on their individual research project on reptiles”, said Cartwright. “They leave us with a deep understanding of The Bahamian environment and I have no doubt that this experience will help to shape their future”.

The Hon. Kenred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment and Housing recently participated in a special visit to the proposed Southwest Marine Park. Accompanying the Minister were representatives from the National Implementing Support Partnership (NISP) David Knowles (BNT), Lynn Gape (BNT), Casuarina McKinney Lambert (BREEF), Shenique Albury Smith (TNC) and Stuart Cove (Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas).

The proposed Southwest Marine Managed Area is one of 19 new areas that have been proposed to the Government to be protected as part of our commitment to protect 20% of our near shore marine environment by 2020.

The visit included important dive sites, the Sculpture Garden created by BREEF and a visit to Goulding Cay, an important area for nesting sea birds as well as for recreational fishing. “This area if designated as a national park will be managed for multi-use”, said David Knowles, BNT Director of Parks. “The management plan will have extensive stakeholder input and it will be exciting to have a national park off New Providence protecting the marine environment”.

Pictured from left to right; Stuart Cove’s Rep; David Knowles, BNT Director of Parks; Shenique Albury Smith, TNC; Minister of the Environment ,Kenred Dorsett; Stuart Cove; Casuarina Mckinney Lambert, BREEF ; and Lynn Gape , BNT Deputy Executive Director.

Minister Visits Proposed South West Marine Park

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Science

BNT and Partners Working to Protect Coral Reefs in The Bahamas

Working groups came together to identify coral reef habitats adjacent to their islands.

Participants from multiple islands and organizations came together to develop the strategic plan to address threats to coral reefs in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is coordinating the development of a national strategic plan with the support of the Disney Conservation Fund to address the threats to coral reefs in the country. The BNT hosted a four day planning workshop last week at the British Colonial Hilton that brought together

community partners throughout The Bahamas and several government agencies. Participants from multiple islands collaborated with scientists to identify the threats to coral reefs in their island and its associated ecosystems, mangroves and seagrass. Strategies proposed to address the threats to the coral, mangrove, and

seagrass ecosystems were crosscutting and ranged from building awareness about the function of the ecosystems and their benefits, to creating and implementing land and sea use plans, to rehabilitation of these habitats. The Strategic Plan will be used to prioritize the scope of work needed to protect and manage coral reefs in The Bahamas over the next ten years.

Agnessa Lundy, Marine Science Officer at the BNT stated, “We had a dynamic workshop last week. Government agencies, NGOs [nongovernment organizations], consultants and renowned scientists collaborated to explore creative avenues to address the threats to the marine environment Bahamians love so much�.

Participating organizations included the Department of Marine Resources, Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, College of The Bahamas, Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, Friends of the Environment, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGGRA), Shedd Aquarium, San Salvador Living Jewels, New England Aquarium, Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, Atlantis, Paradise Island-Water Features Department, Andros Conservancy and Trust, The BEST Commission, The Nature Conservancy Northern Caribbean Programme, Cape Eleuthera Institute, The Island School, Disney, Cat Island United, Young Marine Explorers, Ocean Crest Alliance, Save the Bays, College of The Bahamas Environmental Law Clinic, Perigee Environmental Consultants, Family Island Research and Education, Bahamas National Trust (BNT), and several independent environmental consultants.

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National Parks

Grand Bahama Staff Undergoes Training Grand Bahama Parks Manager and Parks Planner, Lakeshia Anderson, recently completed a Coral Reef Resilience Training Course hosted by The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy’s Reef Resilience Network with the support of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Programme, offered a new 12 week training for coral reef managers from January to May 2015, with a closing workshop held in Puerto Rico from June 1 - 5, 2015 . The 12-week mentored online course provided information on coral reef resilience with a specific focus on using the latest science to improve MPAs as a management tool for fisheries in a changing climate. The training was designed to provide an atmosphere of exchange and creative problem solving and was facilitated by regional and global experts in resilience-based management of coral reefs.

Deputy Park Warden David Clare participated in a Prescribed Fire Training Workshop in Florida from June 8 – 19, 2015. The training was hosted by The

Lakeshia Anderson makes a point about resilient corals in The Bahamas.

Nature Conservancy and Wildland Restoration International (WRI), and was a continuation of a burn training held in New Providence in December of 2014. Other participants were fellow Bahamians Sgt. Demeris Armbrister,

Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Branch, New Providence; and Foresters Terrance Rodgers and Wavell Hanna from the Ministry of Environment’s Forestry Department, Abaco and Andros.

National Park Expansion Meetings held in Grand Bahama The BNT hosted two community meetings in Sweeting’s Cay and McLean’s Town on June 28 and 29, to address the recent concerns raised by members of the public on the areas proposed for East Grand Bahama, Northshore/Gap, and for the expansions of Lucayan National Park and Peterson Cay National Park. BNT’s Executive Director Eric Carey, Director of Parks, David Knowles, and Grand Bahama Parks Manager Lakeshia Anderson, lead Anderson, Grand Bahama Parks Manager, addresses East Grand Bahama the meetings to respond to community Lakeshia community. representatives.

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National Parks

Inagua Wardens Busy with Sea Turtle and Hummingbird Research Wardens Henry Nixon and Casper Burrows have had a busy June. Drs. Karen Bjorndal and Alan Bolten of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research conducted their annual research visit to Union Creek Reserve. The team captured and tagged 100 turtles on this

trip. Drs. Bjorndal and Bolten have been conducting sea turtle research at Union Creek since1974.

The Inagua Woodstar will be part of a new program on hummingbirds being aired on the web and PBS – Nature. A team from Coneflower films was on

Casper Burrows, Teresa Feo, Ann Johnson, Robin Klein, Jacob Musser and Henry Nixon.

the ground filming the Bahamas’ newest endemic in Inagua in June. The film crew also interviewed BNT staff about the IDB/ Audubon Bird Tourism project and the work of the BNT.

C. Burrows, K. Bjorndal, A. Bolten and H. Nixon.

The Levy Preserve works to safeguard against wild fires!

Last spring, just days after the Levy Preserve’s Phase II opening, a wildfire ignited and quickly spread from an adjacent property threatening the coppice within The Preserve. This was a true emergency since unlike pine forests, coppice ecosystems are not adapted to burns and recovery can take decades. Quick efforts by BNT staff and local heavy equipment operators contained the fire before any damage occurred within Preserve boundaries. Unfortunately, fires such as this are a common occurrence due to slash and burn farming practices and the burning of trash. As a result, wildfires continue to occur in areas around The Preserve to this day.

To ensure The Preserve is always protected, staff cleared a firebreak

surrounding the entire property. The firebreak consists of a path roughly 5 feet wide in which all combustible materials are removed to stop fire from spreading into the Preserve. The BNT has also installed

a fire hydrant system to wet down the forest in the event a wildfire does ever encroach on The Preserve’s boundaries again. The BNT encourages land owners to do their part in preventing wild fires.

Smoke from the wildfire that threatened The Preserve in 2014 viewed from The Preserve’s observation tower.

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National Parks

BNT National Parks in Andros and Exuma Provide Homes for Coral Nurseries

New coral nursery array at Moriah Harbour Cay National Park.

Under the direction of Dr. Craig Dahlgren, lead scientist for the BNT’s Coral Rehabilitation project supported by the Disney Conservation Fund , two coral nurseries were designed and installed at the North Marine Park in Andros and Moriah Harbour Cay National Park in Great Exuma in June 2015.

The Andros Nursery is being supported

by ForFar Field Station and will be incorporated into the BNT Navigators program as a citizen science project where they monitor and record the growth of the coral and

remove the algae that grow on the lines.

Navigators in Andros were recently Scuba certified and this is an excellent project for them to improve their diving and coral reef monitoring skills.

From June 27- 29, Dr. Craig Dahlgren and Ms. Catherine Booker of the Exuma Foundation and The Elizabeth Harbour Conservation Partnership on Great Exuma conducted reef rehabilitation activities within the Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, including expanding an existing coral nursery

array and outplanting corals.

A new coral nursery array was established with the assistance of Mr. Christopher Minns and populated with 55 pieces of Acropora spp. coral fragments. The new nursery was a modification of a successful line nursery design used in Abaco and recently established for Andros. Modifications were necessary to accommodate for the shallow depth (2.53m) of the site. In this design coral fragments are grown suspended from lines which can increase growth and survival rates. To populate the nursery, coral fragments from staghorn and elkhorn colonies off Channel Cay and fragments from three colonies of Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) from a reef to the north of Flat Cay. Maintenance and monitoring of the nurseries in Exuma will be conducted by Ms. Booker and local students. Annual monitoring and out planting of corals will be done with local partners under the guidance of Dr. Dahlgren. In addition, it is recommended that a larger scale nursery for A. palmata and A. cervicornis be established closer to existing populations off Channel Cay and Flat Cay in the future.

Congratulations to BNT Executive Director

BNT Executive Director, Eric Carey was inducted into the COB Alumni Society Hall of Fame at the 2nd Annual Flamingo Ball on Saturday, June 13th. Also inducted with Mr. Carey were Sonia Brown, Pace Foundation Chairman, Ian Rolle, President of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Group of Companies, Dr. Charles Rahming, Neurologist, Stuart Bowe, Atlantis Senior VP and Wendy Warren, Director of Caystone Solutions.

The Alumni Society Hall of Fame was established in 2001 by the Executive Board of the Alumni Association, now the Alumni Society, to recognize COB Alumni who are making significant contributions to the development of The Bahamas. The College of The Bahamas Alumni Society views induction into its Hall of Fame as its highest honour. It is a designation extended to individuals whose lives are the hallmark of The College’s motto “Knowledge, Truth, Integrity.”

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BNT BULLETIN

Membership Highlight Jo Morasco

BNT Member and artist, Jo Morasco has had a lifelong interest in art and ecology. Her artwork, which has been displayed at The Rand Nature Centre, The National Art Gallery and other galleries in The Bahamas and the United States, reflects this interest as do her hobbies which include swimming, snorkeling and boating.

After retirement, she and her husband Jeff decided to live in Freeport, Grand Bahama for most of the year. While in Freeport, Jo is active in the Grand Bahama American Women’s Club (president 2014-2016), The Art Association, Garden Club, and is also a member of the Performing Arts Society. The Grand Bahama American Women’s Club recently sponsored children from the Grand Bahama Children’s Home to attend the Summer Safari Camp at the Rand Nature Centre.

Event Calendar Eco Camp

Sunday July 12, 2015 - Nassau

Discovery Club Symposium

Saturday, July 25, 2015 - Grand Bahama

Wine and Art

Friday, October 30 - 31, 2015 - Nassau

Jollification

Friday, November 20 - 22, 2015 - Nassau Bahamas National Trust P. O. Box N-4105, Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: 242-393-1317 www.bnt.bs | bnt@bnt.bs