Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project

Transcription

1 Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project Rory Graham July 2016

2 CONTENTS 1. Latest news 2. Story of the Month 3. Educational & Community Projects 4. Survey Update 5. Scholarship News 6. Creature of the month

3 PROJECT AIM The Montserrat Ridge to Reef Conservation Project (MRRCP) is a collaborative project to support the sustainable use of Montserrat s natural resources. The programme encompasses scientific surveys of coral reefs and other marine resources, as well as terrestrial species and habitats focussed primarily in the Centre Hills. The MRRCP provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Montserratians, as part of an integrated programme to develop local capacity and ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of natural resources throughout the country. Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is working at the invitation of and in partnership with the Government of Montserrat and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Coral Cay Conservation provides the resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection, restoration and management of coral reefs and tropical forests.

4 LATEST NEWS School Groups July has seen the team say goodbye to several long term volunteers while we have been working with two different sixth forms from the UK. The first was Kings College School (KCS). We welcomed 17 students and 2 teachers who can definitely be described as a very lively group! Over the course of their trip the students undertook a range of activities including science training learning to dive and hiking through the beautiful Centre Hills. After a great deal of hard work we are very pleased to report that 16 of the students and one of the teacher successfully completed their PADI training up to Open Water. In addition to the diving the student were able to spend a night camping in the Centre Hills and taking part in a nocturnal herptiles survey. The school came out to Montserrat as a geography trip and so of course we took them to the MVO where they were able to learn a great deal about the eruptions and the aftermath. We would like to thank Rod and his team for being excellent hosts and allowing us to have a great tour around the MVO. Students from Glenalmond College walking the Oriole walkway. Photo: Rory Graham Following the departure of KCS we welcomed the second school group, all the way from a Scottish boarding school called Glenalmond. An even larger group than the first, they arrived towards the end of the month with 22 in total. As with KCS we took them all camping on Oriole walkway and the 18 that weren t already dive trained successfully completed their PADI Open Water training. Toward the end of their time we focused on teaching the students about the marine survey work we conduct, including the fish that can be found on Montserrat s amazing reefs. After this they all took part in a very successful marine survey which yielded a lot of fish data very quickly. It s amazing the amount of work you can get done with 22 willing and able extra sets of hands.

5 STORY OF THE MONTH Camping in the Centre Hills During the school group expeditions we organised 4 separate nights camping at the base of Oriole Walkway. To ensure the students were up to the task, we first organised a practice session at the Taj, which allowed each of them to erect their hammocks and shelters under the watchful eyes of the CCC staff. Once everyone was happy, the group then spent the afternoon walking Oriole Walkway and Duberry Cassava looking for the birds, reptiles and snakes along the way. Before returning to base, the students pitched their shelters at the base of Oriole Walkway ready for the campout that evening. This was a great experience for the groups involved as for many it was the first time they had ever slept out in the middle of a forest with only a hammock and basher for cover. As darkness fell the staff led the group back into the forest to conduct a nocturnal herptiles survey. Many of the students were very sharp eyed, and a good number of Geckos and Tree-frogs were caught. Once the Herptiles survey was completed everybody bedded down for the night and thankfully most stayed dry, even through a heavy downpour. The following morning after a quick breakfast of jam and peanut butter, the students walked back to the Taj. It was a fantastic experience that the students will not forget in a hurry and definitely interesting to see how the different groups dealt with the being out of their comfort zone! The third group we took out camping, just about to leave the camp site after everything has been put up for a dry night. Photo: Rory Graham We would like to say a big thank you to the Montserrat Department of Environment and Montserrat Enterprises for allowing us to camp at the base of Oriole Walkway throughout the month of July.

6 EDUCATIONAL & COMMUNITY PROJECTS Dispelling the fear of sharks at the Library in Brades July has seen us complete 3 very successful library sessions in Brades. The first focused on the friendly side of sharks, aiming to dispel some of the bad press that sharks get globally. The second considered poisonous plants from around the world and the third looked at snakes. Montserrat is home to two species of snake, The Leeward Racer and the Blind snake. One of CCC project aims while on island is to record any snake we see, with the coordinates of where we saw it. This information is passed onto the department of environment for their own conservation projects. The flytraps in progress with help from some of the KCS students. Photo: Emma Bolton The second session of the month involved a craft session which saw the kids making their own Venus flytraps, using paper plates for the body and bits of fluff and plastic to simulate captured flies! By the end of the session there was a whole garden of vicious looking paper plants! The third session focused on snakes with a specific focus on the snakes that can be found on the island. For this session CCC staff were joined by 4 members of the Glenalmond group also and as you can see, everyone had a great time. As ever, thanks to the staff at Brades Public Library for helping us run these sessions, ZJB radio for getting the word out and the kids themselves for turning up, along with the associated parents and guardians who are quite willing to lend hands sometimes! Some of the Glenalmond group with our regulars at the library. Photo: Carolyn Bircher

7 SURVEY UPDATE Survey background: The only comprehensive survey of Montserrat s coral reefs and other marine resources to date was carried out prior to the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano. CCC will be conducting enhanced Reef Check surveys around the island to provide an overview of the current status of the coral reefs of Montserrat and map marine habitats. Terrestrial survey work will build on research carried out during the Centre Hills Project ( ) and focus on three main areas: 1) mapping invasive plant species; 2) surveys of resident and migrant birds; 3) reptile and amphibian surveys. If you would like more information on our surveying please contact our Project Scientist. Marine Surveys Due to the arrival of the school groups, marine surveys have unfortunately taken a back seat. During their expedition, Glenalmond students were trained in the fish aspect of our marine surveys but due to time limitations we were not able to get full surveys done. These will hopefully return in the coming months before the end of the diving season. Terrestrial Surveys Once again due to the school groups terrestrial surveys have not taken place as much as we would like. However, unlike marine surveys we have managed to do a circuit of the island while training up Emma (SO) for the terrestrial side of her work. These will resume in full during August with the arrival of some new volunteers to site. Scientific reports from all of CCC s sites around the world are available on our website at

8 SCHOLARSHIP NEWS Each month CCC offers Montserratian nationals who display an ambition to study and protect the vital natural ecosystems of Montserrat an opportunity to take part in one of our Conservation Scholarships. The programmes last for one month and involve training the student in SCUBA diving or jungle skills. They then take part in an intensive Skills Development Programme giving them the knowledge and expertise to conduct ecological surveys. There has been some increased interest in our marine scholarship this month. We hope to pursue this in August while also welcoming back to the scheme, Jay and Charley from Island Divers now that they are both back on island. We will be doing this in conjunction with Dexter s remaining training and hopefully with some people from the Blue Halo initiative that was discussed in last months update. If you would like to apply for the CCC Marine Conservation Scholarship programme or read more about it, please visit:

9 CREATURE OF THE MONTH Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Amongst the CCC staff the Green Heron (Butorides virescens) could be one of our favorite birds on Montserrat. These fairly small (for herons) birds occupy the coastal wetland areas of the island and there are definitely 3 residents between Isles Bay and Old Road Bay. They are incredibly territorial and can be heard barking at each other to ward off competition for their patch. These birds are found throughout North and Central America and can also migrate great distances over oceans. Some individuals travel as far over the Pacific Ocean as Hawaii and others travel from the Americas all the way to Western Europe. While they appear quite stunted when compared to other herons (like in the picture below) their necks are actually very long. During courtship and when displaying dominance behavior they will extend them to their full length. Green Heron (Butorides virescens) on a branch between Old Road Bay and Isles Bay. Photo: Rory Graham

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