Friends of the Environment E-Newsletter
Established in 1988 September 2015
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On August 31st The Minister of the Environment officially declared 18 new marine protected areas in The Bahamas, four of which are located in Abaco. The East Abaco Creeks National Park, Cross Harbour National Park, The Marls National Park and The Blue Holes National Park are officially on the map!
There have been many causes for celebration, but no champagne toast has ever felt more rewarding than this one!
Thank you to all the groups, individuals and students who took the time to attend meetings, write letters of support, lobby the Bahamas government and most importantly, remain dedicated to seeing these areas protected. Thank you to our political leaders for supporting the community in this endeavor. 
What a win for conservation!!! I hope you are as proud as we are to be part of this lasting legacy for Abaco and The Bahamas. 
 
Kristin Willia ms
Executive Director
 
Members of the board and staff celebrating in Snake Cay, part of the East Abaco Creeks National Park. We hope you take the time to celebrate in one of the new national parks too! 


Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (BAM!)
Photos: KSLOF

FRIENDS has been given the amazing opportunity to partner with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) to bring their mangrove education and restoration program to The Bahamas. The KSLOF launched it's first mangrove 
education  project in Jamaica and has partnered with FRIENDS to launch the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (BAM) right here in Abaco! 

Throughout this school term, students from Abaco Central High and Forest Heights Academy will be continuing their investigations of mangrove ecosystems by conducting an experiment on which substrate mangroves grow better in: sand, mud, or pebbles. The second phase of our project will happen in the spring of 2016, when KSLOF will return to Abaco and help us facilitate a mangrove restoration using the plants grown by students. This program is a great example of how locally relevant conservation activities can be tied in to standards for learning that are required by the Bahamian curriculum. We hope to build on the success of this partnership by working with more schools in the future with the hopes of having this project eventually adopted into the Bahamian curriculum. 

International Coastal Cleanup Month

As the coordinator in Abaco for International Coastal Clean Up Month, FRIENDS helps to facilitate cleanups around Abaco by providing gloves, trash bags and data forms to participants. This year clean ups were held in Murphy Town, Marsh Harbour, Hope Town, Treasure Cay Beach, and North Abaco. The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer effort to clean up waterways and the ocean. 

FRIENDS partnered with the Murphy Town community, The Ministry of Tourism, St Francis De Sales, Smith Memorial, the Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation and MP for North Abaco, Hon. Renardo Curry to clean up Coconut Tree Bay in Murphy Town.
130 bags of trash was collected in less than two hours! 
Photo: KSLOF
One of our younger volunteers in Hope Town. 
Photo: Lory Kenyon

Students covered every "nook and cranny" to make sure no trash was left behind. 
Photo: KSLOF

Science Education and Outreach 

Abaco Science Fair - Thursday November 19th, 2015
Public and private schools (even home-schoolers) are invited to participate in our annual science fair! The theme is Climate Change, so we will be looking for projects that address locally relevant issues under that theme. Visit our website for more information and download an entry form .

A student from Agape showing off their project for the 2014 science fair themed "Invasive Species".



Abaco Science Alliance Conference - January 6-9, 2016
FRIENDS will be hosting the 7th Biennial Abaco Science Alliance Conference on January 6-9, 2016. Conference goals are to: provide a forum for networking and information sharing for Abaco and Bahamas-based research projects, encourage the use of research for local education and environmental management purposes, and stimulate further research in The Bahamas. 

Researchers are invited to submit contributed papers and posters on research findings in natural history and environmental science of Abaco and The Bahamas. Papers and posters will be accepted based on their technical merit and contribution to our knowledge of species, populations, communities, ecological processes, management practices, conservation initiatives, education models or policy issues.

ASAC presenter Craig Layman answering follow up questions from Abaco students. 



Abaco's Environment in Photos :
Bahamian Brown Racer

baby brown racer snake. Photo by Brian Kakuk
Photo by Brian Kakuk.


Brown racer snake. Photo by Mitchell Pruitt
Photo by Mitchell Pruitt.


Brown racers are the most common of the five types of snake native to The Bahamas. The Bahamian brown racer  is endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world! There are 5 recognized sub-species in the country, however variation also occurs throughout their island ranges. Unlike other Bahamian snakes brown racers are diurnal (active during the day).
They can grow up to 3 feet in length.